Codeine addiction (Nurofen Plus)

I wonder if they will do this in the Uk. In a way, I wish they would but I know it would be very difficult if I haven't given up by that time. Drew xx

Hi Drew, 

I was the same when they said they would do it early this year, but for our health, it's for the best, that's just my thoughts though.

I finally saw a different doctor yesterday and she gave a prescription for a (opiate) patch that you wear for 7 days, she wants me off the oxycodone but she doesn't know I have also been taking NP when I run out of the oxycodone.

I'm going to try really hard to get off all tablets. Every night I tell myself that the following day, "that's it, no more, I don't need them!"

And I really mean it, but the next day, one of the first things that pop into my head is the tablets.

As some of us have said before, there's something definitely in the NP, I can take 8 oxycodone and they don't do much at all, but take the NP and they do, they also last longer in the system whereas the oxycodone only lasts about 2 hours.

Merry Christmas everyone, hope you have a lovely day.

Sue xxxx

Thanks Sue. That may have shed some light on it. It certainly is a bit of a mystery as to why NP has such an effect. I really used to think that if I stopped taking the ibuprofen, then it would be ok to take codeine. In reality, just codeine makes me drowsy and lethargic. I hace sometimes slept all day and night. It is such a waste of time and life. I am going to have to be honest with myself and accept that I can't have any more 'buzzes' and that life at the moment is terrible. my health is poor, I get painful stomach cramps, I journey for miles to buy NP AND it is costing hundreds of pounds to feed the habit. I buy three boxes a day at least. It has to stop. Merry Christmas to you to (and everyone here) xxx Dre

I'm doing the same, driving quite a distance to pharmacies, anywhere between 10 minutes one way, and 20-25 minutes all the other directions.

Also starting to get stomach pain again, I started to save money when I was just taking the prescribed medication but again, now dipping into savings buying NP. 

We have to train our minds (I think), that we don't need that buzz anymore. Millions of people don't need that buzz to get through each day. Easier said than done TO train our minds.

I don't want the other half of my stomach removed, that alone should have scared me off them for a lifetime!

Spot on, you said "it's such a waste of time and life" 

I've accepted I'm an addict, I love that buzz.

Thank you Drew, I'm going to try and not take any Christmas day and if any withdrawals come at night, will only take 4 or 5.

Sue. xx

Thanks Sue. I think that honesty is the turning point. I kept saying that I am scared of the withdrawals etc. but actually it's because I still want the 'buzz'. The moment we acknowledge it and accept there is a mental addiction, and not just physical,, we can move forward. I too have got to accept that the 'buzz' comes at a huge price in trems of health and finance. It is rediculous that I am already preparing for Xmas... visiting extra pharmacists etc. Absolutely crazy. Good luck Sue. I hope you learn to live without the buzz. It IS the way forward... just take enough to fight the physical symptoms. Get used to NOT having the buzz. Love Drew xxx

Hi Drew,

Cutting down gradually, won't have any withdrawals. I did that when about to go overseas and didn't get any withdrawals, for all the weeks we were away, only a couple of times I thought about NP and we had a free afternoon once in Paris and I spotted a pharmacy, luckily in Europe they don't sell NP only the normal Nurofen, but as soon as I stepped foot back in the house, I drove to the chemist.

Mine is a lot to do with boredom (I think) plus, of course the buzz, as you said "mental addiction"

Yes, same here, preparing for Christmas, got 3 packs yesterday, some question you, one asked for ID so they could put it in their computer, some just hand them over, in fact, 2 chemists now ask "one or two packs"

I'm starting to look at taking them in a different way, when they wear off after so many hours, I don't dare take anymore for the remainder of the day, or when taken in the late afternoon/early evening, don't take anymore until next morning.

After the stomach operation, I certainly don't want my entire stomach removed. So, when that buzz is gone, I accept it and just "wait it out" This morning instead of taking them within the first 1 to 2 hours, I waited another 2.5 hours and hopefully I will extend the time each day. Oh and they tend to give a lot more energy so I tackle housework and such.

