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?

Does he have a very physical job?

All the men I know who have worked most of their adult life in hard manual jobs have constant pain due to the wear and tear on their bodies.
My dh (builder) has aches most days, and I think all his colleagues of similar age (50) have bad backs, shoulders, hips etc due to years of working on site.

Good to hear 👍

I don’t think some people regularly knocking back ibuprofen realise how harmful it can be to your stomach.
Op he needs to be aware at least that Nurofen is ibuprofen and can cause stomach ulcers/perforation if taken daily for years x

OP there is a condition called Medication Overuse Headaches, which can be caused by using too much of a painkiller, including paracetamol. My DH experienced it after trying to manage migraines with painkillers for years.

https://migrainetrust.org/understand-migraine/types-of-migraine/medication-overuse-headache/

It's a kind of vicious cycle, the headache gets worse as the painkiller wears off, and so you take more painkillers to manage the headache, which makes the headache even worse when the painkillers wear off.

It could be that he's exeriencing this, it would be worth him getting to see a doctor to discuss it and the amount of painkillers he's taking. Maybe try and get him to read that link from the migraine trust first.

Paracetamol and ibuprofen are not addictive at all. YABU.
if he starts taking codeine then that is addictive.

I don’t think op’s being unreasonable to feel worried.

Firstly, if a loved one was experiencing pain you’d hope they could share that with you or get it investigated?

Secondly, the fact that he has hundreds of packs of different tablets in various states of use down the side of his bed suggests he’s a “chaotic” tablet taker. I.e. he’s not keeping an eye on spacing dosage or which medicine he’s taken.
Long term that can be harmful.

Just because a drug isn’t physically addictive, it doesn’t mean it’s harmless and you can eat it like smarties.

My mother in law was addicted to Neurofen plus. She went to great lengths to get boxes of them from different chemists and would get various family members to buy it without telling others. In the end it masked some severe symptoms of pneumonia which caused her death early 50s :(

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

One way to find out. Take them all so there's none to be found and force the conversation.

Quoted the wrong bit

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

How sad.
That’s a classic codeine addiction. It’s so common and people get into difficulties when taking it to relieve pain, before they know it, their body is dependent on it and the withdrawal symptoms are pretty horrific.

You only have to look at the addiction topic on here to see how common codeine addiction is

Its an opioid, so akin to heroin in it’s addictive qualities.

Is your dh taking Nurofen plus op?
Be aware that contains codeine.

He appears to be using paracetamol / Ibuprofen to help sleep which neither do. Both have serious and potentially life-threatening side-effects- Kidney & Liver failure & stomach ulceration.
Would it be an idea to visit a health shop & try some natural products which would be less harmful and by their placebo effect help his sleep?

It sounds like anxiety connected to the not sleeping and has developed into a habit. Have you challenged him to not take any for a few days?

Why doesn’t he just take nytol or something made to help sleep?

I’ll occasionaly take paracetemol + dramamine to aid sleep due to hip pain but not if I have to get up early as it makes me groggy.

I have a degree in chemistry with a focus on pharmacy and toxicology.

Neither paracetamol nor ibuprofen are addictive. Paracetamol is very safe as long as you stick to recommended doses. It can be taken safely for years. Ibuprofen is pretty safe too but can be hard on the stomach if taken frequently or for long periods. The danger with paracetamol is that you can develop a tolerance and need to take more and more to produce the same efficacy, and paracetamol CAN be very dangerous if you take too many. It's the most commonly used drug in overdoses, both accidental and deliberate.

Paracetamol only causes liver and kidney failure in overdoses. If you stick to recommended doses (1g every four hours and no more than 4g in 24 hours) it is one of the safest drugs out there.

My worry would be the potential for a stomach ulcer, which can kill (Tara Palmer-Tomkinson).

@marygirling YANBU. Paramol is paracetamol and codeine. Codeine is an opiate and highly addictive. If he is taking these tablets to help with sleep, he is probably taking other codeine based medications eg nurofen plus (ibuprofen and codeine). You need to ask him directly what he is taking and how frequently he takes it. If he is taking codeine daily, you need to get him to the GP and help him organise a reduction plan. Don’t delay, don’t ignore, don’t underestimate the potential consequences of what he is doing. Your instinct is telling you something isn’t right, listen to it.

Very concerning. Paramol and nurofen plus are highly addictive. PPs saying YABU have no clue what these over the counter painkillers can do.

Unfortunately my Mum was addicted for 20 years. I used to be sent to different chemists each day as a teenager to buy them for her. 20 years of pleading for her to get help.

Unfortunately she didn't and died suddenly last year just turned 50 from codeine intoxication. Sorry to be blunt but make him get help before you go through what I had to.

I agree with @AbuelaGetTheUmbrellas

Theres a vast difference between popping a couple of paracetamol in the night and regularly taking Panadol extra or Nurofen Plus- both habit forming/ addictive.

A codeine addiction is a different beast entirely. It is telling that the Panadol you bought immediately disappeared indicating a preference to those!

However, it’s not impossible to sort this. I would suggest him tapering the tablets to slowly reduce his dose,
And as advised look at some natural remedies to aid sleep if that’s the issue.

The OP said he’s taking paracetamol and nurofen, neither of which contain codeine.
you’re right that codeine is very addictive, however the ops husband isn’t taking anything containing codeine.
im sorry you went though that with your mum 💐

So sorry about your mum @PawMaw , so young

She mentioned paramol too which has codeine.

Thank you, there needs to be more awareness around over the counter painkiller abuse. It's more common than people realise.

@Singularity82
although spelt incorrectly, op mentions him taking “Panadol” which contains codeine.

Also some variants of “Nurofen” contain codeine. I don’t think some people even realise this because they can be bought easily.
Probably worth checking all the opened packets he has stashed down the bed and what they actually contain.

Sorry my mistake, Paramol is the correct spelling! Contains paracetamol and dihydrocodeine

You need help - this is an addiction.