Going cold turkey from codiene, can anyone help?

            i see alot of similar posts to yours on here,so your not alone,however the tiredness and moods you are experiencing are simply a symptom of the codeine ( or opiaite ) changing the chemical balance in your brain ..its nothing serious 

           however going cold turkey is advisable .... you need to taper your codeine intake and slowly ... but as your currently taking up to 30 tablets a day this would need to be done over a period of 6 months to a year ( could be done quicker but this may cause more withdrawal symptoms ) 

           first find the dosage that you feel ok on ( not the dosage that makes you feel high ) .. so for example if this is 20 tabs a day then you need to reduce by 1 tab every week ..... doing reduction this way will avoid any nasty side effects and will make coming off codeine allmost painless 

           if you live in the uk you can get help with codeine addiction through the local drug services .. they are not just for narcotics,they now help with prescription medications which are probally more common now than ever 

           you can find your local drug service support on google ( just type local drug service ) ... then a trained doctor will assess you and then determine the best reduction for you .. but this way you will get the medication you need without having to worry about A) were you can get them and B) how to pay for them 

           finally when you have come off codeine your mental health and general well being with improve and you will actually feel better than you did when taking codeine   .. everyones a winner 

            anyway i wish you all the best and good luck for the future 

                       bri 

I agree with what the others have said about going cold turkey. not only will you have horrid withdrawl symptoms, but you will in all likelohood relapse. The doctor prescribing them can and should help you come up with a tapering plan. If I were the dr I would be concerned if youu never came back to refill your script. Take it slowly, one day at a time. There are some people who have gone cold turkey with success, but it is never pretty and considering the mental health issues you mention, it really isn't a good idea.

How long has it been so far? How are you feeling now? Is the issue that you are afraid if there any any pills around that you will take too many automatically?

I have been trying to cut back on morphine lately, because I now need to drive 3 hours each way every two weeks just to get them, and due to my script situation will have 3 days without pills before my next appointment. So the fear of having none for three days is helping me save some for those days, but I still have severe pain. 

Is the joint pain gone? 

Take care and be strong, but know you don't need to go through this alone. If you want to just stop all at once, without tapering over say 6 months, then you would need to go to an in-patient program where they can help you deal with the withdrawl, etc. I have even heard of some places (although expensive) where they put you under general anaesthetic for a few days while you system clears so you dont experience any of the withdrawl and just wake-up clean and refreshed (well maybe that's an over-statement...).

When can you go back to your doc? 

Good luck and take care

Hi Nic,

Firstly don't be ashamed, this can happen to anybody and lots of ppl go through this.

You've taken the first steps towards quitting, and that's a great thing. Even if you don't succeed the first time, you are ready to quit by the sounds of it. My story is already on these boards, although I still take opiate meds (i'll always need them due to my illness) I've cut them down and only take them for pain relief now.

I think you need to open up to a professional though your doctor can help u through this difficult time.

Good luck on your journey.

I also agree with everyone cold turkey is not good it is hell and if you can do it slowly to prevent withdrawals then I strongly advise it and I know iv been ther twice now, I came off opioids back in sept and it took me 7 weeks, looking back it was so stupid I was so sick and even thought at one point I wasn't going to make it, I just spoke about it thus morning to my husband and he said it was awful to see me that sick, I would never do it again but I will never take opioids again so no worries there, I was taken them for chronic pain which I still have. Please go see your GP youl be amazed at how supportive they are and what help is available, do you have a partner you can talk to? If not don't worry there will be support on here while your going through it, just remember youve took the first steps to getting better, keep in touch and let us know how you get on and remember where here to help you through good and bad days, I wish you all the luck 😊

Thank you every one for your advice. It has been 6 hours since my last dose. No physical symptoms at the moment, just the cravings, also anxious about the days ahead. My joint pain is bearable as I'm using topical treatment. I don't think I could taper as knowing I have codiene in the house I will take them all until they gone. I justify this by telling myself that a few more won't make any difference & I'll try again tomorrow. My gp knows I'm having trouble with the tablets, but she thinks I only take 8 a day. I have an appointment on Friday, until then I can't get anymore codiene. Xx

I admire your commitment.

But going cold turkey from the mega doses you have been abusing is ill afvised.

You need medical intervention so that your efforts and commitment will yield success.

Speak with your physician.

            as conor stated in his reply taking too much paracetamol in combined medications ( co-codamol ) isnt good ... so by taking the paracetamol out of the equation you still get the active ingredient which you need 

            worth asking your gp about this ..and any decent doctor would rather you take less paracetamol since too much does damage your liver 

                 good luck with the gp appiontment