Codeine withdrawal- delayed symptomd

Posted , 3 users are following.

Hi all,

I have been taking around 10-12 tablets of 15mg (Panadene Extra) tablets for about 3 years. So its not an excessive addiction but still an addiction. I have tried to quit a few times and the withdrawal has been too much as I have a little girl to look after. Now this time I am over 24hrs with out codeine and have this morning taken- Mega B complex tablet, magnesium, immodium, panadol & nurofen as I was expecting the worst. I have managed to go for a walk & take my daughter to the park and I actually feel really good, with energy but little jittery Could it be that symptoms are coming or have a managed a fluke recipe to help out?

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Sally

    It’s been over 3 hours since you posted, how are U feeling now? I don’t really have an answer for your question, I hope for your sake U have managed to come up with the magic combo of meds and vitamins! And I hope you are still feeling well, keep me posted 😊 i myself  am currently tapering down from a two (sometimes up to 3) box habit of nurofen plus 😔 I have reduced by a tablet a day and am now down to 18. I won’t lie it hasn’t been that easy really. I’m only just handling life, especially when I got down under 35ish tablets. I’ll see how I go once I get down to ten I plan to reduce by half a tab a day til zero. If it goes to plan I should be off them in 28ish days. Good luck, keep in touch 😊

    • Posted

      I feel great! Its really unnerving! I think maybe because the last week I have only had about 6 a day, tapering is the key hun definitely. 

      Are you in Australia? How are you going with lack of supply? 

      If this is what life feels like with no codeine, I’m addicted. Good luck darling x 

    • Posted

      I also have clonazepam for night times which I really think you need to invest in. PRest is crucial and restless legs are crazy! 
  • Posted

    Hi Sally

    How are u feeling today? Hope you are still well hun. I am in Australia, Sydney, and as far as lack of supply, I was prepared. I was well aware all codeine products were going prescription only, ever since they announced it. I tried so many times to taper down over the past few years but it was useless, as long as I knew I could still get them, I caved every damn time. This time I worked out what id need, for the taper I spoke of yesterday, and I stocked up, so I have just enough to complete my taper to the end. The knowledge that I will not be able to purchase them any more, coupled with my desperate want & need to get off them, has kept me strong. I am down to 17 today, and I feel ok. I have a bad knee, so I'm really feeling that, a pain that would normally be dulled out with excess amounts of those evil white pills. What is clonazepam? is that a sleeping tablet? do you need a prescription for that? Anyway hope you are still feeling fantastic, chat soon x

    • Posted

      Hi Sally and Leanne,

      I am also near Sydney and stocked up on Nurofen plus before the deadline but my addiction was so bad that I went through the NP in 11 days. I was also getting Endone from my doctor for a bad back so I thought if I open up to the doctor and tell her of the addiction to NP that she would understand and increase the Endone dosage or put me on a slow release medication to compensate for no longer taking the NP.

      Well I was wrong, she said that the 3 Endone a day would stop any withdrawals, little did she know that the 20 Endone tablets would be gone within 2-3 days. I would get prescription for them, run out 2-3 later and then take the NP until I was due for another prescription. The second night where I had no Endone and no NP was a shocking night, those restless legs is enough to drive someone crazy, I could not sit still and ran several baths and laid in them but as soon as I got out of the bath, the withdrawals would start again, this went on all night and I phoned the doctor first thing in the morning and basically begged her for something to stop the withdrawals, she refused point blank!! My legs felt like they had weights in them, was completely drained of energy.

      Eventually I phoned around to see another doctor at another practice, told him I was changing over to him, let him know what medication I was on and he wrote a prescription for Endone and also some tablets that are slow release.

      How are you both feeling? I was also addicted to NP a few years ago but had to get off them as I was going overseas and couldn't get them over there. This is what worked for me, taking a packet of 30 a day (sometimes more) I gradually cut down by 2 tablets a day for a week until I got to about 10 a day, then I cut down by one a day, then one every second day, no withdrawals whatsoever.

      By tapering down as you are doing Leanne is the best way, certainly would not recommend just stopping them, the withdrawals are horrendous. Maybe even get normal Nurofen, mind over matter sort of thing.

      Sally, it sounds like the vitamins and the Panadol and especially the Nurofen are working, how are you feeling now? There seems to be something in Nurofen that helps, maybe they relax the muscles, people take them for arthritis so maybe they help the muscles and or joints in some way.

      I'm glad they stopped all those strong over the counter painkillers, no more trying to remember what chemist to go to next, saving heaps of money both on buying them and petrol, no more stressing out that I might run out of them and the damage they do to the kidneys and liver, no more worrying about that.   Wish I could take my own advice and get off the prescription medications, I did it all those years ago when I was addicted to Nurofen Plus, just having difficulty now, but will eventually get off them.

      I think you are both doing great, keep it up, you'll feel like a new person, both physically and psychologically.

       

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