Codeine addiction

[shouldbeinbed]

I got myself into a bit of a habit with solpadeine and it's boots generic equivalent for the last couple of years. I know the warnings and knew the long term effects of these sort of things but they do hook you in & it took me a while to decide that it was too much of a bad thing and quite a bit of willpower to stop taking them and get the effects out of my system.

I'm in a lot less pain routinely now and my permanantly upset stomach has sorted itself out. Going cold turkey was probably not the best way to do it and the physical effects have been pretty harsh for the last few week but I feel a hell of a lot better off these things than I ever did on them.

 

[welsh dragon]

Im glad you have had the willpower to, stop taking the painkillers. Well done. Its the best thing you could do.
keep, up the good work and if you need someone to talk to, then you can always go to the smoking no more thread. There will always be someone there you can talk to. Its an addiction after all. Good luck

 

[solidthegreat]

Good work my friend, I don't know you but am proud you managed to get off them. Get your fight on
When things get tough, get the bike out. Well done again.

 

[ScotiaLass]

I got myself into a bit of a habit with solpadeine and it's boots generic equivalent for the last couple of years. I know the warnings and knew the long term effects of these sort of things but they do hook you in & it took me a while to decide that it was too much of a bad thing and quite a bit of willpower to stop taking them and get the effects out of my system.

I'm in a lot less pain routinely now and my permanantly upset stomach has sorted itself out. Going cold turkey was probably not the best way to do it and the physical effects have been pretty harsh for the last few week but I feel a hell of a lot better off these things than I ever did on them.

Well done.
It's not an easy thing to admit or deal with! I keep saying to hubby that he should come off his meds and find something else that works for him.

 

[tyred]

I had a bit of an addiction to these myself years ago and it is definitely not easy to stop.

I have an uncle who takes a truely scary amount of Solphadeine tablets, everywhere you look around his house, there are empty glasses with the residue of soluble Solphadeine in them, empty packets all over the kitchen worktop, the door pockets of his car are stuffed with spare packets, it's horrible, must cost him a small fortune and will kill him but there's nothing I can do if he won't admit to having a problem in the first place

 

[Monsieur]

I regularly take cocodamol (just the cheap version from a chemist, not branded) and I've been concerned for the past year or so about an addiction. Some days I take less than others but always a maximum of 8 per day.

Can I ask how many you used to take daily?

 

[shouldbeinbed]

I had a bit of an addiction to these myself years ago and it is definitely not easy to stop.

I have an uncle who takes a truely scary amount of Solphadeine tablets, everywhere you look around his house, there are empty glasses with the residue of soluble Solphadeine in them, empty packets all over the kitchen worktop, the door pockets of his car are stuffed with spare packets, it's horrible, must cost him a small fortune and will kill him but there's nothing I can do if he won't admit to having a problem in the first place

Thats pretty blatant. And I'm sure you know as much as me, he's going to have to face up to it sooner or later

It was a bit more furtive a thing with me, I had a public box that went down slowly and a lot more hidden away I was getting through, I think it was always something I knew wasn't good and was quite embarassed but not enough to stop taking them. I had a secret stash wherever I was, strips hidden in soap bags, saddlebags and bar bags, back of cupboards, in the wardrobe, every coat or softshell pocket had them in & I had either a bike bottle or a sparkling water bottle always around when out so it didn't show or look unusual to have something fizzy on the go. I was always quite careful about washing the glasses up atnhome and work too as its pretty unique a dirty glass look.

I can empathise with the not admitting to it being a problem, the bloody things cause more pain than they cure after not long at all so they become a self fulfilling necessity in your head - I'm in pain reach for the Sollies, quick drop in the pain and then it's back so reach for them again, and 2 every 4 hours soon isn't enough so you're over dosing yourself just to mask the pain that they are causing and taking more tabs causes more pain...... & it is the same narcotic family as morphine & heroin so is pretty clingy stuff when it gets into you

Having been on and off codeine for a number of years (migraines was the excuse I used - even with being on prescription meds for those) before really getting stuck in it this time I've finally twigged on it isn't something I can pretend over or stop/start with, it's got to be nothing at all ever & I'm gonna have to MTFU when I get a pounding head or the knee plays up.
I'm also going to be careful with drinking too, they seem to have stripped away my already lightweight ability to cope with alcohol without a hangover, A can at home or pint in a pub will give me a headache now.