Good luck to you too Drew, we can do this. I look forward to the day when you and I and many others come here and say they are now NP and codeine free.

Love Sue xx

Hi Sue. I have been trying the same. When the effect weras off, I used to take 12 more tablets straight away but now I am suffering the effects for as long as I can. Later on in the day, I will then take more. I get the energy and 'buzz' back. It is still bad but it does mean that I am giving my body a few hours rest. Also, at one time, I didn't eat much because it would lessen the buzz. Now, I try and eat lots more. That way, my stomach is not just processing NP. After reading what you said, I am going to make sure I only use twice each day. That will be a large reduction. I will suffer a bit but it will get me down to a pattern that is more managable. I have never been asked for ID but two shops have already refused to serve me.I have to drive miles to get my fix. Dreadful. xxx Drew. Let's do this!

Hi Drew, 

When I first started taking them, 3 would give that buzz, that's one of the problems with them, the more we get used to them, the more we need them, even for pain, our system gets used to them  and as a result, I  (and probably most others on here) have a very high tolerance towards pain killers. If someone took the recommended dosage for prescription medication, for example, 2 every six hours, I could take 10-12 and still feel pain.

It's good that you're eating something now, I also used to do that and still do at times. One of the things pharmacist say is to take them after eating.

You'll only suffer psychologically by taking them twice a day, withdrawals don't start for 36 hours, a doctor told me that years ago and opiates can still show up in blood and urine tests for 72 hours.

Our minds play tricks on us, one of the first signs of withdrawals is a running nose and yawning, I've been known to start thinking I'm due to take the NP when I'm not due to take them for hours and within minutes I'm yawning, non stop, same as a runny nose. 

Yes, lets do it, we can do it! I keep saying to myself, "I am not going to let anyone or anything control me, especially opiates, I will control them.

love Sue xx

Yawning,runny nose,sneezing all side effects. The more you take,the more pain you feel as well. I dont know if this has been explained to you. I am in less pain not taking this rubbish anymore. If I have to take something codeine it is always panadeine extra. Yes a higher dose but I can go days or weeks without it,no dramas.

Do yourself a favour and rid yourself of this. The only result I have from taking high doses for so long is a fatty liver, thankfully it wasn't hepatitis c like one doctor thought.

Hi Drew,

Over the last month, I've been waking with a slightly sore stomach, not every morning but that is how the ulcer started, so as we discussed yesterday getting off them and this morning feeling that sore stomach,  I only took 8.

I don't know about anyone else, but they make my stomach bloat, it has to be the Ibruprofen as the oxycodone and straight codeine don't..

I'm determined to get off them, that's how I feel today anyway, fed up with stomach problems, fed up with going to chemists and trying to remember which ones I went to last, fed up with spending money, too much money on them, fed up with beating myself up, mentally. When I was in hospital, I wasn't depressed, nor was I when I got out but as soon as I started taking too many of anything that contained opiates, I fell back into depression. I've put weight on too, the liver in most cases slows down and can't process foods like a healthy liver.

So, I need to keep reminding myself of all the bad things they do, whether I can stick to cutting right down is another thing, but I am giving it my best shot.

love Sue xx

Yes, I'm well aware of what can happen regarding pain and a lot more that goes with abusing NP since I became first addicted in the 90's and had one very long break and then another break just over 2 years ago. 

Well done Didi, I'm can relate to those that find it difficult to get off them, some people have will power and some have what is called an addictive personality.

