Dihydrocodeine Withdrawal

Lol just noticed my name is on my log in been a while since a posted thought it something else

I have now also just noticed this post is 2 months old for some reason I only got an email about it today so I hope everything has worked out the way you wanted it to

subutex is a great subsitute ... i have only heard positive things about subutex compared to loads of bad press regarding methadone 

            the thing about subutex is its active ingredients .... suboxone simply blocks the pain receptors so theres no way on earth you can go through withdrawal ... bupernorphine is a partial opioid agonist which means it activates the opioid receptors in the brain but not as much as other opioids 

            the result is no withdrawal worries ( which is what all addicts fear every day ) and the ability to have a normal lifestyle ( again something thats not possible with addicts ) 

            the only downside is you need to reduce to 30mg (approx ) of methadone before switching to subutex ...and for many on over 100mg the reduction can be hard 

             good luck james and happy xmas 

Thanks Brian hope you have a good one

Hi James wow you make my problem seem so trivial I used to be taking 20:a day as well as codeine but the last few years down to 6 and I agree that I'm only on a low dose now but the reason I'm coming off them is I have panic attacks agoraphobia which because I take laxido for my bowels means that I suffer terrible diahorea daily and I'm terrified going places where there is no toilet so I avoid going anywhere far from home

If I'm not taking the dihydrocodeine I don't need the laxido anymore so I hope in theory that my agoraphobia will get better

I'm still in a lot of pain but am using a tens machine and hot water bottle

I've just stopped taking them today and already suffering from the withdrawal symptoms but obviously not as bad as what you have gone through. I am determined to be free of them. Thanks for sharing your experiences I hope you are doing OK let me know how you are too

Regards Elaine

Hi Elaine I am doing great thanks well on the way to putting this chapter in my life behind me you are doing great cutting down as much as you have especially since you have taken them so long your body is defo going to put up a fight and want them .your at the bottom of the pyramid just now and the withdrawal will get worse day 3 you will reach the top very ill but then you will be coming down the other side and the withdrawal will start to calm down hope you have spoken to your GP and they are helping you with sleeping aids and therapy don't beat yourself up if you give in in a few days it will give you the experience for the next time you try but I think you will make you have a lot to gain from stopping please let me know how it goes

All the best James

Hi James

Hope life is treating you well

I thought I would let you know how I'm getting on well it's been a month since I came off dhc you were right day 3 was hell I ended up going to see my Dr who has been a great help prescribing me gabapentin for the terrible restless legs and insomnia I'm happy to say I'm feeling much better now am completely painkillers free and everything I went through was worth it.

Even my agoraphobia and anxiety is slowly getting better I'm managing to get out and about my local area it's still difficult but I have the will to do it as nothing can be worse than what I went through during the withdrawal

To anyone else who may be going through the same I would like to say that you can do it and get support from your Dr if it gets too much to cope with. Life is so much better than before just believe that you will feel healthier in body and mind my Dr said that I should be very proud of myself so you guys should too

Don't put it off just do it no excuses I have terrible back problems and have done it the strongest thing I take is paracetamol along with hot water bottle and I have regular acupuncture which really helps

Thanks for caring

Elaine x

That's brilliant Elaine I am so happy for you you done it I know how hard it must have been taking the first step and admitting you need help is the hardest part but the help is there makes me smile to know you've done it my life really couldnt be any better it's as if the past 3 years of being an addict didn't happen my next step is to get of the subutex but I am not gonna worry about that till march when I plan to take holidays and do the detox really happy for you take care

Hi James,

I hope you're well...reading this comment of yours has truly inspired me. I have recently 'come clean' to my GP and will be seeing a constant next week, apparently to be placed on Subutex. What a mess, I have a respectable job, I'm a mother, wife, own a lovely home, director of a company etc. I am so deeply ashamed!

I want to be just like you :-(

Sorry to thread crash! James!!! Hello there, how are you friend?

