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Big question

Posted , 7 users are following.

constance.de
constance.de

This might seem like a silly question because I know lots of you have been on Co-codomol for years but  -  Can taking 2 tablets per day be dangerous or perhaps addictive?  In the instructions in the packet it says "do not take for more than 3/4 days".  

Co-cod just helps me with my arthritis pain, but I don't want to become addicted.

0 likes, 32 replies

32 Replies

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  • AntMark
    AntMark constance.de

    Posted

    Hi :-)

    The simple answer YES, IT SURE CAN, how do I know? Because that's how I started. I am free now, I weaned off in 6 days after 4 years addiction.

    You can get addicted to opiates by following the reccomended amount, hence why they are only a short term solution. Heaven knows why they dish them out in boxes of hundred!

  • AntMark
    AntMark constance.de

    Posted

    They really do ruin your life eventually. I read the consequences abd and thought "nah, won't happen to me, I'm in control ". i thought I was doing ok, told my partner it was fine to take 2 a day when she said "you're going to get addicted ". 2 a day eventually turned to 20 a day. And then some.

    But I've got a good head and I'm a quick healer and extremely impatient, so went from approx 30 a a day straight down to 6 then dropped one everyday.

    The withdrawals were manageable by day 7, peaked about day 8 and subsided completely after a week.

    You think arthritis pain is bad... Try withdrawals aand restless legs syndrome!!

    Please find an alternative. ibuprofen is supposed to be excellent for arthritis, but everyone is different and they can have bad effects on your health if taken for a long period, nubut one a day is usually ok for some.

  • gill70346
    gill70346 constance.de

    Posted

    I have to disagree with Antmark. I have been taking 4-6 co-codamol per day forc15 years and am definitely not addicted. I take them for arthritis amongst other things and it is the only pain killer that works for me without side effects. I have always followed 3 rules - firstly, never take more than the prescribed dose no matter how bad the pain, secondly, always allow at East 5 hours between doses and ideally 6, thirdly do not take them at all on days when the pain is manageable. By doing this I am neither addicted nor dependant on co-codamol 30/500 and neither are my friends who are on the same dose.
    • AntMark
      AntMark gill70346

      Posted

      You can not disagree, you may be ok but i am living
    • AntMark
      AntMark

      Posted

      Sorry that posted before I finished. But basically I respect what you say but to say you disagree And you could potentially encourage the original poster to venture down a path of addiction. I am living proof you can and so is three people I help at the addictions centre i volunteer for in Leeds.

      Please, original poster check opiate addiction websites and you will see you can.

      As for you Jill, have you stopped your intake suddenly At any point? Only then will you see of you have an addiction. It's when you stop taking medication that you actually see that you are addicted. I went 4 years blissfully thinking I was not, until one day I ran out, in March h this year. That's when the withdrawals started.

      Sorry everyone, I'm extremely passionate about this subject and hate to see any one encourage this directly or indirectly. It is a proven medical fact that 1 to 8 a day is addictive and you're doctor should NOT be giving you these long term. They are a quick fix, not a daily medication. If you are going round saying this to people then you really need to chat to you doctor immediately.

    • AntMark
      AntMark gill70346

      Posted

      And there are no 3 rules to taking co codomol long term because you simply not. If you told your Dr you were taking them for 15 years he would tell you himself that's wrong. If he doesn't then he or she needs firing.

      Anyone with an addiction or any Dr visiting these forums will totally disagree with what you've posted.

    • gill70346
      gill70346 AntMark

      Posted

      I have been under 6 different doctors under my GP practice plus at least 7 consultants (2 neurologists, 2 opthalmologists, cardiologist, gastroenterologist, orthopaedic specialist, maxilla facial and otolaryngologist)  for my 14 different health conditions. Not one of these has ever said to come off codmol. Are you suggesting they all need to be fired. And what do you suggest I take instead. Everything else has either been too strong, has upset my stomach or bowels, or given other unwanted problems. In your answer to your question. Yes, a few years ago when I was going through a good patch I did stop taking co-codamol for several months and had no withdrawal symptoms. I really do not believe that everybody who takes co-coda mol becomes addicted going by myself and my many friends who take or who who gave taken it. 
  • Gerontius
    Gerontius constance.de