Hi Drew, I've been hooked on codeine for twenty years to ssome extent. Now I'm on the later stages of tapering off. I've gone from 40-60 tabs/caps of assorted codeine medications a day to 2 1/2 a day of low strength (8:500) cocodamol. I've done this so far over a five week  period. I keep a spreadsheet and avidly watch the line on the graph steadily dropping. When it gets hard I trawl these pages and draw inspiration from other addicts. I just got so, so sick and tired of the constant cycle of travelling around doing the chemists round trips all for throwing a handful of pills down my throat and getting no buzz at all. It was costing me a fortune and making me ill. I will complete the tapering in about two weeks and will be free at last. It's worth mentioning that the Government's recent drug driving laws mean that anything above the dose stated on the box is illegal for driving and could result in a ban/fine/imprisonment. I also think it is likely that some new regulations will come into force soon making codeine a POM or adopting the Australian system of real time recording to severely limit how often an individual can buy codeine. I've lost count of the number of times waiting in the queue at the chemists when someone in from of me buys codeine meds! We are a significant number. Best thing is we can still choose our own time to give up by cold turkey or tapering. Good luck and Happy Christmas.

hi karolina,

Codeine addiction is horrible and pysically, doing horrendous things to our organs. I'm (hopefully) gone on the waon as of today - I crept up to 32, then 48 and two days ago, had two lots 64 N+. Gnawing stomach, you know the rest. Here's what I'm doing. 

First, I psyched myself up for a stop day, yesterday at 5:02 pm; and changed my routine, not a lot and  yes, I was thinking about it constantly. I've tried this before and for me, will power got me through the vague feelings of anxiety that crept in. (days 1 and 2. But there is an astounding fact that will help you, but you've got to be strong and pass it off as flu for those around you who haven't a clue what you're going through. These horrendous hopeless feelings are cyclic ie they do go away. For me, there is a day, day 3 which hit me like a tonne of bricks. I went to bed although I don't have a child to care for. That is a bridge to cross, but either way, when it passes (and it will), cravings leave you alone for  2 - 3 days. Then another came along that was as strong so took myself off to bed. Lemsips and imodium for you will suffer diarhea most likely. However, on the 8th day, I barely thought about them. Change your routie a little as much as life gifts you with time. So I've done 24 hours - one of the 8 (for me as we're obviously all different). But, there again, 64 N+ = 818mg codeine. I'm not having any new years resolution - I'm having a wake up call New Years revolution, for I smoke, and I had a heart attack 3 years ago. Stupid, I know, but for me to quit two major things at once, I will set myself up to fail, which I'll always do in a spectactularly destructive way. Codeine, nicotine. Bloody hell! Wish me well! I'm on hand to chat about stuff, I've loads of experience of addiction including booze which is now under my control.

Best wishes to you too, you will do it.

Rich

Hi everyone, 

How are you going Rich? Changing your routine helps, I find I go for pain killers mainly when I'm home and usually in front of the computer and don't think about them when out and about. I'm also a smoker and have been addicted to pain killers on and off since the 90's. Also have a close relative who's been a chonic alcoholic for over 40 years and not only destroyed her life but those around her, so like you, I have loads of experience. Great you have the alcohol under YOUR control now Rich, like any addiction, it's hard to get off.

Doctors need to do some sort of course and learn about addiction, so many doctors make the patient feel bad and a lot of people won't tell the doctor about their additions for fear of being treated like a "junkie and or drunk".

The plan I had worked out didn't last for long, 2 days, that was it. I had cut right down on the NP and felt good psychologically and then the slightest bit of stress I use as an excuse to take NP, so it was back to square one.

Everything everyone says, I can relate to, as probably most of us can. What a vile addiction. I changed doctors and she wrote a script for Norpan (Buprenorphine) 2 weeks ago, a patch which you wear for a week, it did nothing and I'm starting to think the oxycodone she's trying to get me off is a placebo. I can take 10-12 of them (which would knock most people out) and nothing happens yet if I take the same amount of NP and they work.

I couldn't get in to see the doctor over the holidays and ended up taking too many NP, my stomach was so sore and very bloated, I cannot take them anymore since having the stomach operation.

I saw the doctor again today and she has written a script for another patch called  Fentanyl (fentanyl is known by such names as Actiq®, Duragesic®, and Sublimaze), you wear it for 3 days.  I googled it and now too frightened to put it on, it sounds dangerous. Has anyone ever used it? She wants to see me in 2 days time, even she said it has to be closely monitored. 

This is what is written about it, and it's frightening me. "Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent." 