Hi Suz

Wow sounds like you have achieved a lot did you become dependent on dhc due to work load and life in general I did i thought the dhc was helping me storm through life achieving great things I have a very respectable job and let it Get the blame for all my problems but now that I am on the subutex and have a clear head again I have relized the dhc was holding me back and was the root to my problems I now enjoy my work and also have took on a second job Saturdays only and love it my only down side is I am great through the day but at night when I get home it's as if I switch of so my personal life is taking a hammering but I have been speaking to the people who are more or less looking after me amazing people didn't know there was human beings so understanding and kind till I started my rehabilitation and they are hopefully gonna try and tweak my dose to sort this issue out I know it sounds simple but it really isn't please don't be ashamed life is tough and it is so easy to fall into dhc comfort you are doing the correct thing for your family and self please let me know how you get on you will be fine the help I have had since I came clean has been amazing and I am sure yours will be to all the best x

Hi nick so good to hear from you as you've probably read I am doing a lot better this time on the road to recovery how are you doing are you sorted or getting there nice to hear from you am chuffed to bits this site still isn't easy to navigate though sometimes

James your story is very similar to mine and I was prescribed 8mg subutex my problem now is i was weaned to slowly off the subutex 8 years to get to 2.8mg then I opted for a inpatient detox which was hard but not unbearable what was unbearable was the awful state I got into afterwards no energy brain fog horrendous depress memory loss was sent from psychiatrist to GP told I was suffering paws after 7 months I couldn't stand it and relapsed was put back on subutex another detox same thing I'm back on a dose of 3.6mg subutex and feel so ill I know I now have to get off it and stay off it as feel my body can't take much more any advice how to get through the paws and how long have you been on the subutex?

Hi sue please contact me as regarding your subutex as I am just like you but battling to come off the subutex as was placed6on6it for 8 years I am a mum feel terrible 8th position I'm interested would be great to contact someone in the same position.

Subutex does not contain naltrexone like Suboxone which can't be used with certain opiate painkillers such as oxycodone or OxyContin, Subutex can....... however these are highly addictive as I found out to my own disadvantage the best treatment you can have for opiate addiction is Dihydrocodeine tablets as they have not the ceiling effect codeine itself.... Dihydrocodeine can be titrated and reduced with ease, it can be potetiated with the sleep aid Nytol or generically dyhydramine, a little known trick but caution MUST be used. Using Diazepam helps but care if needed as it is extremely addictive itself. Your aim is to effect different GABA receptors. This will bring you down lightly.

The subutex seem to have got me in a much worse state and having terrible trouble getting off th my GP won't prescribe any opiates as this is where it all began i don't think subutex should be prescribed for codeine addiction at all certainly not for years it's a much harder tablet to come off and the after effects make codeine withdrawal seem easy subutex is a evil little tablet and had i known at the time the damage it causes wouldn't have touched its yes it stops withdrawals but the withdrawals of subutex are much much worse

Well subutex is a synthetic opiate (opioid) yes and is used for addicts with difficulty keeping clean, only Methadone is worse. As I say using DHC till your comfortable then reducing slowly is agreed by most with dependency to be the best way, but I have a new discovery for you, medicinal cannabis C-B-D will help you reduce with very little discomfort if you titrate properly. I was really injured with gunshot wounds,,,, medication included was Fentynal, oral morphine, Physeptone (Methadone) OxyContin.... please avoid the withdrawal symptoms are Hell. Now Dibydrocodeine, far more than my doctor thinks, and Diazepam which is a problem in itself but I do not need to take so many dihydrocodeine, please keep in touch because I study the effects of opioids another psychotropic medicines, but I really do recommend CBD (keeping it legal) but let's face it a substance with a high THC content will help much more if you can handle the side effects. Zopiclone to sleep.... or Ambien (zolpidem) sleep is very important. Also this may sound strange but I'm Fettermans destroy the with drawl symptoms, but you will be an emotional wreck after staying awake for so long, ...... if you let me know what you doing and how you go about it I have Marxist to psychoanalysts and research chemists and can give you the best help possible

Hi I'm approx 6 weeks detoxed off subutex and feel bloody terrible low energy horrific depression irratable can't seem to hold a conversation etc any advice much appreciated x

Typical pyscological symptoms Tezz.... everyone gets this..... can you put up with it.... it does go depending on the person. I can tell you, and so will a doctor, plenty fresh fruit and vegetables... I know, it's not the greatest thing but it does help. It's either that or resort to medication again.... something to stimulate Seretonin levels.... Zoloft (Sertaline) helps.... it's for anxiety, but the side effects are not good, it was developed as scientists (whom for years) have known ecstasy could help, and Prozac was developed ... all the above are known as Selective Seretonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Interestingly scientists are again turning to Ecstasy and its analogs. But you want something to help. I could suggest the 'evil' Diazepam. Better with Lorazepam or something less drastic. But in very small amounts to avoid addiction. With diazepam.... 5 mg 1 day on, one day off and for most that is not enough to get an addiction.... but it's to get you through, you certainly don't want to end up withdrawing by taking more, it has awful withdrawal and rebound. The idea is to stop craving subutex and relapsing. Do you know what you really should do if you can, go to your doctor and tell him you cannot handle the depression and are about to relapse. A decent doctor will act. Don't get me wrong... you did 6 weeks, you are to be commended for that and it shows you can do it. My own opinion is if you keep it in your head that you can do this, usually in two months the worst is gone, it's hard to advise, everyone is different, can you do it without? Or is it time to look for help. I don't know how bad your opiate intake was. Is there a chance of relapse, if so, negate it, anyway you can. Without getting a habit on something else.... on another note.... yes Diazepam is addictive and abused and you hear so many terrible stories. They forget the people it's genuinely helped, even saved lives. I am not promoting it, I am pointing out its usefulness. I hope you succeed, your psychological symptoms will disappear in weeks. I won't say how I know, but I know. Good luck