    Posted

    Over some time I have read these entries regarding co-codamol and opiate addiction. Perhaps I am one of the few, but I have taken 30/500 co-codamol and/or codeine phosphate for 30 years for phantom limb pains and am unaware of any addictive tendency. I only take them when I have pain, which can mean taking max dosage for as long as 16 hours or so. But then I will have days, weeks, when I don't have any pain and have no urge to take co-codamol. Right now I have not had a tablet for a week. I tend to take one co-codamol with one codeine phosphate to reduce my consumption of paracetamol. At times I have taken a third tablet over a four-hour period, but never more. Beyond that, I go out for some vigorous exercise in my wheelchair to produce some endorphins and take my mind off the pain. It did occur to me that if my body was craving codeine, it might actually trigger the phantom limb pain. But over 30 years, there has been no increase in my pain and no increase in my use of codeine.  
    • AntMark
      AntMark Gerontius

      Posted

      How you take your medication is fine. But the poster wanted to know if age could take two everyday and could she possibly get adaddicted and without doubt she he could Because myself, three i know abd hundreds if not millions of people on the net started out on two. Two is enough to give your body a rush and over time will develop an intolerance and you will need more. The risk is there and i think more people with addiction should share their story here as warning. I find all former addicts have a hatred for the stuff. And there's the blissfully ignorant ones in denial who think these are the best things since sliced bread.

      But taking them as and when required is totally fine. Over 10, 20 100 years. Doesn't matter. But everyday Is not suitable.

    • Gerontius
      Gerontius AntMark

      Posted

      You are right, AntMark. The best advice for Constance is to find an alternative. I am not arguing with everyone else's experience. I would agree that if you need a daily painkiller then try to find something else. That is self-evident from the health warnings about the addictiveness of opiates. And if pain is with you constantly, then the prospect of finding yourslef dosing with two 30/500 co-codamols every four hours day-in and day-out is unappealing. But in terms of the many many threads of general discussion about co-codamol, I thought that I should say that it is not always, inevitably, devastatingly addictive. That's all. For me, it would always be - how good or bad are the alternatives - eg Tramadol, Gabapentin in may case.......  This perhaps is more for a 'phantom limb pain' thread than this particular thread for Constance. Over and Out. 
    • AntMark
      AntMark Gerontius

      Posted

      You sound very sensible with your tablets. As i said, i think taking them as required is perfectly fine, as long as that doesn't become too regular. I totally loved the stuff. At first I only took them when needed but started to want to be in a pain as an excuse to take them. I am t total, never done drugs or booze, just smoke. Ironically, prior to bring diagnosed with what I did, i had a phobia of taking tablets and of substances altering my awareness and state. The pains i had were so severe that i wanted anything (a bit like women in labour, according to Drs the pains i were getting are worse than.giving birth ouch!) so i learnt that tablets weren't my enemy through that experience.

      Don't get me wrong, i am not saying I won't ever take cocod again, i have 600 in a draw that i accumulated, but they will only be for emergencies. Ive been free of addiction for a while and have no desire to take them for an up. But it as I'm sure we all agree, it can be dangerous to take daily. The body in time expects that intake.

      All addicts i speak to do blame their Gp. They really dintdon't care. Even now, after he knows I was heavily dependant, he has kept my tablets on repeat. During my weaning he kept giving me more and more boxes. I weaned off in 6 days, and in those 6 days I saw my Dr twice, each time he gave me another box haha. So i would never trust a Drs advice on cocodomal, they are the cheapest opiate to produce.

      Its fantastic you have a fix for your phantom pain, thst must be very distressing sometimes but you sound like me, just work it off and stick twos up at it. I don't have the same condition as you of course, but experienced phantom pains in my body due to withdrawals and we know they aren't real but they can feel worse than real...

