Painkiller addiction

[CuriosityCola]

I'm not sure if this is the right place and I haven't really collected my thoughts. I suspect my mother has an ongoing painkiller and sleeping tablet addiction. Is this the right place to post for help and advice? My head is a mess and I don't know where to start.

Hi Curiosity

No real advice but sympathy as my dad is the same. It's come to a head this week when my mum has had enough. He drives round going to different chemists and looks awful.

We really don't know which way to turn as he drinks alot too and always has.

Hope someone comes along with advice. Does your mother admit to a problem?

She has a medical condition which means she is prescribed codeine and an assortment of other medication.

It's tough. It's like she has just retreated from life and is sleeping huge amounts. Though she says she never is actually sleeping. I have been trying to be sympathetic to her condition but secretly monitored her tablets when she was staying and realised she was double dosing etc. If confronted she just says talks and talks until my question has disappeared, if that makes sense.

I'm not sure how to deal with this. She has zero self esteem and can be depressive anyway. She has also left a disastrous, bordering on abusive relationship in the last year.

We don't have a great relationship, but none of the rest of my family are doing more than whispering about it.

Sorry to hear you are in a similar position. It's exhausting isn't it? I have realised that my mum kept forgetting her tablets on purpose when visiting and was using the different location to stock up.

Sorry to hear this, sounds like similar situation. My Dad has long term knee problems and has been upping the dose of codeine for a long time.

This seemed a good website www.codeineaddiction.com

I don't think he wants or would react to help though. I brought it up with him, his generally unhealthy lifestyle and not being around to see the grandkids grow up. He improved for a while but now as bad as ever.

Would she see her GP?

No advice I'm afraid, just sympathy. I suspect my mil is addicted to codeine too. I think she was addicted to tramadol until recently but her drs have taken her off it. She used to buy a lot of Syndol (sp?) too at one time. Not sure what it is but just didn't seem quite right to me iykwim

Codeine is very addictive and is banned in several countries for this very reason.

You need to go talk to a GP of your respective loved ones about this to seek out medical advice. Failing that, you should contact the local drug advice hotlines in your area and see if they have people specialising in painkiller addiction.

A close friend of mine gave birth a few years ago and, unknown to her husband and friends, she began to secretly take more and more doses of codeine. She was devious about it in that she would ask friends and neighbours if they had any to spare as she claimed she had run out. She killed herself eventually and everyone was shocked.

solpadeinehelp.wikidot.com/ is a place to go to look for advice and there is also a forum there.

Solpadeine and Nurofen Plus are the common over the counter drugs. Co-codamol also.

The full list

Co-codamol

Codis 500

Cuprofen Plus

Feminax

Migraleve Pink

Migraleve Yellow

Nurofen Plus

Panadol Ultra

Paracodol Capsules and Tablets

Paramol Tablets and Soluble Tablets

Solpadeine Max

Solpadeine Migraine Ibuprofen & Codeine Tablets

Solpadeine Plus Capsules, Tablets and Soluble Tablets

Syndol

Veganin Tablets

Sorry to hear about your mum. In my experience (I work in Pharmacy) most GPs are not very proactive about getting patients off the prescription drugs they're addicted to. But obviously they vary and there may be better services near you. I think we hugely underestimate the number of people who need help with this, too. Especially older people. We have a large number of patients whose doctors do now control their patients' pain killers/sleeping tablets/benzos by only permitting a few days-a week at a time. This may be a half way solution for your mother if she does genuinely still require them for her pain? In more extreme cases we have and have had lots of patients either receive daily prescriptions of their medication (on a normal prescription, with or without the intention of a reducing dose) or opioid replacement therapies.

Reassure your mum she is not alone and try to persuade her to speak to her GP. She may be more inclined to fess up if you agree in advance what the appointment has been made for, and guide her conversation with GP as Im sure she will be embarrassed.

over-count.weebly.com/

Over-count are a small charity and have been going now for quite some time. They provide both information and support on all aspects of OTC medication.

Thanks so much for all these suggestions and links. Will have a look later today and try to make a plan.