Thanks I'm already on seroxat 50mg and diazepan though I use the diazepan with extreme caution after my first detox i lasted 6 months but was so ill with the psychological symptoms I relapsed. I am not relapsing this time this whole process which started with a codeine addiction has lasted 11 years I never ever want to end up on subutex again but scared about the depressive state I got into last time I'm also on pregablin 300mg daily. I know it's not a easy journey but this time relapse is not a option. Thanks for your advice I didn't know if I would benefit from a na group but the nearest one is 50 miles away and the aftercare from the drug team is just a weekly women's alcohol group ironically I don't drink i force myself to walk my dog twice a day and going to start swimming x

Hi Tez22, what I would ask is what are you doing in your life that is different to when you were using? If nothing then it can be helpful to put in place proactive strategies to manage and regulate your feelings. It is not rocket science but exercise (even just walking!) can improve mood and decrease anxiety/depression. Other ways include taking up a new pleasurable and purposeful activity or interest e.g. hobby, social activity, volunteering etc. Anything to avoid social isolation and to activate reward centres related to the outside world rather than the inner world (so recently governed by chemical rewards). Sorry if I sound obvious but I feel it is more about building a new life and new values than just stopping taking a drug.

Yes Tezz, I really feel empathy for you, the psychological symptoms can be the worst for some, I would be scared but I cannot stop for pain anyway, but running out would terrify me too... it's horrible. Your doing right with exercise... NA is not really for someone who understands their situation. You know your problems, why listen to what you already know. And you have meds. Here's what I did to go from morphine to physeptone to OxyContin to DHC.... some may laugh but I went on a free dating site, talking to pretty woman worldwide (Russian, African American, Chinese) this boosted my confidence and I settled on a beautiful Ukrainian Sales Executive living in Denmark with her own money and we have met and stayed in hotels in Edinburgh for a week at a time for a year now. Ok I still take 3 times the DHC than proscribed (for some reason they wanted me on much stronger medication like OxyContin, Morphine and Physeptone) I wanted something I could get online so I am not chained to my area so DHC it was. Well I need to walk and without opiates I cannot ... I even tryed other things like Pregablin and an assortment of others. My point being you never know what's round the corner... keep going my friend, I love to hear success but also understand relapse. One point though, I wish I did not have to say this but it's only fair. I have three friends who used (and abused) pregablin. They say that the withdrawal were worse than Heroin. Lyrics was sued for misrepresentation of its addictive qualities.... or lack of as they claimed. But take heart, others have said they reduced very easily on it. It's classed as a nootropic, like Phenibut given to Russian cosmonauts as it is claimed to increase cognition but still has sedative properties (well imagine being in space on Diazepam or Phenobarbital) I am to reduce DHC though.... tomorrow I receive Corvalol which is Valarie and Phenoba

Don't blame you pretty women work well lol. I know lyricia can be addictive but with me have stopped and started it on many occasions with no problem so one good thing. Well I hope in time I manage to post a success story good luck to you also all the best x

Thank you Tezz, and the best to you.... your a good person. I hope I hear your success story very soon.

Yes I know exactly what you mean and although I'm a mum of one I walk my dog twice a day at least a hour just started swimming and about to go back to volunteer in my local rspca shop this being said I do have days where I just don't want to be around anyone and from past experience on these really dark days I am best left alone due to bitter experience I have relapsed before when forced to socialise and not in the half bad

Days am also restarting cycling and swimming. I have never touched illegal drug just got prescribed 30mg codeine 11 years ago for migraines which just gave me more migraines so was taking more and more then moved town new dr stopped prescription then began buying over the counter GP referred me to drug and alcohol service to my shock who whacked me on 8mg subutex rest is history. I'm still struggling with energy levels at this point but just trying my best relapse is not a option never will I go back on subutex never x

i too suffer from terrible anxiety coming off of them...horrors...i think thats why i continue to relapse.