I’m going to get addicted to co-codamol

[Tiger35]

Obviously I don’t want to but I think it’s inevitable.

I’ve been in a lot of pain with my back, neck, shoulders since I was pregnant with my now 16 month old.

In the last couple of months I was finally starting to get a bit better with regular physio and one to one Pilates sessions.

I can’t go to either now and can’t just do a pilates video as I need loads of modifications and form checking so that I don’t hurt myself even more.

I have prescription co-codamol which I was trying to take sparingly only when I really need them but it’s been 3 weeks since my last sessions (had to self-isolate for a while before they closed down) and now I need them all the fucking time.

Does anyone have any experience with co-codamol addiction? Assuming this goes on for 3 months I assume I’ll probably be physically dependent on them by then? How bad is withdrawal?

Any tips from anyone else dealing with long term pain and unable to go to their therapy sessions? Or if you don’t have any tips and just want to vent about how shit it is please do.

Ah tiger I get it. I have inflammatory arthritis and decided against biologics at my last appointment so as not to dampen my immune system too much. Co codamol and anti inflammatories have been what I'm using at the minute. I've just got a prescription for oral steroids from OOH to do me a while which I'm reluctant to take because of immune suppression but they
Co codamol can be such a bollocks to get off but I found slowly trying to reduce works better than just stopping.

I hear you re the videos, I did some yoga and ended up wrecking myself completely 🤦🏼‍♀️.

Sorry no advice really, it's shit but I imagine there are so many in the same boat at the minute. Good luck 🍀

I have had inflammatory arthritis and other auto immune conditions over 40 years ( yes I'm old). I also have neck/shoulder/knee/hand and wrist osteo arthritis.

I try to avoid cocodomol because of the risk of dependency but paracetamol doesn't touch the pain does it. I've found anti inflammatories good but, can't take them any more because of other health stuff.

What I find does help is keeping moving, keep walking, stretching and be as flexible as you can, keep the muscles as strong as you can, that helps protect the joints.
caringiscreepy - I started on biologics 9 years ago. I was worried about the impact on my immune system so Understand your reluctance. All I can say is, I've had one chest infection in those 9 years. The only other reason for antibiotics was a stubborn sinus infection following a rotten virus cold thing. My swollen and sore joints exceeded 27 when I started biologics, the last 3 years they've been between 2 and 5. I have my life back, don't ache as much and feel fitter than I did 10 years ago. Best of luck managing yours

Tapering them off isn't the most fun in the world, but it has to be done.

The way I've done it following flares is to try to gradually space out the doses, then drop one during the day (replacing it with an OTC if necessary), then drop 2, etc, keeping the morning and nighttime ones until last, then switching those to OTC.

I also did the safest versions of exercises during that time. Stopping completely for fear of doing something wrong is more damaging than doing things such as face down on the bed and gradually doing a slight lift or laying on the floor with feet flat on the floor and gently adjusting posture to lengthen and straighten, for example.

Trying alternatives initially also helps - ice packs are very useful for headaches caused by neck pain and can delay that next dose by a couple of hours.

All in all, wanting to come off it and planning to come off them is better than assuming it will have to be forever. And if that's what you do, approaching it with a practical 'I need the full dose now, but I will be reducing this as soon as possible' mindset makes the actual physical effects (largely tummy issues if you do it slowly) of withdrawal nowhere near as bad as suddenly finding out you can't get any more prescribed and have to go Cold Turkey.

Thank you for your responses, tips and empathy, I’m pretty emotional today and you have all helped me.

I’m trying to keep perspective as I know other people have it so much worse, sometimes I even succeed. And I keep telling myself at least it’s meant that I’m signed off work - I would rather be at home in pain with an addiction than in an an germ ridden office (not essential) at the moment.

Thanks again and hugs to everyone suffering in whatever way that might be.

Can anyone compare it to quitting smoking or other addictions like gambling? I have beaten both of them in recent years but they do not involve such physical issues so I don’t know if it’s comparable at all.