    • constance.de
      constance.de AntMark

      Posted

      Thank you for your concern AntMark and Gerontios.  Perhaps I have mislead you both, sorry!  Arthritis is a secondary illness and I have to take steroids for the main illness.  I am 76 years old and I certainly don't 'pop' tablets.  Just occasionally I need a little relief from pain, so I then take a cocodomol - one in the morning and one at night.  I'm not even sure they work!!!!  It's sometimes difficult to tell where the pain is coming from.  I never take them more than 3 days running.
    • AntMark
      AntMark constance.de

      Posted

      You didn't mislead anyone constance. And how you take your ts
    • AntMark
      AntMark

      Posted

      Sorry my phone keeps posting before I've had chance to fibi
    • AntMark
      AntMark constance.de

      Posted

      Sorry constance about my unfinished replied. My phone goes mental. I'll start again. How you take your tablets sounds fine to me. If you were 18 to 25 and planning on doing 2 a day for the rest of your life then I would have been concerned. and i just wanted to say that yes, anyobe CAN, although may not, develop addiction to cocod, on rare cases even after taking just one. The feel good feeling is there. There's a difference between addiction and dependency. Dependency is when your body needs the substance ti function on a normal level. Addiction is more the mental need to take something for its effect.

      I think you are safe on that dosage. Even my leaflet in my tablets states addiction is possible after prolonged usage. But if you're having a break then you'll be fine.

      Cocod is somewhat of a miracle cure, and easy to see why people take them often. This is all coming from a former addict. I've been there, done it, I'm not implying Gill is addicted or dependant but years ago I would have posted the same thing as she. I thought they were the best invention ever.

      Good luck and all the best to you.

    • elaine38495
      elaine38495 AntMark

      Posted

      Hi antmark, I was just reading your advice on here and you seem really knowledgeable so I feel comfortable enough to ask you, I've bn on 30/500 Cody's for 4 yrs yes I've abused them for so long the max in 4 hrs I've taken is 4. But after realizing I'll do serious damage i be dropped to 3 in morning at 8am then 3 at around 1pm then 3 and a half at 8pm. Sorry this sounds crazy but it a kind of copable routine I've got myself into at the moment I'm really being honest & trying so hard but still there's that big worry! AM I STILL DAMAGING MYSELF will I die and all the negative thoughts creep in, I'd be so greatful for your opinion on my sitchu thanks in advance.. Lainy
    • AntMark
      AntMark elaine38495

      Posted

      Hi Lainy smile

      From what I can see, you are currently taking 6 and a half tablets a day. This is within the daily short term allowed amount. Cocodomal is only a short term relief for moderate to sever pain and if the pain persists after approx. 6 days, then you should return to your GP. As stated, even 2 tablets a week can lead to addiction, it depends of the person. But you ackowledge your addication and that's great.

      6 - to 8 tablets a day (even 2 a day) can have complications on your liver. But it is very likely that 6 a day will cause damage after prolonged useage. It is roughly the equivialt to 2 large glasses of wine a day which is not good for you.

      You should now think of weaning, but I would reccomend dropping half a week, like this.

      Monday to Monday

      Week 1 (this week) - 6 and 1/2 a day

      Week 2 - 6 a day

      Week 3 - 5 and 1/2 a day

      Week 4 - 5...

      Week 5 - 4 and 1/2

      Week 6 - 4

      Week 7 - 3 and 1/2

      Week 8 - 3

      Week 9 - 2 and 1/2

      Week 10 - 2

      Week 11 - 1 and 1/2

      week 12 - 1

      Week 13 - half a tablet which can be dropped as soon as you feel ready

      A 13 week plan like this would highly minimise withdrawals and because only half is being dropped your body will adjust to the change much better.

      I too had the thoughts you had, hence why I stopped and in the end the cocodomal was actually causing me pain as it was wanting more. 

      The most harmful substance here is the paracetomal. It has been branded a silent killer in recent years as its so readily available and we beleive it is harmless. 

      You could drop the paracetomal and get codeien phosphat tablets, but since you are only on 6 and a half a day, i would reccomend sticking to your 30/500 mg as the paracetomal can help with any minor withdrawal pains you MAY feel after a drop in dose.

      I am here every step if you need support with this smile

      All the best, Ant.

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