Codeine Addiction

[ch6473]

Hello,

As the title says, I am a codeine addict and I have been for the last 5 years. It was prescribed to me for chronic pain, but I soon realised it helped me with my emotional pain more by blocking everything out, for the first few years, I could get the ‘buzz’ from between 6-8 tablets but not long after it stopped working and lockdown begun.

I was stuck at home and I started to become so much more miserable, I felt like the codeine was the only thing I had to look forward to during the day, I went from taking 8 tablets a day to 60 a day (30 twice a day) with the help of multiple online pharmacies and OTC codeine products I kept up this lifestyle for about 3 months before I realised it was just too much and tapered down to 36 a day but at that time and for a long time, I still wanted and needed them.

This past week, I started to notice things like the intense stomach cramps I would get in the day, the shaking when I didn’t take them by a certain time, I have been losing a lot of weight because they take away my appetite and It has been a mission to keep the tablets down when I am trying to take them and yesterday, a realisation just hit me.

if I keep up with this lifestyle, I will DIE or kill my liver because of the paracetamol intake, so from today I started tapering down and I have never felt so sure and determined to do something in my entire life, it’s time to make the change and kick this habit, I haven’t told anyone so I decided to join this site for support to help me get through this.

sorry about the long post but I think as much as I wanted to post this, it’s also a letter to myself about what I have been doing.

I did this it and ended up really sick i remember turning up to my sisters party a yellow colour, I just stopped with help of the doctor

Well done for recognising if you keep going the way you are that you are going to kill yourself. I would really recommend getting some professional help though so it can be done safely and they can do any tests to make sure you haven't already damaged yourself (if needed). This is such a well known addiction and far too easy for people to fall into, you really deserve some proper help and support.

Well done Nancienoo for taking control and overcoming your addiction and thank you Choconut for your advice, my family are the sort of people you just can’t talk to but I think I will make the next step and speak to a couple of friends, I have booked an appointment with the doctor, hoping they will be able to help me taper.

Hi there. Just wondering how you are getting on? I have come off codeine myself. Wanted to see how your doing x

Hi. Saw a post on here about a mum and her worries about the codiene she was using.
Anybody out there with any knowledge of how to stop taking and what to expect. Not taking packets a day but I can understand how it gets that bad which is scaring me but terrified to stop taking the amount I do take because of withdrawals.

Good morning, Any advice would be so much appreciated.
I rely on codeine and paracetamol tablets 8 times a day supplemented with Ibruprofen with codeine.
7 years ago it was prescribed for pain but I now rely on it just to feel relatively normal. I have even started to wake in the night with withdrawal symptoms.
Thanks for reading. X

Hi B1uebe11.
Sorry to hear you are struggling with codiene.
I can relate to how you are feeling. I also will take Nurofen or similar if I am running. I’m trying to convince myself I don’t take that much but I can’t go a day without taking some at night. I also wake feeling terrible and want to take more so I know it has become a problem. I’m hoping someone on here has some advice on how to cut down( stop taking codiene)? It doesn't actually have much of a calming effect anymore but I panic and get irritable if I don’t take any or have ran out.

How is everyone doing? I'm struggling to manage more than a couple of days without falling back into taking some again. I just don't know how to stop falling back into the same thing again every time

I have no advice but at Christmas I was prescribed it for some pain but I didn't take it in the end. I was so scared I would get addicted. I have anxiety and take medication for that.

I was quite shocked the Dr subscribed it without looking at my notes or speaking to me properly.

I hope everyone gets help who needs it.

I have it for migraines and have used it intermittently fine for a number of years but it seems to have become a problem for me over the last 3 months when I have had issue with my neck and back so been using it more frequently. I also have anxiety and ptsd and on medication for those have been for a long time.

Hi. I’ve posted a couple of times but no replies. Noticed there are others struggling with codiene dependency. So thought someone out there may like to talk. I just wish somebody would tell me I’m not the only one who can’t seem to stop this awful habit. I feel so useless. My question is ‘why’.? I don’t actually feel any different when I take them anymore but still get irritable if I don’t take them. I feel rotten if I don’t take them so I know it’s definitely a problem.

I'm here if you need someone to talk to how long have you been taking them for and how many a day? Have you tried any methods for cutting down/stopping?

Hi.I’ve been taking it about a year.For Migraines and anxiety. It really helped at first but then I realised I was taking it wether I needed to or not. I don’t know wether I am more worried about the horrible sneakiness of it all or the fact I am taking something that is going to soon damage my health. I take anything from 8 N+ at night to twice that a day or even more depending on how many I manage to buy. Everything is telling me this is ridiculous and it needs to stop but the totally irrational side of my brain tells me it won’t hurt to have more. ( ridiculous because it doesn’t actually have an effect anymore).
I think it’s become such routine over the last year I am scared what it would be like not taking it. Not being able to sleep. Withdrawals, etc. I really needed to speak to someone who can understand although I hate the thought of someone else going through this. It’s awful. Most of my time spent worrying or feeling ill.

Hi, all.

So I’ve been on 30mg/500mg co-codamol for the last 3 years or so, I’d take 8-10 tablets a day. So I decided I to go cold turkey on Sunday at 8pm, it’s been a total of 116 hrs since I last took anything, and I relapsed… I took 2 30mg of co-codamol, and damn I feel so frustrated and angry and upset, I wasn’t strong enough to fight the urge, I thought if I took just 2 I’d be better, and I wouldn’t feel like I’m suffering anymore. It definitely worked… But now I’m terrified I’m going to go through all the withdrawal from day 1 again, the headaches, the upset stomach, the zero energy, the feeling like Ive got a cold, sneezing, feeling so weak and faint, with no motivation. I want to kick this, so damn bad, but I honestly didn’t think it’d be like horrible. I need advice, or suggestions if anyone can help?

