Codeine issues

[Masonsmum1992]

I think I’m addicted to codeine I take 30/500mg (not my prescription) a box of 100 will last me 5-7 days and when I run out of them I go to the pharmacy and get the 12.8mg ones but because they aren’t as strong as the ones I normally take I have to take 7 at once , iv tried to stop before by myself but I lasted 2 days and I felt like death I ended up giving in , I know going to the gp is the thing to do but I’m just nervous , has anyone else been through something similar

[PurpleFrames]

Your local drug and alcohol service will be better placed to deal with this than your go. You can call up and self refer for an appointment

[iklboodolphrednosedreindeer]

Did you stop cold turkey or wean down? Agree about seeing your local addiction support service for help and advice. Good luck.

[mum1992xo]

Went cold turkey because if I have them in the house I’d just take them I wouldn’t be able to ween myself , Im going to the pharmacy’s I use tomorrow and tell them not to sell to me anymore it will be so hard

[Lourake]

Hi Mason .
Sorry to hear about your predicament but you really need to stop taking excessive amounts of paracetamol I'm not trying to scare you but it can be fatal and it’s a horrible horrible way to go ... so now I’ve scared the shit out of you , you have two options one is taping down or going full withdrawal, your not taking a huge amount it seems like the end of the world but it’s a relatively small amount if you stop suddenly I’m been honest there will be MILD depression and anxiety which will last acouple of weeks one month MAX I promise or the GP route your GP can and will help you with a short course of antidepressant to get you over the bump , the only problem is if you do every need any type of sleeping pills / anti anxiety / pain relief your GP will be hesitate about giving you tablets in the future as you will be flagged .

So If I was you I would taper down but you need to take codeine WITHOUT the paracetamol seriously

All the best x

[GrumpyHoonMain]

You need to wean them down; but why do you take them? If they are being prescribed you probably do need them

[IlluminatiParty]

7 of the pharmacy ones are going to put you at risk of OD just on the paracetamol they have. Knock that on the head first. Small steps. Get help, GP or narcotics anonymous, it isn't unusual, codeine is an addictive opiate. I had a dependency of sorts a few years ago, not to your extent, fortunately no easy way to get codeine on prescription once I was better, but I do understand. You're not a bad person it's just a really bloody addictive chemical.

[Lourake]

If she’s taking a box of 100 tablets every week she needs to stop ASAP or get codeine phosphate and taper down

1 box of 30/500 contains 50,000mg of paracetamol which she consumes every 5-7 days .. I think she needs to stop now

[IlluminatiParty]

I think the OP knows that she should stop but when you are in the grip of addiction your rational sensible brain loses out every time to the impulse. Almost impossible on your own to win. OP you need help. Ask your doctor or Narcs Anonymous for help. With support you can ditch it.

[Lourake]

Your an idiot and shouldn’t be given out advice. stop SERIOUSLY your advice is harmful ...... and please please don’t lecture me on addiction and NA

[Madein1995]

Hi mason. I'm an addict and just over a year ago I was asking advice on a thread like this too. It started off at cocodamol for me and like you i was taking high doses. I was stealing my mother's. Then I started buying my own offline, getting into horrendous debt to do so, before switching to dihydrocodeine

For me cocodamol withdrawal was horrible but doable. Dihydrocodeine withdrawal was absolutely impossible. Addiction doesn't stay the same - it can and does get worse, trust me. I know the warnings over paracetamol and livers won't hit home for you. They didn't for me. I decided the drs were just over exaggerating and that because I was overweight, I would be fine. This was despite feeling stomach pains.

How is your brrathing? I ask because I was taking 30 dohy3a day which Is equivalent to 60 cocodamol a day. My breathing was awful and I really struggled to do breathing exercises.
I used to block out emotions or at least partly.

My journey hasn't been a straightforward one. I've been on a subutex script since November last and am slowly tapering Down. There's lots of conflicting info out there but for me, my script probably saved my life. If I carried on taking the doses I was, my breathing would. Have been more fucked, my liver probably as well. Let alone the fact that I was in debt and sinking drastically. It stopped me robbing family for money, selling jewellery for money, the daily lies and anxiety and stress... It was my saving grace. I

It's not all sunshine and roses, I'm still struggling. I blip regularly - my last blip was 7 days ago - and I'm nowhere near well and sorted. But I'm trying and my life isn't quite as hopeless today.

Try your gp, you can self refer to some drug and alcohol service, get advice. You can do a detox or a script or a taper, whatever. Im giving you this advice but I'm going to be honest, I'm not pinning my hopes on you taking it. That's because lots of lovely kind mumsneters gave me fab advice and I acted like a prize twat. I didn't want to listen to anyone who said something I didn't like. I really hope you get help. But only you can get that help and decide you want to make a difference

Good luck