Going Cold Turkey - 1st day

[Raj786]

Hi,
I have got myself addicted to Codeine in the last 6-7 months. It actually started with Opium for me but later I was happy to keep going on Codeine. I live in India which is the only country in world where opium is grown legally. The farmers who grow the Opium are very poor and they sell some of the Opium they grow to illicit markets to make extra money on the side, my friend was travelling in those parts and he had brought back around 10 grams of it back. I tried it with him and found I had a taste for it. We smoked all of it in about 10 days. I did not have opium again after that but tried Codeine for the first time in that same month and I found that I had a taste for this Opioid as well. In India, it's still primarily sold in cough syrups. Each bottle contains 200 mg of codeine and I was taking around 600 mg a day every day since the last 3 months. The trouble with Codeine for me is that I actually like it very much. I had had a big crush and some other emotional probs 7 months ago and at the time Codeine helped deal with these things, I like the small euphoric rush it gives and the afterglow in which I feel calm and relaxed and being able to think things through. The trouble is that now the Codeine itself has become the big problem for me. Since I got myself hooked, I have wasted a big big sum of money on this, I have made my family suffer with me as well and all the other problems that come with being a junky. I badly want out now, even though I like the way it makes me feel,  the price for it is too high, so the only thing that has made me keep taking it in say the last 1 month is the fear of withdrawal.

Now, I found the "Thomas Recipee" posted by Ga Guy in these forums and have gotten all the pills it requires except for the L Tyrosene (I figure I can take some glucose or fruit juice or even a Red Bull for energy as Thomas Recipee says on the morning of the 4th day)
and Colinidine which is the blodd pressure drug as I can't find out under what brand name is it sold here in India but Ativan should be able to help for the restlessnes and anxiety as well, right?
I had planned to go cold turkey since today, but approximately after 6 hrs after the withdrawals started, I went out and had some 250 mg codeine again. This is the maximum duration of withdrawal I have experienced so far. In this, all that has ever happened is anxiety, some chills, goose bumps, dry mouth, a bit of a runny nose, moodiness, what I wanted to ask is what I should expect in withdrawal when it peaks say in 24-48 hrs.

The other thing is that I have bought both Diazepam (Valium) & Lorezepam (Ativan - 1mg) pills for the anxiety and help in sleeping. I don't want to get myself addicted to these Benzo's now while trying to quit Codeine. So, how much should I take these things when I begin tomorrow? is it okay to take both these benzo's simulatneous and should they be taken with food? Thank you for reading this long long story of mine. Any info you care to supply will be very very much appreciated.

[Calzy]

Hi Raj, it's a little slow this time of day here (midday) but some will be able to answer all of your questions soon. I too started my addiction with cough syrup with codeine when i was a teenager and it is very addicted and lead to bigger and bader drugs, but you are very young and not a real long  drug history so with the proper detox and counseling for recovery, you can put this behind you. One of the biggest thing that can linger is the lack of energy, but your young enough to beat that with exercise and taking vit's.  The other thing is the craving and thats why the counseling would be good to help change the way you think about addiction and how to handle the issues in life that trigger the addictive thoughts and use. I dont know if you have AA-NA there but it helps to go to meetings or have strong family support that can help you with your needs on a daily basis. I wish you the best!  

[flmagi]

Use the Valium or Ativan, one or the other. Don't use both at the same time. Also only use for short time,as needed, they are addictive too. Maybe only the first week or 2 ,AS NEEDED.
Withdrawls will last approximately 5-8 days, starting to get better around day 5.
What you can expect from withdrawls:
Sleeplessness
restless legs or restless body parts
body aches
headaches
shakeing; internal & external
cold sweats
diarhea (diarrhea).. big time
stomach cramping
anxiaty
depression
crying
anger
I may have forgotten a few symtoms.  Drink alot of fluids,  protein drinks, eat , rest, get alittle exercise when your up to it.    Haveing some kind of support system... family, friends, N/A and this forum is important.
Good luck and keep in touch. We're here to help.
Magi