to be concerned about how many painkillers DH takes

[marygirling]

DH is a good dependable man & loving husband and father with a busy full time job. No money worries, no concerning behaviours and we can talk about anything. (Usually!)

My worry is that he takes painkillers at least daily. I know for sure he takes two when he wakes in the night as I hear the plastic wrapping being broken.

If I ask he just laughs and mocks the notion of 'being addicted' suggesting I'm over reacting.

And maybe I am? It's just over the counter stuff, not causing financial or health issues so does it even matter?

Today I needed painkillers and knew I had bought some but there were none in the medical box. I eventually found a whole stash by his side of the bed. About 12 packets in various states of use.

I'm not worried that he's stock piling. It's more like a habit he has of grabbing some on way to bed and adding them to his little pile!

Is this just a little security blanket thing or do I need to be worried? Does anyone have experience of this?

If they contain Codeine, then that can be very addictive and cause long term harm. A late family member of mine developed an addiction to Nurofen plus which resulted in them passing out at home. It turned out they were losing blood due to a burst ulcer in their stomach and needed to go to hospital. They were taking slightly above the recommended amount, but very long term.

The obvious question is, is he in pain from something? I'm assuming not otherwise you would have mentioned it?

Have they got codeine in? I take one every night to help me sleep, definitely a habit. I've done so for probably 25 years or so? Depends how many he's taking I'd say and if it's increasing x

Sorry as to whether it's a problem or not

You’ve not mentioned if he’s in any actual pain or not….

What type of pain killers and approximately how many mgs per tablet?

What's he taking?

Does he ever say why?

If he won't talk about the painkillers then I'd focus on why he is waking in the night. What is causing that? Cos taking painkillers is merely treating a symptom.

Sorry- omit the word approximately from my previous post (I was going to write something different and forgot to delete the word).

What is the source of his pain?
What painkiller is he taking?

I did this as a teenager. It was sort of anxiety - I was worried about being in pain so took them pre emptively. You can develop a resistance and then actually get headaches if you stop taking them - I had to wean myself off and hate taking them more than once a month or so now.

Agree that this is something that needs to be discussed - is he in pain? Can he not sleep?

Depends entirely on the drug. “Painkillers” covers a wide range of substances; some with far more side effects or risk of dependency than others.

People with chronic pain or long term injuries can safely remain on certain pain relief for years.

Someone who worked with my dad years ago did that. He took paracetamol daily for years as he had "aches and pains" from a physical job. He steadily increased the dosage as he became more resistant. My dad found him passed out on his break one day, basically an accidental overdose, turned out he had developed serious liver damage from all the pain killers.

Is he is pain?
What is he taking?
How much is he taking?

He definitely needs to be careful with the paracetamol element of it.

I think it needs a conversation about health. Is he in some kind of regular ongoing pain, for which he should be seeking medical advice?

What would happen if he did not take painkillers regularly?

Are there any potential negative consequences for his health as a result of so much painkiller use?

If you feel he is not going to be open, an alternative option is to try and monitor his consumption via looking for receipts, going through pockets and bins, so you can work out just how bad the problem is.

Thank you. Great questions.

No pain that he ever speaks of.

He takes two pills and seems to fall straight to sleep again.

It's a mix of paracetamol and ibuprofen (Tesco/sainsburys - about 12 packets) nurofen (1 packet). I had some Paramol a month or so ago but that's all gone.

He's always had broken sleep. He did night shifts for about 8 years which obviously played havoc with his patterns. He hasn't done that for about 3 years but will still wake in the night. He'll drink some water, take a couple of pills and go back to sleep.

Poor guy.

The danger with paracetamol is exceeding the dosage. Paracetamol is actually one of the safest painkillers to take (even daily) as long as within safe dosage: max: 2 every 4 hours.
It doesn’t build up in your body if within the correct dosage.

Depends what he's taking?

I have to take Ibuprofen daily for inflammation, and it's not addictive. But Co-codamol for instance, is.

Look you need to talk to him. If you’re sleeping with the guy you must be able to talk as well!

2 tablets of paracetamol in the night isn’t particularly harmful. He cannot exceed max dosage( see instructions)
Long term ibuprofen use is not recommended due to risk of stomach ulcer.

Unless he’s in pain, those tablets do not aid sleep or cause drowsiness, they’re not physically addictive so it’s unclear why he’s compelled to take them?

So it sounds like a psychological addiction.

he isn’t in pain, he’s taking them because he thinks they’re helping with something they aren’t- like sleep. Paracetamol and Ibuprofen themselves won’t help him sleep, but in his head he may feel reassured/relaxed after taking them and therefore sleep easier.

he needs to see someone. It’s not normal to be taking tablets long term like this without medical supervision for the underlying issue.

Its usually recommended to take a gastro resistant capsule (eg lansoprazole) to protect your stomach if prescribed ibuprofen for long periods.

Has this been recommended to you? X

I think if it’s 2 paracetamols and 1 nurofen per day, there’s nothing addiction-wise to worry about (especially if he hasn’t deviated from this pattern in years… but, who knows?). Still, this stuff isn’t kind on our liver so I’d have him check his liver function just to make sure everything is ok.

My ex had a similar habit: took 2 paracetamol and 1 nurofen before bed. He’d had an inflammatory virus in his teens which left him in lifelong mild pain. He was also a terrible sleeper, claiming the pain killers helped settle him. It never became an issue. Other stuff did, hence the reason he’s an ex! 🤪

Yes, I have Lansoprazole daily.

Do you realise you have an addiction @Starlightisenthralling ? I would strongly suggest you speak to a doctor.