Compared to smoking - easy.

Never had a thing for gambling or anything else, so can't say.

It wasn't, to me, conquering an addiction - it was slowly reducing something whilst ensuring any effect of reducing/minimising symptoms arising from that reduction - you aren't taking it for pleasure, you're taking it because you're in pain and, although the consequences of taking it for an extended period is that your body is used to it, it's not a 'loss' in the same way the others can be, because it's not being used for a buzz, excitement, a thrill or to get high/oblivion and there isn't any behavioural rituals that are part of a compulsion.

I have just tapered off myself, after a 2 year dependency. I've got an inflammatory arthritis too. I would usually take eight Zapain pills a day, two at a time. I went at the rate of half a tablet per week, adding plain paracetamol when needed (within guidelines obvs.)

So yes, it was a very slow taper I admit but it wasn't too difficult. Much better than the time I tried cold turkey. As it stands though, if you need pain relief then you need it. Whilst codeine addiction isn't ideal, you are not misusing the pills are you, you are taking them as directed. So don't martyr yourself.

Shout out to the arthritis posse, keep it flexy!

Worse than quitting smoking for me, the headache went on for weeks, also wrecked my stomach. Amitriptyline was an ok alternative, but also addictive. Cbd oil was good, but expensive.

Did CBD oil actually work? I am in a lot of pain with arthritis and have been wondering about trying this. Is it the high strength hemp oil you can get online? It’s legal in the U.K., right?

@Tiger35

I know you won't be able to see a doctor at present but any chance of a telephone consult?

Ask for gabapentin or nortryptillin for nerve pain - both can be really helpful and non-addictive. Please explain that you're worried about becoming codeine dependent

Yes I felt a benefit as soon as I used it, especially to get comfortable enough to sleep. With the pills from the doctors it seemed I was just drugged to the point of passing out rather than not in pain. You have to be careful who you buy from though, I tried the one from Holland & Barrett and it didn’t work for me. It is legal in the uk. This is the company I used

theoriginalalternativeofficial.com/product-category/cbd-oils/?v=58e69a293e3d

Expensive, but it got me off other pain medication and through another 18 months of physio

Oh and it taste foul if you get the oral oil 😬

If funds allow could you have skype appointments with the physio and/or Pilates teacher?

tiger I take arcoxia too , an anti inflammatory which has worked pretty well for me but some people can't tolerate it. Really hope you find something that helps and manage to get off the co codamol. Just don't rush it, I made that mistake before and it was awful.

lotsofdogs I was on biologics before and they were brilliant but then I got really sick last year and had to have brain surgery . They think it was viral meningitis and maybe because I was left open to infection 🙄. Incredibly rare I'm told but yeah it's definitely put me off for a while but they're making new versions all the time 🤞

Hope everyone is staying as well as they can through all this

There are lots of medications where you would experience cessation effects as your body had adjusted to receiving the drug, and therefore you have to gradually taper off them so your body can readjust. It's not the same as addiction.

On gabapentin, my understanding is that it's the same family as pregabalin which has specific warnings on the prescription labels not to abruptly stop taking it without medical advice/supervision, because doing so would make you really quite poorly.

I have been on co-dydramol (very similar) for almost 6 years - not daily, only when needed, but at times that has been 4 times a day for short periods. I'm not addicted - it's not inevitable. I suffer with a chronic pain condition, and like you cant access my osteopath due to covid who is essential to my management 😞 but I'm not worried about becoming addicted to the pain killers if I rely on them more. As long as you are using them as prescribed, there is no problem.

Don't panic.

I've had a lot of spinal surgery, and spent 12 years on daily tramadol and codeine and then 6 years on daily slow-release morphine topped up with oramorph and an anti-epileptic.

Came off all of those - tramadol was harder than morphine. Now I just take the odd codeine when needed and use antiepileptics that are much more effective on nerve pain.

If you take analgesics for pain, you will develop a dependency but not necessarily an addiction.