50 to 100 times more potent??!! What if something terrible happens? I live by myself, my son comes home once a week but other than that, it's just me and our dog. It's used for severe pain but also used on people who are physically tolerant to other opiods.

Has anyone been on the patch Fentanyl or know anything about it?

I hope things are going good for you Rich.

I'm thinking of you all, this is the only place where we can talk without being judged and always great support.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Sue xx

I was prescribed Fentanyl patches for a while after my back surgery. They are very slow release so not much chance of anything going wrong unless you have an adverse reaction or you take something else with it. I was prescribed the Fentanyl patches and Oxy at the same time and my hands and feet would swell like nobodies business. I went to the doctor and told him what was happening and he treated me like a fool,telling me that swelling was not a side effect of either one of those medications. HE refused to listen to me but as soon as I stopped using them together, the swelling went away. 

Thanks so much Didi. I put a patch on and took it back off then read more about it and was just wondering whether to put one on again.

I was on the other patch Buprenorphine and that probably explains why my feet were (and still are a bit) full of fluid, I thought it was from the amount of  NP I took over the long weekend.

I will wait until the fluid goes then put the Fentanyl patch on, if it comes back, then the patch comes off. 

You are right too, just checked and one of the side effects is swelling and another one I have from the Buprenorphine is increased body heat, I NEVER sweat and it's very humid here and thought it might be that but couldn't work out why all of a sudden after all these years I was sweating.

My hands didn't swell, just feet, can press my finger in and makes a dint and it stays there for a few seconds.

As I was driving today I thought of all the negatives with taking any pain killers unnecessarily, it's just not worth it. I'm getting off all of this garbage.

Thanks again for your information, I feel a lot more at ease now.

Sue 

Hi Sue, happy new year to you and all. This time of year is a really tough time for me. I went to my mothers and ran out of my weeks supply of buprenorphine and diazipam, kidding myself that from Monday until Friday, I would be able to handle it by just being in a different environment. But even on Monday (boxing day) I succumbed, found a chemist that was open and bought 32N+.

My mum knows about my addiction, and I told her I'd left some medication at home (which was partly true), so I didn't have to lie to her. But beyond this, I think, is crucial, for me anyway in that I always feel down and have always needed props to support me, be it alcohol or codeine or whatever - basically, I'm depressed and tried every anti depression drug, the last being fluoxitine (Prozac), doubling up (as that is always a docs first shot) for 8 weeks and yesterday felt so low and the doc put me on Mirtazipine. Firstly - I slept so well. Secondly, I felt vaguely different, stronger of mind and better in mood. I took two first, but the sign look good. 

I'm writing this after my daily buprenorphine (2.4mg), which usually makes me feel not like buying N+, but now, I actually feel like doing things and becoming the man I miss, and prioritising important things in life like my kids (adults). If all it takes is a 15mg pill to feel 'me', I have no problem with that.

For everyone, my advice to quit this vile N+ habit is thus: I wouldn't recommend cold turkey. See your GP and get on a subutex (buprenorphine) program - and soul search the reason why you got onto these in the first place. Try the road less travelled. Best of luck to everyone, but it is so important to get to the root of why you feel you needed them in the first instance, else, you'll have a hole to fill.

Rich

Hi Rich, Happy New Year to you and your family.

Sorry to hear it's a rough time of year for you. 

It's awful when we run out of medication, panic sets in just thinking of withdrawals. Won't it be fantastic the day we can all say we no longer need any NP or any codeine or anything similar.

You're story is similar to mine. I've suffered from depression for  many years and also been on a number of anti-depressants, they did nothing so I haven't taken any for a very long time. Also been on oxazepam for years.

I'm on the Fentanyl patches plus oxycodone, the Dr has written 1 oxycodone twice daily, I can take 10 to 12 Oxy, they do nothing. I had to see her 2 days after she first prescribed the patches (she wanted to know how I was going on them) and I told her about the depression (I've only been seeing her for about a month so unless she looks back on my very long history, she wouldn't know a lot of things), also told her that I've always looked for anything to change the way I feel, anything that will give a "lift". That was my way in trying to tell her that only 2 tablets a day will have me searching for something else. She talked more about the patches and wants to see me again on Tuesday. 

