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Coming of Co-Codamal 30/500 day four

Posted , 6 users are following.

sean66685
sean66685

Hi everyone,

I have been taking the highest dose of co-codomal for quite a few years now but I changed anti-depressants a while back and I believe that the codeine was interacting with the the anti-depressants so I stopped the codeine straight and I am on day four and my head feels all over the place, like I feel out of it.....not part of this world. It is a really scary feeling and I am scared I am not going to feel better.

I know people have a lot of physical symptoms but has anyone out there had mental symptoms also? 

Thanks so much

Sean

0 likes, 29 replies

29 Replies

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  • tbtbtb
    tbtbtb sean66685

    Posted

    Hi Sean,

    ?             I have been in a very similar situation to yourself.I had been abusing co-codamol for about 5 years and about this time last year I started to suffer from depression which gradually worsened until May when I was put on sertraline and mirtazapine.I read somewhere that co-codamol can hasten depression as it can partially block the endorphins in your brain.Taking the three drugs together I can well believe that they interact and not in a good way.They made me tired and listless and my head was all over the place.My doctor seems to be too busy to give me any advice other than the fact that they try and get people off anti-depressants in the spring.Anyway at the beginning of Feb I decided to stop taking co-codamol but as I was sometimes taking 5 x 30/500 at a time the withdrawal was very unpleasant.The worst craving starts to lessen after about a week.I was sweating at night and having cramps. Mentally I suffered with anxiety and panic attacks.About a week later from stopping the co-codamol I also decided to stop taking the depression medication.After a month and a half I am slowly starting to feel better but am still having problems sleeping where although I am tired my brain will just not shut down.It takes a lot of willpower to just stop taking these drugs without tapering off. Can you come off the anti-depressants as well? The key for me was exercise where whenever the withdrawals were at their worst I would just go out and walk.At the moment my depression has lifted but I sympathise deeply with anyone who has suffered from this horrible illness.I really don't want it to return as at the moment I am enjoying all the activities which I haven't for the past few years. Believe me you will start to feel better and you have to focus on that fact which will give you sufficient willpower to overcome your problems. Best Wishes.Tony.

    • sean66685
      sean66685 tbtbtb

      Posted

      Hi Tony,

      Thank you so much for your kind reply and I commend you on not only coming off codeine but also anti-depressants also. I am glad you are off these things and finally enjoying life. These pills are given out like candy because they are a "cheap fix" but doctors don't have a clue how bad a mess people can get in because of them.

      I am on day five now and still I feel sort of not part of this world and I am having the most vivid dreams which are hard to wake up from. I am not giving up, I am going to be a Dad for the first time and I refuse to be on these horrible things or anything that may affect my ability to be a good day.

      Again thank you so much for your reply and I hope you continue to enjoy your life smile 

      Sean

    • tbtbtb
      tbtbtb sean66685

      Posted

      Hi Sean,

      ​             Totally agree with your comments regarding these medications and how readily the doctors will issue them.Mine never questioned my repeat prescriptions even when it must have been obvious I was abusing them or even dealing in them.Your comment about vivid dreams is totally in line with what I endured as well.They always related to situations in my life but  always had bad endings. Becoming a father for the first time is an amazing experience that you should enjoy  to the full.

      ​  It is a very difficult to come off this crap and takes a lot of willpower to endure the physical as well as the mental effects.I  know I will not touch co-codamol again and hopefuly avoid anti-depressants as well.Day 5 is great as that is close to when I realized that I could succeed,From then on although it was not plain sailing it certainly got easier to endure. Please stay strong and you will also overcome this problem. Best Wishes ,Tony.

    • lynda11469
      lynda11469 tbtbtb

      Posted

      Hi Tony,

      im on day 5 of stopping co codamol and gabapentine, I've been going to my gp every 2 weeks for over a year suicidal. Asking him why I get such rapid low time, within 10 minutes I can be so low, it takes weeks to climb back up. He said it is the nature of depression. I was standing in my kitchen last Tues looking at the box of co codamol and thinking how many of them I would have to take to end my torture. It dawned on me that some days I take 8 some days 6 some days 4. So I'm always in the process of withdrawal, if you don't keep your codeine level stable it stands to reason. I hope to God I'm right. I might not even be depresssed it could just be the ups and downs of the codein being adjusted by myself, what do you think Tony? I've found a support/helpline number 01179500058 mon-thurs 9.30-3.30. 

    • tbtbtb
      tbtbtb lynda11469

      Posted

      Hi Lynda,

      ?              All this medication affects different people in different ways.Reading some of the posts on here I am thinking I got off relatively lightly going cold turkey.When I did tell my doctor he seemed annoyed that I had stopped the medication without consulting him first.I just felt I had to just stop whatever the consequences as nothing could be worse than the depression I was suffering.As you are I had sucidal thoughts on a regular basis.My depression lifted quite suddenly which had me thinking maybe it wasn't the medication.As I was still taking it there was no way of knowing unless I stopped and risked the depression returning.Every time I took co-codamol whilst depressed it lifted my mood albeit temporarily.The codeine really is a nasty drug that I think does so much more harm than the medical world let on.I had a review of my medication at a pharmacy today as they seem to be more prepared to tell you the truth than some doctors.He said that codeine blocks the endorphins reaching your brain which can bring on depression.In my case I think this is correct.After having stopped taking them for 1 1/2 months I feel so much better in every respect and only wish I had had the courage to stop sooner.The Helpline looks interesting as you may get a different viewpoint on the problems these drugs cause.I sincerly hope you can stop the co-codamol and then try to combat the depression as hopefuly for you as in my case quitting one helps you to deal with the other problems. Best Wishes,Tony.

