please help

[freddyalfie]

im 23 years old and addicted to codeine phosphate 60mg 8 a day have been for nearly 2 years im scared to death im going to kill myself i have been addicted to tramadol before and came off them with great difficulty my partner said im stupid for getting addicted to a little pill so i cant tell him about this addiction he wouldnt understand at all, i have 2 small children so i cant go cold turkey i have to look after them take 1 to school etc so laying in bed for a couple of weeks is not a option for me, you may be asking yourself why did i start taking painkillers agin after i had so much trouble coming off tramadol well the answer is  i have a severe case of crohns disease ive had 2 bowel ops tom have alot of my small bowel removed having crohns since i was 14yrs old ive been constantly on painkillers all my life! i was sick and tired of being in pain all the time and thas how i have been addicted to codeine and im having no pain its great i dont need to lie for them like most my doc knows im on 8 a day he put me on them , i cant tell the docs that im addicted if i do it will go on my record and in futer flare ups they may not give me painkillers for my crohns and im in soooo much pain sometimes i have even passed out due to it . i cant live like this much longer i need help what are these pills doing to my body please help me!

[J T Junig, MD PhD]

Yes, I was confused as well.  On one hand you say you are addicted and miserable, but then you say that you are not in any pain and it is 'great'.

As Naughty mentioned, pain and addiction are a difficult combination;  pain control in a person with a history of addiction requires careful monitoring and tight limits.  Codeine is a lousy pill, particularly for GI pain;  it tends to have more cramping than many other opiates, and the action of codeine requires conversion to morphine, which happens in variable amounts in different patients.  

Narcotics by themselves are not evil or harmful, but the obsession for them can be very destructive. As already suggested, the first question is whether you truly need to be on narcotics;  most recovering people will tolerate some pain, just to avoid the risk of using narcotics.  If you need them, I recommend searching for a doctor who will treat pain even in patients with addictions;  that would be safer than keeping your history a secret.

[freddyalfie]

thanks for the responses i know my situation is hard to explain but i know im addicted as when i dont have the pain i take them anyway so i dont get the pain if you understand? ive now found out im expecting again (pregnant ) not sure if we are keeping it yet due to my crohns but if we do i fear he/she could be damaged due to these pill takings and i cant talk to anyone about it as im afraid of having no pain relief at all, my doctor does give them to me but im sure im not supposed to be on 8 60mg a day as many people (chemists mainly) have said to me i shouldnt be taking such a high dose EVERY day but i always assumed if my doctor (who knows everything apart from the addictions) says its fine i should be ok ?....

[NautyOne]

What your saying is your dammed if you do, and dammed if you don't.  If you stop taking them you will be in great pain, so why go off them?.....If your taking the prescribed amount then you are doing fine.  I am a little confused as to why you want to get off them unless your leaving something out.

Do you really need 8 a day?.....if not, then don't.  Being an addict and having chronic pain is a horrible rat race of a life......I do feel for you, but it sounds like you do need the meds. and if your not running out early, or doctor shopping.......then I  don't see a reason to stop taking them.

Nauty.........