Compared to smoking though it's dirt cheap, I'd spend 10-15 quid a week average (around 100 tablets) a bit more on a bad week & I bet he'll have a network of chemists he uses so he's not going into one or two responsible ones too often and getting remembered.

There's something about it being soluable and Solpadeine too or the Boots codeine plus variety as they both have caffeine in them that *works* better than the cheaper Paracetamol and Codeine only ones, both for pretending to dull the pain and as a narcotic hit, in solution works so much better than capsules or pills too. I guess in a smoking sense, everyone has their favourite brand of tobacco and level of filtering.

I hope your uncle sees the light before they eat him away completely.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

I regularly take cocodamol (just the cheap version from a chemist, not branded) and I've been concerned for the past year or so about an addiction. Some days I take less than others but always a maximum of 8 per day.

Can I ask how many you used to take daily?

Usually 16 a day often 4 on waking up as a starter to the day and the same later at night to be sure of sleeping through, with 2's when people were around in the day, this came to be the base level necessary to feed the habit. It could be more as I do have genuine pain problems and if for example my knee was playing up or I was coming off a migraine it would be the 16 to service the need and 4-10 more to tackle to other discomfort.

 

[ScotiaLass]

The soluble stuff is nasty It contains high amounts of salt to help it 'fizz'.
Over time this can cause other issues such as high blood pressure and kidney problems

 

[shouldbeinbed]

The soluble stuff is nasty It contains high amounts of salt to help it 'fizz'.
Over time this can cause other issues such as high blood pressure and kidney problems

Doesn't surprise me, it has that saliney taste to it and the glass looks like a chemistry experiment in evaporating sea water when done.

That would probably explain the peeing for England that I've been doing too & has become a standing family joke, I feel like it is my stomach that has suffered the most, its been never quite regular nor right for ages (whilst I'm in confessional mode ) I have even considered the possibilities of IBS or some sort of colitis. Seems not or I've made a miraculous recovery from them too.

Thinking about it, I've always run warm and got a sweat on quite readily but even more so recently, it'll be interesting to see if that calms down or what other unthought of niggles and changes show up or improve as time goes on.

 

[tyred]

I never exceeded the stated dose but it pained me to keep to it at times. Used to be just looking forward to when the 4 hours is up so I could have two more. I used to leave a glass of water and two soluble Solphadeine beside my bed each night ready to start the day.

I would consider this an even worse addiction than smoking. I came to realise it was actually causing the headaches that I was taking them to cure.

 

[Jon George]

Brave to admit this on a public forum and extra kudos for tackling the issue. Addiction to painkillers only seems to surface in the media when some celebratory bites the bullet after years of abuse, and it's quite a hidden problem. 'You've gotta say yes to another excess' may be a great album by Yello, but having a personality that cannot even attempt moderation can be extremely destructive.

 

[Mr Peps]

I'm a drugs worker and codeine addiction is a lot more common than people realise, whether it's prescribed or over the counter.
I've worked with people who have been unable to stop codeine by themselves and have had to be prescribed subutex / buprenorphine (usually prescribed to people dependant on heroin as opiate substitution). Several were taking so much codeine that they were on subutex doses that were prescribed to people using £40 of heroin daily.

Unlike a lot of heroin users the vast majority did well and were able to reduce and stop subutex and not return to codeine use. Unfortunately there are many people with this problem who won't go to drug services or the GP due to the perceived stigma.

There is a good source of information and support on this forum http://www.codeinefree.me.uk/.

Hope it's ok to post this link (I have no connection to the site).

 

[Easytigers]

Although not a very nice subject, this is a really important thread to read and pure respect to shouldbeinbed for sharing. I think a lot of people have got something they're not proud of/know they should stop but just hide behind lots of excuses. I'm an easy example...too easy to have a glass of wine when I get home from work because it's been a stressful day...but then again every day is stressful and it'd be very easy for it to go too far.

Keep it up and good luck to the OP

 

[Andrew_P]

My mother in law ended up in A&E ten years ago with a migraine and the doctor gave her co-codamol ten years later her GP is still writing repeat prescriptions. She feels a get up and go from them :-(