    • didi_79034
      didi_79034 lynda11469

      Posted

      Hi LYnda

      you aren't in a good place. Have you thought abou a different doctor? Some are so old school they can't see things properly. Have you thought about detox/rehab, where they can monitor you properly? It sounds extreme but it may be helpful for you.

  • didi_79034
    didi_79034 sean66685

    Posted

    Hu Sean

    Well done! Yes it can be bit of a mind thing as well. I thunk personally because you get used to taking them your train of thought becomes normal on them and when you come off it throws everything out of whack. You also have to deal with emotions again, something they blocked out for me for years. So much stuff I had pushed aside and not dealt with at all.

    • lynda11469
      lynda11469 didi_79034

      Posted

      Sean I feel so sick, can't cope with this and feel I should be in hospital. Day five of hell. I have been taking co codamol and gabapentine for a very long time and feel like I ve had a breakdown can't stop crying and I want the run away from my head and thoughts. Can't find anyone who knows what I'm going through. I would rather have physical pain than mental pain and wild mood. swings

    • sean66685
      sean66685 didi_79034

      Posted

      Hi Didi,

      Thank you so much for your reply, its weird as I have gone cold turkey quite a few times but every time the symptoms seem different and more scary. Emotions are up and down quite a bit right now. 

      Are you off the codeine completely?

      Sean

    • sean66685
      sean66685 lynda11469

      Posted

      Hi Lynda,

      I am so sorry you feel so bad. Did you stop both of these drugs cold turkey? Does your doctor know that you have stopped them? I know what you mean about finding someone who knows what you are going through as you feel totally islolated. 

      Can you get a doctors appointment? Are you in the UK? remember day five is still quite early so you may just being going through the worst of it but I am not a doctor so I can't speak medically but I really feel for you. Keep in touch Lynda x 

    • lynda11469
      lynda11469 sean66685

      Posted

      Hi Sean, I stopped both of them last Thursday. My Dr told me to stop the co codamol but I was in such a state that I only looked up Gabapentine the same evening. I have been going back and forward to my GP every two weeks for over a year, suicidal not able to cope with the downside of it all and he never ever mentioned it could be the cocodamol making me depressed. The thing is if you sometimes take 8 tablets a day then the next day 4 and vary the does you will be getting lows because the morphine level has dropped. I'm still in such a mess, ache all over, head wants to explode. I live alone and am retired now so it's so isolating. How are you?

    • didi_79034
      didi_79034 sean66685

      Posted

      Hi Sean,

      I am in control of them now,instead of them controlling me. I can go weeks without it and take them when I need to now, instead of when I want or have to. The laws in Aus are changing, next year we will have to go to a GP for a prescription instead of buying over the counter. Not many countries you can still buy OTC. Weirdest thing, we went to Bali recently and I whacked my head pretty hard,, giving me headaches and neck pain for days. The only thing I could buy OTC was Tramadol and psuedoephidrine, the 2 things we need a script for here. To get a codiene product, I would have to go to the hospital to get it Go figure...

    • sean66685
      sean66685 lynda11469

      Posted

      Hey how are you feeling today? Are you on anti-depressants too? You have come so far so you should be proud of yourself. It can only get better from here. You will still have cravens so they have to be dealt with but you have come so far so don't give up now okay. smile 

    • sean66685
      sean66685 didi_79034

      Posted

      Hey Didi, 

      Its weird as over here you can buy a max of 8mg of codeine otc but the doctors hand it over quite easily if you make out you are in pain as its such a cheap drug to prescribe. Glad you are in control of it now. That is crazy that you can get Tramadol OTC in Bali? Wow.....Tramadol is even more controlled then codeine over here in the UK. Its day 6 now and I still feel depressed and spaced out but I believe its the anti-depressants now flooding my system which are making me feel bad as I am having bad dreams and anxiety which I always get when coming off codeine or starting an anti-depressant. Evil drugs 

  • nikki48530
    nikki48530 sean66685

    Posted

    Hi Sean,

    That feeling of feeling like you're in another world will pass quickly but I actually found when I quit codeine after the initial physical withdrawal period that the psychological effects where much harder to deal with. It took about a year for me to get my head straight. Granted I took high quantities of codeine for nine years straight so I had to completely re discover who I was, what I liked and disliked not to mention being very over emotional for a long period of time. The codeine was a part of me. It's how I identified myself so taking it away so suddenly left me feeling like I had a huge part of me missing. But, now a year and half on I am more confident in myself than ever. I am mentally stronger and at peace. I also find beauty in the smallest of things like a butterfly flying past (sounds cheesy I know) but try and think about how much better you will be after this rough period. It will get better. Stick with your guns you're doing great. You should be immensely proud of yourself.

    If you need any advice at all don't hesitate to ask

    Take care of yourself

    Nikki

    • sean66685
      sean66685 nikki48530

      Posted

      Hi Nikki,

      Thank you for your reply. Did you take anti-depressants also with the codeine? Its weird as I was taking the codeine just to get away from the crappy stuff going on around me and codeine would just make me feel relaxed and eurphoric I guess.....I don't do illegal drugs so I guess I felt taking these was okay as they are legal but its horrible just how fast you can get hooked. 

      Thanks so much for your advice and I am not giving up I promise smile 

    • lynda11469
      lynda11469 nikki48530

      Posted

      ive found a helpline/support number for people trying to come off prescription mess 01179500058 mon -thurs 9.30-3.30. Hope this helps. X
    • didi_79034
      didi_79034 sean66685

      Posted

      Bear in mind codeine metabolises as morphine in your system....
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