Codeine withdrawals advice

I guess I'm just ashamed to admit to my Dr that the medical condition I had changed me into a drug addict (hate even saying that) but it did and I liked the feeling. 

Don't know why ... Some days after eating my fentanyl patch (YES EATING!!!) I would be violently sick and lost so much weight as I was just so sick and never hungry. Yes I had a painful condition but I simply did not follow my drs instructions and did everything my own way. So foolish of me. But alas it's done and I want to find the outgoing bubbly person that I used to be before my neuralgia and before I decided I loved the painkiller effect and how well I slept when I took it! 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing eh

Right now it's so hard to not give up. I noticed nurofen plus In my daughters room earlier and I know they are there .. Even if it's only 12mgs of codeine. 

It's 02.38. I have had two sleeping pills around 9pm ang 2 Valerian root about 1am and 10mgs of diazepam the gp gave me for an injury ages ago .... But im still awake for 2nd night running... I'm so tired. Lying here listening to my husband have 5 hours sleep so far. For some reason the silence is worse even the dog is sleeping. 

I'm struggling tonight  

Oh dear Lorrie, sorry I haven't come back to you earlier, but only just got around to reading my mail. You sound as if you had a really tough night, how are feeling today - apart from shattered that is? Problem is that lack of sleep makes everything seem worse doesn't it? Hope you didn't give in to the Neurofen especially on top of the other stuff you'd taken.

My GP once gave me a leaflet on insomnia which said that if you can't sleep, you should give up trying and get up and do something. Bet the person who wrote that wasn't an insomniac!

Maybe this is all part of the WD for you. Perhaps it would be a good idea to sleep in a room on your own for a while and just read until you either do or don't drop off.

My phone pinged you replied to me while I sit at my table having a good cry. Im very tearful for some reason. Probably due to fact that last time I had a sleep was 1 hour on Sunday night around 11pm and nothing since. 

It's like I get to bed and I just can't sleep I get so restless. I tried the whole getting up thing. Even doing housework at 4am lol. 

I didn't cave no point in getting to day 11 and quitting so I put them out of my mind. 

This is one helluva battle isn't it!

How are you? 

Oh yeah, it's a fight and a half alright, I'd never have believed it if somebody had told me beforehand. I really do know what insomnia's like though, although it's been a bit better for me since I gave up the dread meds. If I take Temezapem now, they seem to work more effectively and keep me asleep for 3-4 hours. I think it's the pain in my spine that wakes me up mostly

Still got bowel probs, no fluid/loose stools but  have to 'go' at least 6 or 7 times throughout the day.

Wot a bugger!

Have their place I guess but the way they are easily prescribed is crazy! 

It can only get better .... It's nearly 2 weeks for us. That's good week three will be better  

Yes, of course it will. If you look back, it actually gets better all the time.

Omg so sorry you've had such a bad night but so glad you didn't take the nurofen. Please keep going it's taken me 4 weeks to get to a feeling of being normal - you can do it.  I've suddently turned a corner since Sunday and although still in pain I'm certain I'm out of the WD symptoms.  I also have insomnia and although I'm exhausted when I go to bed my 'monkey' brain kicks in as soon as my head hits the pillow.  I've found that concentrating on deep breaths in and out and counting my breaths helps and as soon as my mind wanders go back to one again - but sometimes even that doesn't work - like last night when I resorted to a large glass of wine at 1:30am - but it worked and I did get 2 hours sleep!!!!  Can't do that every night though because I'll need more and more wine!  Vicious circle isn't it.  I'll be thinking of you tonight when I go to bed and willing you to sleep!

Did you by any chance hear the programme on Radio 4 this aft about opioids?

Good programme on Radio 4 earlier - all about opioids and the terrible effects they have. We could've told 'em that, couldn't we?

Hi folks 

Good to chat to you ... Sorry I was having a wee melt down moment with my husband and just needed to cry for like 3 hours. It's like trigemibal neuralgia stole me as a person for two years and even after surgery im still in its grip. I was suddenly in a bad place but my man being who he is and having no clue what abuse I was doing sat with me and just let me vent a bit ... I guess I got sad and angry and sad and angry lol. 