I don't have much helpful advice I'm afraid but don't give up trying how many were you taking to start with? Did you go straight to nothing or taper?

Hi,

I was taking between 8-10 30mg/500mg a day (doesn’t seem like a lot) everyday for the last 3 years or so. I managed 4 hrs short of 5 full days of being clean, then I slipped up because I wanted to stop how I felt, terrible. I went cold turkey. I haven’t spoken to anyone about this, my partner, my GP, my friends, no one. I’m just to shamed and worried what they’d think. I thought I was doing so well, but then I saw the tablets…. And thought just 2, that’s all I need. I’m now back to have taking none today, so at 4pm today will be 24 hrs again. I’m not to sure or fully understand how the tapering works, I’ve read up on, and I’ve tried, then I just loose control again, and end up taking the exact same amount for weeks.

How is everyone doing? Has anyone had any success with reducing etc?

Hia hun, i had a cosine addiction for years, i was taking neurofen + every day 8-10 tablets up to 4 times a day and also up to 5 tramadol at a time, i went to my local drug and alcohol clinic in the end because fell pregnant with my second child and obviously couldn’t keep taking it, they were amazing i was prescribed bupranophine at 17 week’s pregnant my daughter is 4 in August and my dose has reduced a lot, they had to keep putting my dose up the further along in my pregnancy i went, when my daughter was 6 months old i was on 28 mg which is a high dose but now i’m only on 4mg and i reduced at my own pace, it’s a lot safer to take bupranophine than codine ect and a lot easier to reduce and come off not doing it on your own and not pressured into just stopping and having the awful withdrawals, because you can be on it as long as you need to be, it’s honestly the best decision i ever made, i really hope everyone gets the help and support they need because people don’t realise how hard it is unless they have been in that situation ❤️

hi I’m currently also addicted to codeine, I managed to taper off and be clean for a while last year but I ended up relapsing! Now I’m doing a slow taper again. Takes a LOT of willpower, energy, time, and focus but we all (on this thread) have to admit that we are going to do some serious damage to ourselves and need to stop this madness.
support and encouragement from others in similar positions helped me a lot last time, and I’d like to pass that on to others too. If anyone in this position wants to get in touch and support each other please DM me.

Hi. Still stuck in that rut of taking Nurofen +
Every time I get through the day and feel fine without taking any it gets near bedtime and I’m itching to take some. Usually about 8 tablets all together which is madness I know.
I think I can’t relax or sleep without taking it and if I wake about 3 or 4 I’m so tempted to take more. When I run out I am so ratty and irritable I just can’t see a way of stopping.
Pure madness.

Hello worriedlexy, sorry to hear you are struggling with those evil tablets, I had an addiction to Nplus on and off for the last 8 years, did many cold turkey but always went back to them, due to anxiety, stress and low moods
i was taken from 16 to 24 tablets a day, usually first thing in the morning just to be able to feel “normal” otherwise I could not function, three months ago, I decided enough was enough when a pharmacy refused to sell me a pack, I knew I wasn’t strong enough to do another cold turkey so I decided to do a tampered plan, the first week I cut 5 tablets and every three days one tablet, until I reached two and then decided to stop, in the meantime I introduced ZMA (Magnesium, Zinc, v6) half an hour before bed and B vitamin complex, also after I stop taken them I also introduced 5-htp to take before bed and I’m sleeping pretty well
Everytime I cut a tablet, I felt the withdrawals a bit but usually by the second day I felt ok, after I finished the tampering, I felt a bit anxious with not much energy for 4 days with some stomach, diarrhoea issues but the typical withdrawals weren’t as bad as when you stop all together, now 25 days off them, I’m feeling just ok, still not much energy or motivation but my anxiety and low moods are not too bad
as you taken 8 tablets at night, why don’t you try to reduced one tablet a week and see how you feel, perhaps even half tablet, other thing that helped me was to also stopped drinking my usual two glasses of wine at the weekend, eat healthy and forced myself to go for a walk even if it was the last thing I wanted to do
Im here if you need any support

Nightyellowflower. Thank you so much for your reply. Lovely of you to tell me how you tackled this horrible problem. I’m so glad you are doing well. I think my biggest fear is the withdrawals, also the sleep and and anxiety that I know will be awful. But like you the fear of someone refusing to serve me when I buy N+ is something that reminds me every day how awful this is and how it is so stupid to spend so much time planning how to get them etc, I think about stopping all the time but this really has got a strong hold on me.
Thank you again for replying. ‘ Thank you for caring’ I’m thinking now try and take one less, see how I feel? Would it be ok to check back in with you and let you know if I am getting anywhere or still in the same old rut?
I don’t want to keep making excuses. I want to say I’ve kicked this and actually feel a lot better. Many thanks.❤️

Yes of course, let us know how you are doing, I will be here to support you whatever happens, don’t think to far ahead and take it day by day, hour by hour, if you find that dropping one pill a week gets to much, try half and stay perhaps for two weeks, and then drop another half

I'm also really struggling as well at the moment so here to talk to anyone who wants some support.

mummylm.
sorry to hear you are struggling.
At this point I don’t even know how I can’t just stop taking these pills. There is no actual point. They don’t relieve pain for very long as I have been taking them for a long time. I found they relaxed me a little, especially if I am feeling really anxious but to be honest they don’t seem to help much at all but I get so agitated if I don’t take them.
I’ve seen people saying they take a couple a day and others say they take a packet a day.
It’s just awful an feeling knowing I just can’t stop taking them. Wether it is a couple or a packet it’s the not being able to stop that is so worrying. ❤️