Going To Stop Daily Use Of OTC Codeine - Support Gratefully Received

[MarmaladeSandwich7]

I have been taking Solpadeine Max & the equivalent of Nurofen Plus (Almus) for a few years now. I do cut down but always go back to it as I like the feeling I get. I am an alcoholic (quit Jan 2024) & have in effect replaced one addiction with another. Obviously it was even worse mixing alcohol & codeine.
Has anyone taken regular OTC painkillers & given up? I’m intending to ask my GP for guidance as you get side effects if you stop too quickly. Determined to do it, both for my future health & my bank balance. Not cheap! Also, the local chemists are starting to catch on.

How much do you take a day, and are there certain times, eg morning, noon, dinner, bed or just morning and bedtime?

Definitely get the help of your GP otherwise you might change this addiction for another. You've already done that once so you know how easy it would be to do again.

I take it you get highs from the codeine, rather than taking it for pain, or both? I don't get the fuzzy feelings that I hear about.

Edit
If you were an alcoholic did you get counselling to work on why you did it? What started you on that path?

I will always be an alcoholic but a recovering one - I did have some counselling but would like to dig deeper into the reasons why. My personality is generally an addictive one. I went through a phase of spending a lot on fruit machines when I was younger & often buy scratchcards & lottery tickets when I can’t really afford them. Currently buying way too much on Vinted. It’s that dopamine hit.
I do have some pain but it’s not ever really severe enough to warrant taking codeine.

Absolutely speak to your GP for some guidance. Have you considered trying AA or NA?

I’m also a recovering alcoholic and honestly, you have to face it and deal with it. Otherwise, it’s like whack a mole. The addiction will keep popping back up somewhere until you stare it in the face.

Join a support group or other sober community. There are fantastic ones online. You don’t have to be someone who goes to physical meetings (I don’t). But you do need other sober people to lean on and to keep you accountable.

I hear you. I know I have an addictive personality too (not as strong as yours though) so I make sure I don't start anything that might cause it, which means no lottery or drinking etc. Only just managed to give up cigarettes and chocolate. Fortunately I don't get the hits off codeine, tramadol, or hospital morphine - they make me so ill.

Will your GP refer you to better counselling to get to the bottom of why you keep doing it?

How many tablets of each do you take a day?

I have no advice but wish you the best of luck. I can see potential in the future for GLP-1 type drugs being able to support people in your position to shut down that dopamine drive in your brain.

I’ve beaten a codeine addiction but as others have said, it depends how much you’ve been taking. OTC codeine is weaker than prescription cocodamol, so that’s a start.

The hardest thing I found was sleep. Codeine is a mild sedative so if you stop taking it too quickly, you will find that you can’t sleep. I eventually managed to not take it all all during the day and had no withdrawal symptoms, which aren’t nice - runny nose and eyes, yawning, skin itching and feeling a bit like you’re coming down with something, but if I didn’t take anything at bedtime I just lay there fidgeting all night. It was hell. The only way I managed to beat it was titrating down the dose very very gradually, I started by taking two 30mg tablets before bed, did that for a week and then one and half for two weeks, then one, then half over a period of a couple of months. It worked, but it did take some time to wean my body off the codeine night to be able to get some decent sleep.

Some days I take maybe 4 lots, each dose being 2 x Solpadeine max (12.8 mg of codeine per tablet) & 2 x Nurofen Plus or the equivalent (again 12.8mg codeine per tablet). However, I have noticed recently that I sometimes feel the need for an extra tablet to get the “hit”.

So 4 x 4 tablets a day? Do what pp suggested and drop a tablet a week with the last dose being touched the last for sleep purposes eg

Breakfast only 3 tablets, rest are 4. Do this for a week.
Breakfast and 2nd dose 3 tablets only, other two are 4 tablets. For a week.
Breakfast, dose 2 and 3 are 3 tablets each, last dose is 4. For a week.
Etc.

Slow and steady. And stick the reasons for stopping on your fridge, including the one where pharmacies will eventually refuse to sell you any. PP made a good suggestion too regarding AA and NA. Get support from anywhere and everywhere to help you through it. Good luck

If you’re taking 2 Nurofen Plus 4 times a day, you’re overdosing on ibuprofen. You’re only allowed 6 Nurofen Plus in a 24 hour period. Be very careful with ibuprofen, it can cause kidney damage and also ulcers. If you take ibuprofen regularly you should take omeprazole to protect your stomach lining.

As above. Your more pressing issue is the amount of ibuprofen you’re taking.

The way to stop is reducing slowly.

@PlutarchHeavensbee is it worth taking omperzije before taking ibuprofen or...does it take a while to build up

Ask your GP today for guidance, you need to stop I knew someone with a codeine addiction they dropped dead. With any luck your pharmacies have caught on and will refuse to serve you.

I was taking OTC co-codamol - prescribed by my GP for degenerative disc disease, I also bought it myself. For a couple of weeks I took 1 co-codamol and 1 plain paracetamol, and have now stopped the codeine element entirely. No side effects at all.

@MarmaladeSandwich7 it's great that you're dealing with this now. I think it would be a really good idea to visit your GP. You've been taking more ibuprofen than you should and it can cause Acute Kidney Injury as well as stomach ulcers. The paracetamol isn't great for your liver and I've noticed you said you sometimes need an extra hit, so I wonder if the amount you've said is the full extent of what you're taking?

Sudden withdrawal can be very unpleasant at best and dangerous at worst. Your GP can help you by prescribing a safe tapering dose of codeine only, or a substitute, and prescribing other medications that will reduce the withdrawal symptoms.

The Frank website and helpline might be good to look at https://talktofrank.com/

Just wanted to wish you luck OP.
You sound very brave.

Omeprazole is a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) which means it reduces the amount of acid in your stomach. NSAIDS - like ibuprofen and naproxen - irritate your stomach lining causing ulcers and gastritis. If they become severe, they can perforate which can be fatal. You should take omeprazole every day you use NSAIDS.

@PlutarchHeavensbee thanks I was wondering if they worked straight away to protect or needed a build up.