I'm so going to keep at it I just wanna be me again as you both know how much these pills have stolen from us... Our own faults granted but still we are allowed to greet and vent lol. 

I won't let our board down ladies lol. 

Thank you for helping me when you are both also WD also and dealing with issues of pain and pending surgeries. 

I was too busy raging at TN to listen lol

How are you doing today? Roz you at day 13? 

And btw I also considered wine at 1-2-3-4-5 am lol

We're all benefiting from our chats, Lorrie and we'll keep going with them until we sort ourselves out, so no worries. The effects of the illness you had and the surgery to correct it are still with you, of course, and the psychological impact on you must be tremendous. It's pretty natural to have meltdowns at times like these. We all fall over at different points in our lives, but it's the getting up again that's important and you do keep getting up again - that's what matters.

See now you've made me cry again . 

Geezo im gonna dehydrate 

I'm now also singing a song that goes along those lines of I get knocked down I get up again .... Let's rpt those lines while attempting sleep later

Even thought of bed is making me nervous.

I don't know how you both cope with it. I have had problems sleeping all my life but a sleeping pill always knocks me out for hours and hours and I wake up refreshed! You must be exhausted like all the time.

It's actually day 12, but I'm feeling quite good thanks. The feeling of doom has lifted and headache has gone along with the butterflies. Still got a few digestive probs, but even they haven't been so bad today. Fingers firmly crossed!

I've got sleepers (Zolpidem) but the side effects are the same as codeine - they mess with your natural sleep pattern and it says you shouldn't take for more than 1 month. If I take just half a tablet it knocks me out flat for 6 hours. I stopped taking them the same time I kicked the opiate meds. I'd rather watch tv all night or read or have a large glass of wine than risk upsetting my system again!  

I'm going to spend as much time as I can out of the house tomorrow (do some shopping, have lunch out etc) and see if that helps me sleep. 

Try going to bed not thinking you're going to sleep, but that you're going to read all night. Take a large glass of something alcoholic with you and don't worry about not sleeping. Like I said previously, have you got a spare room you could spend a few nights in?

You are a gladiator eunice  

A real drug kicker ninja  

Right I've takem night nurse and all my vits and herbs for the night and im noe lying in my in the dark... Bedding all washed irones snd replaced by the husband tonight so its all perfect and im here early thinking a book might settle me before actual sleep 

Good luck ladies .... Tomorrow is another day clean  

Fanbloodytastic  

Hi Lorrie, you've gone quiet on us! How are you doing?

Sorry roz i was just trying to have a day I wasn't thinking about it especially since today im now stopping another medication called oxacarbazepine. I'm terrified of this one. I've now run out of it and I refuse to take anymore as it just makes me feel crap and I don't have the TN pain anymore so it's time to come off it.

Took last dose last night with a very heavy heart lol.

But the WD surely won't be any worse?? It's just gonna be back to day one lol.

How are you?? You doing ok??

So glad that's all it was, quite understand your desire to think about something else. Yesterday, I was totally caught up in the fact that our fridge/freezer had conked and had to get a new one delivered asap, it quite kept my mind off how I felt for a few hours!

I'm sure your WD won't get worse than it has been now you're stopping the other drug. You may slip back a bit (or not) for a couple of days, but you definitely won't go back as far as day 1.

I'm not doing too badly thanks. Bit of an 'edgy' evening yesterday and also had a headache again, but have felt pretty alright so far today with only one episode of sneezing so far. Digestive probs also seem to be slowly subsiding. Started on milk thistle capsules and vit B complex drink yesterday, don't know whether they're a waste of money or not, but you have to keep trying don't you?

What other prescription meds are you still taking?

That's brilliant that today is good .... Im kinda the same today headache but 2 brufen and it totally went away. Still tired but just went out food shopping and have a pot of soup cooking since my appetite isn't great I will just have soup and fruit to at least keep my energy levels up. You managing food ok?

