To ask how long withdrawal lasts?

[Scunthorpee]

So for some bizarre reason I have gained a bit of a habit buying Cocodamol and Nurofen plus. It got to a point where my stomach was starting to hurt and realised I was upping my dose so I have decided to nip this in the bud. Yesterday I took 2, this morning I have took 2 and had some diarrhoea (sorry tmi) I felt they helped calm me down after my divorce but in reality they didn’t and I will be so glad and proud to be free of this

You need to talk to your Dr asap opioid addiction is a serious matter that should be delt with by medical professionals and counselling

How long it lasts and how difficult it will be will entirely depend on how many you were taking, and for how long.

If you were only taking 4 a day for 3 weeks then it will be very different to if you were taking 15 a day for 12 months.

Hi there!
I found it took a good eight weeks to free myself of them.

You can ask your doctor for help in reducing the dose safely. How many were you taking each day?

It's the ibuprofen in nurofen plus that can cause problems. That can cause reflux and stomach trouble.

I’d rather not to go my Doctor if I can help it

I was taking about 10-12 a day and realised what the hell am I doing this for. It’s bizarre how something over the counter can be so addictive but I am very strong willed and have decided enough is enough.

Yes. My stomach did start to hurt but since I have reduced them it is getting better. I have only took 2 for the past 2 days and not suffered massively so maybe I can drop to zero?

How long were you taking them for OP?

So I was taking 2x Solpadeine max and 2 x Nurofen plus 3 times a day.

I wouldn't yet.
Codeine needs to be dropped very gradually.
You're at risk if you do it too quickly.

It’s been about a year I think, but I noticed I started increasing the dose about 2
months ago and I’ve realised this has to stop

I have read that opioid withdrawal although unpleasant. It isn’t dangerous, I would rather get the withdrawal out the way if I’m honest.

I wouldn’t make any decisions based on how you feel on day 2. There is still a base of it in your system at this point so the first few days often do feel “easy”- and then your body realises you really aren’t giving it anymore and you do start to feel withdrawals.

I would contact your GP or a local addiction service for support.

I have to be careful about this because of my job. I don’t think I should do that.

I can’t comment oh how long withdrawal will take but for your stomach pain there may be a chance you could have developed a stomach ulcer due to the ibuprofen. It doesn’t show up immediately. Buy a month's supply of omeprazole and take one a day. It’s easily available in pharmacies

I will have to withdraw eventually anyway. I am just avoiding the inevitable.

So you weren't taking more than the recommended daily dose of any of the three components.

There is:

Paracetamol

Codeine

Ibuprofen

contained in what you were taking.

If you were genuinely taking them all three times a day, you weren't taking more than you should, medically speaking.

You would have got used to the codeine though, and that's the one you should be careful about reducing.

Never come off opiates too quickly.

Codeine is an opiate BTW. I'd take two solpadeine a day, twice a day or three times a day, for a few days. Miss out the nurofen plus.

As @Mrsttcno1 mentioned, there’s bound to be alternatives to your GP in your area that will be able to advise the safest way to come off painkillers. I know it’s not something you want to talk about IRL but it can be dangerous to mishandle quitting.

Yes but you shouldn't take them for more than 3 days without medical attention, OPs been taking them for a year!

no I wasn’t overdoing it in that sense but yes my body would have got used to the codeine. The Nurofen is what will have been upsetting my stomach so I have got rid of that one. I took 2 Solpadeine this morning at 8am, will see how I get on today. Cant even believe I let myself get here but no point dwelling on it now

The thing is, quitting isn’t easy. If it was, we would have no issues with addiction.

Having support from GP or a local addiction service could be the difference between you getting over it or spending the next 10 years quitting for a week or two and then being back on them for a year, repeat.

You can do it yourself.
Some people are taking very large quantities of codeine daily, and they need medical help to cut down.

Honestly, you have been taking 41.6mg of codeine, three times a day. That's 124.8mg daily.

People can safely be prescribed 240mg daily, in divided doses.

So although you're not taking more than you should, you've become addicted to the buzz you get from the codeine.

Do come off over a few weeks.

Id ditch ibuprofen straight away. Then taper down the soluble co codamol

Can't even believe I let myself get here but no point dwelling on it now

Exactly. And well done for realising, before it got out of hand.

I really don’t want it to be a few weeks. I’d rather get the rubbish withdrawal out of the way. I have 6 Solpadeine tablets left and do not want to buy anymore (they are almost £10 a packet) don’t know how I managed to afford it.

You need to see the GP about the addiction but also you need Lansaprazole to protect the stomach lining.