Constant bowel issues

[Sunflowerray]

Hi has anyone experienced similar that can advise.

Just to start off by saying I am/have been seeing my GP about this also but currently have no answers.
So for the last 6 months or so I have been have loose bowel movements (type 6 mostly). During this time and previously I have also been using Co-codamol on and off. The Co-codamol constipates me. I would say I have an addiction issue with the codeine but that is not what I am looking for advice on right now.
I stopped taking the co codamol again at the beginning of January, also caught covid a few days later, so as to be expected I did have an upset stomach /loose stools. After a couple of weeks this seemed to slowly improve although was never back to normal. Then about 3 weeks ago I started getting very loose stools again, 99% of the time only in the morning and sometimes needing to go 2-3 times.
This also happened to me last year, again after stopping the Co-codamol, that time I eventually started taking it again just to stop the loose stools. I also had numerous stool samples taken that showed nothing other than very slightly raised inflammation. Dr was not concerned about this.

Since the issue has started again the Dr asked to repeat the stool sample so I am currently waiting on results for this.

I am getting increasingly concerned about what is causing it. Along with it I also have lower abdominal pain that comes and goes, get very gassy and the stool tends to smell very foul as well.

I've had blood test for celiac, that was negative. Not changed anything in my diet either to have caused this.
Could this still be my bowel struggling to return to normal after taking the Co-codamol or possibly the Co-codamol was masking something else that is going on?

It is starting to really impact my day to day life and getting me down. I tend to generally feel unwell too, mild nausea, headaches, just not feeling myself.
Too add I have suffered a long time with acid reflux and take omeprazole long term but this has never caused me any issues in the past.

I don’t know but I would want a colonoscopy to check properly for irritation. Once you if there’s any medical treatment you need you can start to address it.

@theduchessofspork thanks for responding. Yes I did think maybe this would be necessary but my GP said since my stool samples hadn't shown anything concerning that no further action was needed. But I will make a new appointment to discuss this again.

Of course continue to check this out with your GP, but I was taking codeine then stopped and it took weeks to get back towards normal - like, two months or so. We're talking acid reflux, noisy guts, gas, intermittent constipation and the galloping runs...

It does keep trending better, but it's surprising how much of a difference it makes (and I was on a pretty small dose, just for a long time). It seems to be one of the lingering withdrawal symptoms after everything else has settled down. One of the things that makes it such a hard drug to stop, but worth it in the end! 😄

@Compash thats reassuring to hear, thank you. I can definitely pin it down to always happening when I've stopped taking the codeine so it could simply still be from that, I just thought it had been going on for too long to still be the cause of it.