Codeine addiction (Nurofen Plus)

I sympathize totally. The only advice I can give at this stage is to read all the posts here. There are some great examples of how people are tackling this. Learn as much as you can about your addiction and. above all, be honest with yourself xxx Drew

Hey Sir

as you've seen, I'm trying to quit as well, so just a few pointers,

firstly, are you taking the pills for pain relief, or because you're addicted to the codeine?

if for pain, then you must speak to your doctor, who will put you on a different pain relief programme.

if you're addicted to the codeine, then the best thing is also to speak to your doctor, who will put you on a tapering down programme,

however, if you're getting high to counteract some other problem, like depression, then you must fix the problem first, or you'll never quit, I started because I felt down and miserable, only when that had been addressed, could I even think about quitting. Please don't consider going cold turkey unless you are 1000% committed to quitting, it is a horrific experience, albeit, over fairly quickly, tapering down under a doctors supervision is the best way to go, but you will still need a strong determination to want to quit.

feel free to ask any questions you want, as Drew said, there are people on here who will help as best they can.

the fact that you WANT to quit, is the most important thing, so try and build upon that thought!

 

Hi, I was on around 50 a day of assorted codeine tabs, depending on what I could get. Been taking them for 10 years or so after an operation. I finally really had had enough of all the chemists tours, the fear of being done for drug driving, the deceit to my relatives, etc so I started tapering at the end of November. To cut a long story short, I finally finished 4 days ago (New Years Eve) so I'm 4 days clean now. I had a spreadsheet and a graph which helped to see the line going lower and lower. When it came to my first day without anything I was really scared to make the jump but I did it. It;s taken me 38 days. And I won't lie; it's been really difficult at times, over Christmas especially with everyone around me having fun and me generally feeling like s* (I'm a dry alcoholic too, so I couldn't even have a drink to settle the withdrawals). At other times it got easier and I stepped up the rate of tapering (my rule of flexible tapering was that I could take less the next day but not more than the previous - a sort of ratchet effect). I call giving up codeine my 'Master Project' and give it number one priority. I'm so glad to have  got this awful drug out of my system and out of my life.I have to say that I'm feeling really anxious and depressed on day 4, moreso than the last couple of days but I think it's just part of the psychological WDs. Tapering means you spread the WDs out over a longer period rather than cold turky short shap shock. Anyyhow, I think the worst of it is over (I hope) and I'm going to fight really hard to keep it out of my life from now on. I also take multi vits, and magnesium for the restless leg syndrome. I didn't do this with my Dr and only told my wife when I'd got to zero. Hope this helps.

Hiya. Happy New year and thanks for sharing your story. It is great how many people are coming forward here to tell others about their experiences. It helps a lot. Good luck. I hope you lose the feelings of anxiety soon as you look forward to a life without codeine xxx Drew

Thanks Drew. This forum has helped me a lot during my battle with C. I'm now on day 6 of being without any C at all after tapering off and it's getting a bit easier. That annoying restlesss leg syndrome has nearly gone now and the anxiety level is lower. I had quite a bad headache last night and was really tempted to take a couple of cocos but I just took some aspirin and paracetamol which, thank fully, worked; but my mind was all ready to trick me into taking 'just a couple of cocos'. I still have some of my last chemists tour haul of C, about 6 packets of NF+ & soluble Cocodamol. I really should throw them away but I'm strangely reluctant - maybe the last vestiges of my addiction. I think my next goal, after keeping clean, is to bin them.

Anyhow, my 'Master Project' is alive and well.

For completeness, I should add that I have been on prescription Mirtazapine (helps with sleeping amongst other things) and Riperidone for some months but my GP did not/does not know of my codeine addiction - there may come a time in my life when there is a legitimate need for serious opiatess annd I don't want to exclude myself from that option.

Happy New Year to you and yours

Andrew

Happy New Year to you. I hope you crack it in 2017. Good luck and well done for getting this far xx Drew

Depression is often the reason we want to escape in the first place - I'm on mirtazapine too - it works very well for me and please tell your GP - they're fine with the subutex. 

Be very open and very honest - I know as an addict just how devious I can be and such a liar. Not very honourable traits - a thousand miles from the man I know I can be.

Codeine phosphate doesn't work for me, subutex or buprenorphine (the same) stopped all craving.

Think about it - for a start, the maximum amount of codeinre phosphate a Dr can prescribe, legally is, I believe 180mg per day. A box of 32 N+ contains (32 x 12.8 mg codeine) = 409.6 mg codeine phosphate. That's inviting withdrawals - a massive jump. Codeine is converted by metamorphosis into morphine.

It is a growing problem, exponentially

FYI, I'm on Day 11.1. Never ever again. Bleeding in the guts? Exploding intestines? destroyed liver (paracetomol). 

I caught a line on 'casualty' (which I never watch, it was just on in the background) "I'll get you some co-codomol for the pain. Viewing figures for casualty that night 5 million, 6 hundred thousand people heard that - use cocodomol, a codeine based easily legal over the counter without prescription drug for pain relief? It's fine - casualty said it, FFS Too much paracetomol permanently destroys the liver beyond repair - it is the bodies most regenerative organ ie it heals itself - but paracetomol is permanent.

