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

What you "know for a fact" about opiates is full of misconceptions. If there was no danger from withdrawals from opiates, many addicts would not require a medicated detox under medical supervision in an inhouse treatment centre.

At your level of use of OTC drugs, it is hardly likely to be dangerous. But this is at least the third comment you have blithely made minimising opiate withdrawal and the potential dangers.

You have probably caused some damage to your stomach with the ibuprofen. Which you are also oddly blithe and dismissive about.

They can make you feel calmer and more confident in dealing with crap OP, hence the addictive quality.

Gradually withdraw, write a diary. Including how you’re feeling, it can help you pinpoint how you’re coping on a day to day basis.

It’s awful how needing something can creep up on you.

If you've got six left and have taken two today, can you start tapering it?

So one and a half tomorrow, one the next day (or for a couple of days), then half. And perhaps keep up the half dose with the remaining few as you may need this as your system starts to remove the residual levels.

See how you get on cutting each day down slightly?

I ended up with an awful codeine habit after being prescribed it post surgery. At the worst I was taking 4 x 30mg codeine per day even if I didn't need it for pain relief.
I came off it by tapering down slowly, as I didn't want to go cold turkey and go through withdrawal. You don't need to see a doctor to do this at all.

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Don’t be so hard on yourself op, and well done for recognising the issue and dealing with it head on. I totally understand why you don’t want anything on your medical notes and I don’t think the amount / time you’ve been taking codeine warrants GP supervision. The stomach issues on the other hand, keep an eye on and if they don’t improve having stopped the nurofen, it’s worth seeing the GP for that in case there’s any damage to your stomach that needs treatment. Just be carefully if you do take omeprazole, I’d stick to things like gaviscon if possible. Omeprazole can cause issues too and should only be taken short term. It stopped me absorbing B12, folate and iron and can give horrible reflux rebound symptoms when you come off it.

I used to take codeine prescribed for pain, I gradually cut down from 6 tablets a day to nothing, think I reduced by 1 tablet a week but reckon I could have done it in half that time as apart from feeling a bit jittery and anxious I don’t remember any side effects being that bad. If you’d rather go cold turkey and just get it over with I don’t blame you though

Well yes because at high doses the withdrawal I am guessing would be much much worse which could lead to relapse. It is not a necessity though and many people do come off high strength opiates by themselves. I want to go through this withdrawal to remind myself that I never want to go through it again. It is just like having the flu (obviously depending on the amount you have been taking- strong opiates like morphine heroin etc will be much worse so may need anti sickness/anti diarrhoea/anxiety, that sort of thing.

Codeine CAN be very dangerous to come off - but as I said in my earlier post my pain consultant told me that it depends very much on how your body metabolises it. In my case I reduced from 8 x 30 mg tablets per day to 1.5 fairly quickly but it doesn’t work like this with a lot of people and like lots of medicine it needs to be managed very carefully. Throughout the last three years since I damaged my back, the main pressure from all the doctors I’ve seen has been to stop the naproxen I was taking because of the damage it was doing to my stomach, and the ibuprofen you are taking is the same type of drug and will be just as damaging.

Bloody love a bit of codeine of a night time, glass of wine, 2 codeine and a blanket, bloody bliss

🤣🤣🤣

Hilarious

Some people struggle with anxiety - should we not discuss that?
What about depression? Death? Money worries? Sexual problems?

Your issues are not my issues.

Maybe you are the arsehole.

Erm no it wasn’t a genuine laugh, I couldn’t believe somebody even posted that

I was talking to the OP.

Really.

Knock yourself out.

But my point still stands, no matter who you were addressing.

Anybody can post whatever they want, of course! But if someone’s posting about struggling with withdrawal, getting posters concerned then laughing about taking it…..I’m a bit …!

There is always one person who just thrives from drama

This is mumsnet where people are aghast at the slightest of things!
She is talking about over the counter medication, not crack cocaine of the local dealer

I said earlier I was in shock! Can this be put to bed now.

every single thread turns bitter eventually it is so annoying and beside the actual point

Very nice of you

Yeah? Try telling that to someone who was addicted to that shit!

A bit of an over reaction don't you think?

Welcome.