Husband addicted to codeine

[Ansumpasty]

My husband has finally opened up to me and decided he wants help for his codeine addiction.

I knew he was addicted to the dihydrocodeine that he’s prescribed, and knew that he supplements with codeine for headaches, but didn’t know the extent. He’s been taking nurofen +, so codeine, ibuprofen and caffeine and been taking up to 2 packs, or around 80 pills, a day.

A very kind pharmacist is helping us with this, but it’s me that has to be in charge of giving him his daily ‘allowance’ while he’s slowly reduced.

Has anyone ever taken this many and successful beat the addiction? Thanks

I’m on a significant amount more as I started on codeine from my gp I was given 8 per day 30mg, I’m now on my own, 3 other peoples then when they run out which they are all renewed every 2 weeks but each have their own date so like im collecting someone today then someone else’s Monday I won’t need to buy any cocodamol in between this time but I have took the neurofen plus before as I would take nurofen plus I’d take 4 at a time and 4 solphadine max at a time, solpadine max are the parametemol with codeine but both nurofen plus and solphadine are 12.8mg codeine each where as the cheaper cocodamol are only 8mg codeine each. But 2 boxes of a day of nurofen alone will not be good on your stomach I suggest buying omeprozol you can buy it in pharmacy’s it’s like for stomach acid but drs hand it out when taking ibuprofen for a while to protect the stomach. It’s not addictive or anything.
hiw is he getting on now as I see this was a while ago

My husband had a severe addiction to codeine and then tramodol and it’s been going on for 10 years plus.
He’s on subutex which is just another addiction along with smoking buying extra tablets from dealers and he’s supposed to be supported by Forward Leeds … not !
I’m the wife who carry’s the lot from the kids to money worries to working 2 jobs … nightmare no support no help no answers ..
there’s not much I don’t know so if I can help anyone please feel free to share x

It’s a nightmare- I feel your pain, @Aj2801 I took him to the GP and asked for an urgent mental health referral as I’d like to look down the ADHD route (he’s had all the signs since a child and was just labelled naughty, so started smoking cannabis at 14 to quieten his mind) and they’ve rejected his plea to see the mental health team. Apparently, he’s not ‘severe’ enough.
My children are now being being affected, especially my eldest. Husband is down to 12 prescribed dihydocodeine a day, which I have to give to him. His moods are awful and unpredictable, he’s getting constant headaches and now has started sneaking alcohol.
It really is a family illness 😣

We have 4 children and my eldest had break down main cause was his behaviour to me and the fact that he didn’t/couldn’t work which meant she often had to look after her siblings whilst I worked my evening job.
the drs have no mental health team to refer you to we always got referred to ForwardLeeds but they started well but then nothing . Carers Leeds were good for supporting me although what we really needed was financial help so I didn’t have to earn 2 wages and be away from home.
I think alcohol is to be avoided at all times the unpredictability of that is too much
mine stays up late till 3:4 in the morning then sleeps at lot during the day I used to badger him to get up but now I leave him most of the time
as our key worker said there have to want to leave it behind guilt about us is never enough the tablets reprogram their brains ..

What was he originally taking it for?

I don't mean to sound harsh, but he's a drug addict, at the volumes he's taking, it's roughly equivalent to a £10 bag of heroin per day. Would you be as patient and understanding if he were smoking/injecting heroin? Just because this is a prescription drug doesn't mean this isn't a serious addiction with the potentially significant impact on your family's financial security, safety and well-being. I'd be demanding an in-patient detox and ending the relationship if this was refused by your husband. Protect your children - addiction is bloody awful thing to witness growing up.

@StylishM He’s no longer on the codeine- fully off it but now taking 12 30mg tablets of dihydrocodeine per day. What he’s taking doesn’t quality for even the lowest dose of opiate addiction drugs, such as subutex. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t qualify for rehab on the NHS and we do not have the money to fund that, especially now he’s off the codeine.
It’s all well and good saying end the relationship, and if we had support where we lived (family on both sides live in a different country) and I earned enough to move out with the kids, it would be a different story.
I know there’s only so much that I’m willing to subject my children to, though. Before this, he was a brilliant dad 😔I’m having to carry it all on my shoulders and act like super mum all the time, which is mentally exhausting.

*doesn’t qualify

It’s prescribed for slipped discs in the spine that they didn’t want to operate on because he was ‘too young.’ They were ok with putting a man on his 20s on dihydrocodeine to take for the rest of his life (their words!)

Has he had his kidney function checked? He has been taking a lot of ibuprofen alongside the codeine and this can damage the kidneys

Bloods perfect besides anemia. I was shocked- he must be made of steel

Could they move him on to something like Pregabalin for his slipped disks perhaps which might also help with stopping? Could he be seen at Pain Management if he still has the pain? It sounds like it might have been quite bad if they put him on such strong painkillers in the first place.

Also is he having treatment for anaemia, that can make you feel rough

Pregabalin is highly addictive too.

I have a parent who is an addict. I would ask him to move out until he has sorted himself out. It's not fair on your children to live with this at present and will be doing an huge amount of damage. Your first priority needs to be your children.

It's 4 months on so bit late now

@Yesterda123 oh bollocks. Didn't clock that. Thanks

don't go near pregabalin or gabapentin, both the most awful drugs for back pain. work good then need to up them and believe me the withdrawal symptoms are just as bad as coming off any illegal drugs. he needs to seriously go back to gp and ask for appointment to pain clinic. don't let them fob u off, write everything down every single day till they see him, what he takes behaviours, how incapacitated the drugs are making him , etc. i honestly feel u and ur partners pain x

Unfortunately, he’s not from this country and so wouldn’t have anywhere to go. We don’t have any family here.

Doctors have been absolutely useless. All they do is suggest Samaritans. The local drug addiction support first say they wouldn’t deal with him as he’s only on prescribed medication. They’ve finally agreed to see him, but there is a long wait.

I will ask him about pain clinic. Unfortunately, I think all the resistance he’s been met with in terms of asking for help as made him give up a little. The doctors are literally bouncing back his request for an appointment because the mental health team read his notes and decided he wasn’t ‘severe enough’

If he isn't being seen by MH (and yes they do tend to prioritise severe MH such as psychosis I think and they are under huge pressure) what about the GPs helping him e.g. prescribing some antidepressants (there are some such as Duloxetine which can help with pain and I don't think are addictive)

They also have these talking therapies AIPT I think it is called might be helpful?

Who was 'they'? Whoever it was should be giving some more support imo

He’s on duloxetine already. It was originally prescribed for back pain, but good that it’s also an anti depressant.

He’s very socially anxious and stubborn, so talking therapies are out at the moment. It’s very likely he has ADHD, but getting that diagnosis is next to impossible without paying thousands at the moment

It was his old GP. Unfortunately, we have moved to the other side of the country, so no longer see him. It’s a shame as I do believe that doctor would have been much more supportive knowing he gave the opioids in the first place. The doctors where we are now just see him as a drug addict

Yes, it was prescribed for him and for a reason. They should be more helpful really. Sorry to hear and hope things improve.

Read your post. Similar situation. Please reply if you still need to talk. I got up to a ok of solpadiene a day until I passed out with stomach pain. Drenched I sweat. I sat on the loo until I was just passing blood. A real wake up call. 7 days of hell and the anxiety of what has happened is horrendous. I ate something yesterday but feel so weak obviously. Hope it would help to speak to someone in a similar situation.