All the best,

Rich

I so relate to you, I hope you are keeping at it .

Dear Gareth,

your story sounds so similar to mine - I was kicked out by my wife who was drunk and called the police saying I was abusing her. Used to this, I completely went inwards and did nothing to defend myself from the most vile of abuse. The Police the next day said their collegues had got it wrong.

I found a B&B, depressed and hit the bottle. To quit the bottle, I 'discovered' N+ and the calming effect, in batches of 4; at the time, I was on 16 per day.

It crept up over 2 years to 32, and to my horror, went up to 64. It kinda blinds you to all sense of reality. My weight plummeted to 9 1/2 stone (I'm 6"1', my diet was full fat milk. I had a heart attack 3 years ago and had two stents. Smoking caused it.

I am seeking to make an awareness film and have had great success at being heard and responded to at the most senior level of government.

I do hope you get over your dreadfully sad situation - I know exactly how you feel, and time is the best healer.

If you can quit Cold Turkey (and it requires an enormous amount of will power) you will have hit the very worst by the 3 - 5 day mark. I am now on day 22, but I sought help through my GP and am on subutex - I began on 6 mg per day, and am now reduced to 2 mg. 

It is in addition an extremely supportive service (personal experience), very closely monitored and that helps loads - for me, subs take any desire for me to do the round robin chemist hunt for one that would serve me. I will never go back.

All the best,

Gibson

Hi Gibson,

I am so pleased for you, it's not easy but once you put your mind to it, it does get easier. The last time I got off them I had to because of  going overseas,  gradually cut down and stayed off them until the day I got back and went straight to a pharmacy.

I have been on anti-depressants for 11 days, they take a number of weeks before they work, the only thing with them at the moment is they make me extremely tired in the afternoon and for 3 days last week I felt quite unbalanced while walking and wasn't walking a straight line so now take half in the morning and half at night. I figure if I can get the depression under control, I won't or at least shouldn't go looking for that "once upon a time" buzz from NP. That buzz has gone.

You're right, they will kill, for someone who had half their stomach removed and the bowel reattached to the stomach, spent weeks in hospital and several days in intensive care all because of NP, I would never touch them again and I wasn't going to, but here I am!

It's a horrendous addiction that controls our lives, you've won, you are now in control of it and your life, congratulations.

Looking forward to your film, people need to know about addiction and that it can get hold of anyone, not just drug addicts, it can happen to anyone.

Take care

Sue.

Hey buddy are u on fb,I would like to u talk to you about NP

If I can quit, coming up to 6 years in May this year, so can YOU!!!

Like you, I was on 32 a day for 2 years....and nearly died.

32 a day...sounds innocuous; but that is 224 per week, 896 per month or 11,680 of those damn evil white pills per year. And I never got that buzz I was after...just moved closer to the possibility of destroying my internal organs, and death.

Let me tell you this for nothing: N+ won't "quit" you, never! YOU need to quit N+!

Well done for sharing, you are not alone. Wishing you all the best.

Wow when you put it like that in numbers that is quite alot of abuse! Congrats on your sobriety.

Thank you!

The maximum daily dosage of N+ 6 caplets in 24 hours), and for no more than 3 days. In other words, no more than 18 tablets over three days.

So 32,evil white pills per day, 224 per week, 11,680 per month is a hell a lot of abuse...several 1,000% more than the daily dosage!

Correction - it should read "11,680 per year not month!"

Yes I can quit and I will. Since I have cut down my insides are feeling better and I dont have the stomach pain like i did. I dont have the constipation either. I will do this. I know it is  not going to be easy as I have lots of triggers when I want to take the N+ but I am aware of the triggers and I will  beat them. I am already feeling better since I cut the amount I am taking each day. I am down to 7 per day. I keep tellling myself that I dont need the N+ as I am not in any pain , so why the hell do  i need to take them? I will take it one day at a time with the goal in sight to be N+ FREE.

Hi London , how are you going? I can relate To you aswell.I am completely off them but it's one day at a time ?good luck to you.

you are an inspiration Missyjane. Thanks for sharing☺

Thank you! I so relate to you too! Even after I had had my operation, 10 days in hospital, the evil demon in me still entertained thoughts of going back to N+!!

Luckily a month stint in rehab, four weeks after I was discharged from hospital, helped me see the evil of my addition. And thanks to this, I am still clean, sober and will be six years in 5 May 2017.

You are so right - it is a day at a time. I just focus on the day, and in having done so the years have looked after themselves.

Well done you for still being clean!! We are miracles, survivors who can tell, share our stories and so give hope to others.

There are those who we will never hear their stories, as they have died from N+. Having been so close to death with N+ like you, I am so grateful to be alive and clean to tell my story today.

A day at a time.

Best,

Missy j

Yes, you can quit, day at a time.

Just keeping saying to yourself: "I need never use again"..."tonight, I will lay my head on my pillow, and it will be clean and free of Nurofen plus"..."I need never use again, I can be free...that is all I have to aim for today".

All the best,

MissyJ