FWIW, it took me 2 months to taper off the morphine and I didn't have anything worse than the breakthrough pain I was getting a lot of anyway. The thought of stopping the morphine was 100 times worse than the reality when I did.

Does it actually take the pain away? I never found it any good for back pain. It makes you very constipated, so you need lots of fibre and water in your diet if you're taking it regularly. It isn't that hard to come off to be honest if you taper under the guidance of a doctor. I found tramadol absolutely horrendous to come off. Codeine was a doddle!
If you've had Pilates lessons, you should understand the basics and correct positioning to continue yourself at home and in the interim, arrange a video consult with your physio.

The anti-epileptics do (daily lamotrigine with occasional pregablin). The opiates were quite good at taking me away from the pain if that makes sense but actually were pretty useless - although I would not have agreed with that while I was taking them!

Tramadol is nasty stuff to come off if you take it for any length of time - the only one I would never take again.

Interesting thread.

I was in a RTC recently and found that co-codamol did f all for my pain. Genuinely didn’t make a difference, and my injuries are fairly mild. I was left wondering how people even got addicted to it!

I am a bit concerned about lasting damage to my ankle after the collision. Luckily my local hospitals are still allowing physio appointments for now, so I’m hoping to attend 1 session and learn techniques that I can do myself.

Chronic pain is awful. Hope you manage to find something that works.

I wonder if it is dependent on the individual.
I have been prescribed 30/500 cocodamol four times a day and usually take them twice alongside ibuprofen.
I have never become dependent and rarely ever take it four times a day, only in a bad flare up.
I stopped taking them and the ibuprofen two weeks ago because of covid19 and what I had read about mainly ibuprofen. I had no effects or withdrawal apart from increased pain.
After a week of severe pain I am allowing myself some cocodamol once or twice a day.
The ibuprofen must work better for me though but I have realised that it is ibuprofen that were making my feet swell so I am going to do without them and discuss with my G.P when things get back to normal.

I am a long term co codamol user. I will never be able to stop because I have both hypermobility and stomach ulcers (which mean I cannot take anti inflammatories)

If you wish to reduce your dose then I would suggest combining one co codamol with one regular paracetamol, and reducing that way. However, is there a particular reason why you are so averse to taking the medication if it is taking away your pain?

Bearing in mind all the restrictions of lockdown, I would probably call GP and ask for telephone consultation and take it from there.

Just to add I have been taking the cocodamol for 8 years.
Strangely enough tramadol, which is supposedly a stronger opioid has no effect whatsoever on me at all it is as though im immune to it and if the doctor suggests it I always ask to stick with cocodamol

I've weaned myself off of codeine before and it's do-able. I didn't realise I was dependent on them as I never "craved" them as you'd expect with an addiction but I had a week or so of very disturbed sleep as I gradually reduced them. Not ideal but definitely manageable and I've taken them again since (recurring back issue) and stopped successfully then as well. Don't worry about taking them if you need them.

@tenterden, it's useful to not 'need' them, as some trusts (and individual doctors) can be very anti-long term pain medications, especially as they can be misused - the last thing somebody needs is to request a repeat prescription, only to find that the doctor refuses to prescribe any at all. In addition, any extra pain over and above the normal daily isn't always treated because 'you've already got all we can give you' - so no falling over and hurting yourself like that isn't going to happen with PsA and EDS.

In present times, I think that the last thing anybody needs is to be in a position of taking a POM that has discontinuation effects, if it can be avoided by reducing as soon as is possible - and let's not discount the effect of codeine upon breathing and supressing the cough reflex; probably the absolute last thing anybody needs with a viral illness.

There's nothing wrong in taking a medication for the length of time you absolutely need it. But that doesn't mean that it must be taken indefinitely - to think about how something would be stopped in advance is a realistic and sensible approach.

That is interesting MitziK

I have been told by my consultant that there is no alternative for me other than a lifetime of painkillers. I have resigned myself to this. The alternative for me is a total loss of mobility/being wheelchair bound. So you can probably understand why I still take the tablets