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General health

weaning self off codeine after surgery

22 replies

lulumcgish · 25/04/2015 18:26

surgery was tues. I have got it down to 30mg 4 x a day. can I buy it over the counter?

OP posts:
Joyfulldeathsquad · 25/04/2015 18:27

Not that strength no.

BathTangle · 25/04/2015 18:35

What advice have you been given about how long to take it for? I was given codeine post surgery but was given advice that I should only take it for x days and then drop to paracetamol and ibuprofen. If the pain was too bad to do so I was supposed to go back to doctor to work out options. You can get paracetamol + codeine (co-codamol / solpadeine) otc but you have to be VERY careful about the dose of paracetamol. Worth asking pharmacist for advice if you can't get to GP.

FadedRed123 · 25/04/2015 18:35

You can buy codeine with paracetamol or aspirin OTC, the codeine strength is 8 mg, so x2 tablets will give you codeine 8mg/IG paracetamol or 600mg aspirin. Max dose 8 tabs in 24 hours.

FadedRed123 · 25/04/2015 18:36

Sorry that should have said 16mg codeine/1G paracetamol or 600mg aspirin

lulumcgish · 25/04/2015 19:13

it says take regularly for 3 days then as required.

OP posts:
lulumcgish · 25/04/2015 19:14

scant take snails and paracetamol is crap

OP posts:
lulumcgish · 25/04/2015 19:16

as is my phone, I have written a million sensible messages which it has deleted Angry Angry

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lulumcgish · 25/04/2015 19:17

snails =nsaids

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Musicaltheatremum · 25/04/2015 22:53

Lol, must be the codeine affecting you. Some of the auto corrects are awful

justkeeponsmiling · 25/04/2015 23:02

Stop it asap and stick with paracetamol. Or if you must buy the over-the-counter low dose codeine.
It's evil. I personally know/knew two people who got addicted to it after surgery.
Both ended up in serious trouble due to the addiction as they both started stealing it (I work in health care).
I don't believe people should be discharged with it unless no other option and if they need it to take home they should only have a few.
Sorry, hope you feel better soon after your op.

GraysAnalogy · 25/04/2015 23:09

It shouldn't be too hard for you to come off it now since you've only been on it since Tues. The boxes say 3 days but we give it to our PT's for longer and they usually have no problem stopping the drug once the discharge meds have completed, then using ibuprofen and/or paracetamol for pain relief if needed.

As not sure of what you have had done etc you might want to seek advice from the hospital.

Are you taking it because of the pain or because you feel you need to?

gamerchick · 25/04/2015 23:13

Not everybody gets addicted. Take it as long as you need it and stop when you forget to take it for pain and the spaces between get longer. That's all. You're thinking ahead don't worry about it.

lulumcgish · 26/04/2015 08:53

I had my gallbladder removed, keyhole. I am still taking themSad for the pain. I went a bit longer between doses overnight, which is good, but one wound in particular is still v sore.Sad

OP posts:
lulumcgish · 26/04/2015 08:57

I was in a panic yesterday because I could see how few I had left and was worried about how I would cope on just paracetamol, which ime doesn't work.l feel a bit better today and I will get dh to get me some co-codamols just in case. thanks for advice! Smile

OP posts:
gamerchick · 26/04/2015 09:06

Tell him to get you a box of paramols to take on a nighttime if it's still that sore they're a bit better than co codamols when it's time to sleep.

lulumcgish · 26/04/2015 09:15

thankyou, I will tell himSmile

OP posts:
MatildaTheCat · 26/04/2015 10:19

Or you can mix your 30s by taking one plus one paracetamol which should help. Then maybe 2x 8/500 OTC tabs. Paracetamol is a good painkiller so do take it. Just don't take too many. The codeine dose can be gradually tapered by mixing the tablets.

And take regularly as pain is much easier to control before it gets bad. After only a few days it's snot surprising to still be in pain. Codeine is very constipating, though so do consider a laxative like lactulose if not already doing so.

Hope you feel better soon.

QTPie · 26/04/2015 11:41

Hi

Agree with what some others have said: firstly you should it be in pain (you need to take mefucation to work on that), secondly not everyone gets addicted to codeine.

If we are talking pain - rather than "discomfort" - then take what works. Do you have enough codeine to last until into tomorrow? If you do, get an emergency GP appointment tomorrow to review your pain relief. If you don't - and we are talking serious pain - then get an out of hours appointment for today (111?).

I have had codeine after a few operations/procedures) and I take them religiously the first few days and then drop them when I am down to discomfort rather than real pain (taking less and spacing them out further). The half a box - which I have had for two years - still in my medicine cupboard will testify that they are not addictive for me. I also have some natty American prescription drugs too, but probably out of date now (4 years old - left over from a skiing accident). Codeine is fantastic in emergencies. I had two cycles of IVF and had agonising reactions after embryo return both times (I checked and they said that I could take the codeine). I also had a killer middle ear infection earlier this year - the pain was agonising and the codeine was a godsend. I take it for agonising pain (not period pain or headaches or anything like that) and then drop it as soon as I get through it.

The important thing is to get the pain managed properly: you shouldn't be weaning yourself off if paracetamol is insufficient.

Get the GP to review and either prescribe mor or look at alternatives.

Hope you feel better soon.

LowryFan · 26/04/2015 11:47

I found after surgery, the time the codeine ran out was the same time I was expecting myself to be up and about a bit more (as did the rest of the world) = double whammy. So please make sure you are resting and asking other people to do stuff for you and so on.

chocolatelife · 26/04/2015 11:49

when in pain recently i was advised, ibuprofen, then 2 hours later paracetamol, but was also given something else to protect my stomach

specialsubject · 26/04/2015 11:50

take what is prescribed. Codeine affects people in different ways; some get addicted, some have no effect, some find it a useful painkiller.

because some get addicted is not a reason to scream 'evil' and demand a ban. In this house it allows a life.

NormHonal · 26/04/2015 12:06

Does the sore wound feel hot? If so, see your GP or nurse and get it checked for infection, in which case some antibiotics will sort it out. I found the tummy button wound, which I think is where they put the camera in, was the worst and did get an infection.

I must say that I found myself relying on the co-codamol and panicking about the thought of the packet running out. The nurse at the hospital post-op had the op herself a few years beforehand and cautioned against using co-codamol, and that the pain should be manageable on ibuprofen. I went cold turkey and the pain was fine once the infection was sorted.

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