Codeine overuse

[Carm53]

Have been taking half to whole tablet of mersyndol nearly everyday for at least three years. I think I have developed a case of itching all over the body because of overuse .  I have had blood tests to show no other reason for the itching, How long is it likely to take for the codeine to work through the system and hopefully the itching to stop.  I have stopped taking the mersyndol for about two weeks so far.

[Carm53]

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate your help.

[Carm53]

Thank you for your comment. Makes a lot of sense. Have been using a topical cream for a while and it does help, but look forward to getting back to normal.

[GarbageAddict360]

Try taking some Benadryl.  It sounds like what Life said, that you have contact dermatitis from the scratching you did while using.  It is very common to be itchy while using any opiates.  Any antihistamine should help you and if you have specific areas, a over the counter topical cream (hydrocortisone) will help too.

[Life360_Dave]

In my experience with itching it would go away about 4 hours after taking a pill. Your itching is most likly from your skin being irritated from all the scratching before. If you have certain areas that itch more than others get some of the over the counter anti itch cream its the 1% with aloe. If you scratched very much you might has developed a mild dermetitus as your fingernails contain a lot of bacteria. Either way the cream helps me. If you dont need the pills then please stop now other wise it could be much worse as long term use can lead to some pretty terrible withdrawals.