I'm on milk thistke and multi vits with added b vits and today I bought some aloe avera and manuka honey ..... It's worth a shot. It's certainly helping my poor energy levels.

I'm now only left on Amitriptyline but I have to stay on that one as without it the burning face along my face nerve feels like ghd irons stuck to my face! It's a scar im left with post op but the amitriptyline don't make me feel tired or any side effects so happy to stay on them.

So once I get of this oxacarbazepine then im done. I was on 2400mgs post op and ive reduced them to 900mgs over last six weeks but I have run out and decided to just get this over with and quit them. They are horrible pills they have stolen so much of my personality as im so groggy and get words mixed up and feel crap!! Are you still on any other meds?

Yes, my appetite has returned almost full force and am eating normal-sized meals again.

Know what you mean about low energy levels, I start off doing something okay and then run out of steam halfway through.

My GP gave me amitriptyline a couple of years' ago to see if it would help the nerve pain in my spine, but it didn't touch it and gave me nightmares to boot!

You've done well to reduce the oxacarb so much already, I think you'll be okay stopping it now.

No, I'm not on any other meds, it was just co-codamol that I was taking, so now I really am clean, didn't even taken any paracetamol for my headache yesterday.

Well done ... You are finally clean. Everyday is only gonna get better for you now. It's so encouraging since im only a few days behind you.

Fingers crossed I get no problems at all off the oxacarbazepine

I feel sure you'll be okay. Have a good weekend.

You too .... Pity it can't involve some nice wine lol.

Here's hoping we all feel just great all weekend and don't need to come panic posting here lol.

I'm just planning on hybernating with a sex and the city boxset and pray I don't go back too many steps.

xx

Hello folks

How did your weekend go? How you feeling?

I went to visit my mum and asked her for 2 paracetamol for a headache and about half an hour later I felt the effects of codeine .... She had given me 2 co codomal! She said but that's what I would usually give you. Oh well it's done now and im sure only 2 shouldn't set me back. Here's hoping.

The sleeping is still not really happening ... That and a headache are the only symptoms I have left.

I hope you all are doing good

Weekend was great up till Sunday at midday with my last ever dihydrocidene taken last 24 hours have been totally fine until last six hours withdrawl hit like a tonne of bricks so glad I threw every one away before I started this 36 hours clean before suboxone or I would be taking them already.

Sure it won't set you back just be clear with people no codiene and just say it's a health fad your on if you want to be discreet. X

Have you started the suboxone? How are you feeling now? Manage a sleep last night?

Why did you decide to try the suboxone? I always wondered if it would just simply prolong the WD agony as I knew someone who was on suboxone for 6 years! She was so hooked on it and had real problems reducing it. They eventually took her into hospital and helped her as an inpatient. That's really my only dealing with it so it kinda scared me.

Everyone knows im WD from so many pills my mum felt so bad she had given me them she said she just forgot as she was so used to me always asking her for codeine! Sure it won't happen again.

I managed sleep last night and all i can think is that its because i had codeine that day. It's like my brain is looking for reasons to make me give in and get more! Today might be a constant mind battle not to go get some! Even after all that WD and how awful I felt I could still easily slip back into old ways.

I've replaced my pill taking habit with taking herbs and vitamins so today im gonna have to remind myself why im on all these herbs and constantly talk to myself about why ive stopped and look towards my future health.

I'm a real addict! I cannot stop thinking about how good I used to sleep and being reminded about that codeine feeling yesterday has been a real set back psychologically.

Hi Lorrie,

Glad you're doing okay apart from the insomnia, but I expect that'll put itself right in time. I'm pretty sure 2 co-codamol aren't going to make much difference to your recovery - don't worry about it.

I'm still doing okay, thanks. Things improve all the time and it's great not to feel as if I'm walking around in a sort of fog - must be the same for you too.

How are you doing, are you feeling any better?