I know what my problem is, it's depression which leads me to find something for a lift so until I address the depression and find a suitable anti-depressant, there is no use in trying to get off the NP or the Oxycondone.

I'm so glad to hear that you're feeling better with the anti-depressants you're on, depression is just awful and we lose interest in so many things that we used to enjoy.  Taking that 15mg tablet each day is so much better than taking NP. Once they are fully in your system, you'll be loving life so much and getting so much enjoyment out of things you lost interest in.

This is very true in what you have said "it is so important to get to the root of why you feel you needed them in the first instance, else, you'll have a hole to fill." . 

It's important to be honest with yourself and the doctor and that's what I've been doing otherwise I'll never get off anything that gives that "buzz". For those that are still in the vicious cycle (I'm still there) try to find a good doctor, my doctor just didn't understand so I changed to another doctor, so far she seems to understand.

I think the Fentanyl are the same as the Subutex? And I think they are mainly used to stop withdrawals, you say once you have the Subutex you don't feel like buying the NP, I'm really pleased for you, that's where it doesn't work like that for me, I'm still looking for something to get a lift but maybe because mine are patches that you change every 3 days so there is no chance of feeling anything, it just stops withdrawals, thank goodness.

Thanks so much for writing Rich,  I feel hopeful now and will ask the doctor to put me on anti depressants, will even suggest the ones you're on.

My family don't know about my addiction but do know I suffer from depression, although, I cover it well so it rarely gets mentioned.  And really, it's a chemical imbalance in the brain, serotonin levels are down and once you find the right antidepressant, it brings the levels back to normal. I'd be more than pleased to take one tablet every day for the rest of my life than battle this awful addiction. I'm looking forward to seeing the doctor next week and starting antidepressants.

Sue 

Hi Sue, many thanks for your reply, and how it so resonates with the symptoms I have felt and have been feeling for many years.

No need for life stories and bad events, we all have them, but when it's you, it's you so it is important especially when you can relate to those happier 'you' moments, and yearn for them back.

It's called mirtazipine, and for me, the weakest dose (15mg) is  (or seems) sufficient; all things crossed.

The hole that's left behind in my case would usually be what has occupied most of my life, like children (who are all grown up now), and freelance work; when we did our business course, our highly experienced mentor couldn't find fault with my plan i.e. it would work provided I stick to the plan...wherein lied the problem - marketing and having (or not having) the impitus to...I simply had no energy or desire other than to just get through the day, waiting for scripts, calculating fenno runs.

I really hope these (A/D's) work, but a friend literally just called me and asked me about a filming idea suggesting lunch, and I was amazed at the enthusiasm I had for it - it would have been a chore in my old state. 

Yours and everyone's support is so valuable, and your words sounds so remarkably like my experience; the 'lift' the fears. When I was 22 I coined a phrase called FOBRO (fear of booze running out), but it's so true!

Good speed to you Sue,

Rich

My doctor looked up the side effects for the Fentanyl and said there was no swelling of the feet listed so she said it must be an allergy to something like gluten.  Put another fresh patch on and my feet and halfway up to kees was full of fluid, feet looked deformed! So 2 days ago I took the patch off and my feet are almost back to normal. So next time I see her not ony will I show her but also take a copy of the many websites that say they do cause fluid retention and also sweating.

Sue

Hi Sue

How ridiculous that they don't listen to the people they are prescribing this stuff to!! Doctors dont know everything and not everything is text book! We are cellular human beings and we are all different. This makes me so cranky. I remember a few years ago i had a client and his.mother was dying in hospital. Everyone was advised to say their goodbyes and her last rites were read. They took her off all medications that she had been on for years. She lived another 5years because the cocktail they had prescribed her,was in fact killing her. It makes younwonder how many people they kill by poisoning them...