Dihydrocodeine Withdrawal

I am starting this new thread because I am having what i believe are different withdrawal symptoms to most everybody. 

I have been taking Dihydrocodeine for just over 6 years now, I started on a high dose and have taken varying amounts over these past years. I took them for pain relief from Cauda Equina Syndrome (and still do, although thankfully after 6 years it seems a little more managable with regular painkillers)

I am currently on 2 a day one morning, one late evening.

When I dont take them I experience what can only be described as a need to defecate, mixed with the feeling of being excited (the kind that kept you awake at night when you were a kid - remember that, fun right?) although there is NO fun in it whatsoever! It's like a 'tingling' low down in my groin, impossible to explain succinclty enough that you would understand what I'm talking about. My description is weak, but it's all I can offer.

My biggest problem with stopping them entirely is that this 'feeling' for want of a better word gets more and more intense the longer I go without them. 

The last time I tried to go cold turkey, I laid awake for 2 nights straight, without an ounce of sleep. My hope was that I would 'eventually' be so tired that my body and mind would just shut off. Unfortunately this did not happen and the intensity of the 'feeling' got so bad that I simply HAD to take a tablet just to get some rest. 45 minutes after taking it, I was asleep.

Add to all this the irritability, the restlessness, the not knowing where to put yourself, the rising 'feeling' there almost 24/7 all be it mild when i take my two tablets a day, and I can honestly say that this condition is driving me completely mad!  

Now, why post here? Firstly I want to know if anyone else has a similar feeling when trying to drop them.. Or HAD a similar feeling?

The reason i ask this question directly is I have no way of knowing if this IS withdrawal... It's entirely likely that Cauda Equina nerve damage has given me this condition and the dihydra's are masking it. 

honestly I think it's withdrawal but I cant find anyone else speaking of a similar feeling? 

And secondly, HOW DO I STOP!!??

I am down to 2 tablets a day, if I lessen the amount, the 'feeling' becomes so noticeable that I have to up the amount again. (please believe me when i say it's like torture - it's unbearable to the point of 'screw it i'm taking one!' - this is not 'addiction' I WANT to stop.. I am just unable!)

I am going to start with 3/4's of a tablet from tomorrow.. I will let you all know how I get on. 

In the meantime, please discuss.. Please tell me your own experiences ESPECIALLY if you know the 'feeling' i'm talking about. 

Thanks for time, and patience with my long-winded post. 

Art 

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