My boyfriend takes 30/500 co codimol and he takes 20-30 ...

I can not believe how common this problem is. Without sounding cliche and patronising, thank you all for being so open and sharing your experience on this issue, because I genuinely thought I was on my own with this. I became addicted to prescribed co codamol after my Mum gave them for my for severe tooth ache three years ago. I have only recently accepted the extent to which these painkillers are impacting on my life. Although I am concious of the reccomended dosage, I am also taking way more than what is considered to be safe. That combined with the issue of the painkillers being prescribed to my Mum is terrible. I have come to a point where I steal them from her and leave her short of them, even though she is prescribed them and is probably also dependent on them. I am ashamed to admit I go to those lengths to get my 'fix'. I have informed my GP of my problem recently who responded that there is nothing she can do, anbd it is down to me to phase myself off of them. I am very determined to do so and becoming increasingly worried about the affect they are having on my health, however I am genuinely too addicted to stop. If I am honest I will find any excuse to use Co Codamol, because the withdrawel process is really painful for me. Other than having the shits, the pain in my legs is unbearable and I have anxiety I can only associate with taking Co Codamol. If I am unable to get hold of my Mum's !prescribed stuff (which she has now started storing under lock and key), then I buy the weaker option but take more of it to try and achieve the same effect I really do need some advice on resolving this problem as my colleagues have noticed my problem, along side family members and friends. I am ashamed about my problem and as genuine as I am about that, I can not seem to stop. I really hope that this issue become more publicised and prioritised as it is such an awful substance which by the sounds of it is prescribed nilly willy! It has really helped me to put things into perspective regarding the seriousness of the negative impact prescribed Co Codamol is having on people having researched this forum. I would appreciate anyone who can advise me on where to seek effective help for this as I am experiencing alot of difficulty giving this horrible addiction up. I do not mean to appear so negative, I am just very grateful to have found somewhere that takes the problem seriously. If anyone is interested in making efforts to get this issue out in the open and create awareness then please reply and I will forward my personal address. You must all think i'm barmy, but having experienced the withdrawel and lack of understanding around this problem, I have become very intrigued to learn I am not on my own with this....................also I am pretty normal really lol, I just feel strongly about this problem. xx

Hello Lauren 126

Lauren, how many and how strong are you taking a day? Have you been addicted for 3 years?

Have you actually gone through the withdrawal process?

Emma

Hi, I have been on pain medication such as the above Solpadol, Tramadol and now Dihydrocodeine for years to cope with arthritic pain. I take only Dihydrocodeine now and have dropped the other two drugs with only slight withdrawel symptoms as I could not give up painkillers completely as I am abviously still in pain from my arthritis. Therefore, it is important to everyone taking painkilling medication not suddenly remark they are addicted to these medicines and try and stop them. Just remember why you are being given them in the first place by the Doctor.

If your medical condition is ongoing and you do take more than first prescribed tell your Doctor he will change your medicine to another drug but he will not stop them. He acknowledges your problem is a long affecting illness and will treat you such. Of course if your illness has cleared up and you no longer require the drug then tell him and he will stop them gradually. I have been there, done it and it's so simple, the Doctor knows all the schemes used to require extra tablets etc. but the bottom line he is the person who can help. If he won't or cant get a Doctor who can.

I too have had problems but do not stop taking tablets if you badly need them for illness you'll only make yourself worse.

I have come off these tabs/Capsules after 30 odd years...decided to come of them about a month ago,had some bad withdrawal symptoms,but I am beginning to feel so much better in general...

I would rather suffer the pains of Osteoarthritis and Fibromyalgie than have all the side effects from using these addictive tabs/ Caps...I use other methods to help ease my pains,as suggested by my Consultant...

But it must be done gradually,as we all know...but it has been the correct decision for me...

Now I am trying to come off the "Sleepers" ,have cut down from one,to a half , Can't break them in to a quarter so will stay on half a tab till I next see my doctor...

Good luck everyone,take care...

I was prescribed 60 of these tablets yesterday for severe back pain. My doc thinks I've a kidney infection. I've only taken five so far (one at a time) and after reading the horror stories I'm not sure whether to continue taking them

Please take time to read up more on these Tabs/Caps "Side Effects",google "Side Effects" of the said tabs/caps...

Or consider talking with your doctor again,before you become addicted to them..(Some people do become addicted,as I did.)

I know only use (Voltarol Emulgel Diclofanic Diethylammonium given on prescription) to control my pain,plus a relaxing hot bath every night....I was also told to pace everything I attempt to do...

Edited...ah,sorry,I see you have already read up on some side effects...take care,hope you feel better soon.

This is ridiculous. I really think some common sense needs to be used here. People are talking about taking 10-15 grams PER DAY!!!! of paracetamol...are you insane. No need to worry about the codeine as you are rapidly killing yourselves by destroying your liver with the paracetamol. Have you never heard of cold water extraction?...takes 15 mins to take out all apap from the pills and then you have pure codeine phosphate in liquid. THE INTERNET IS YOUR FRIEND.... USE IT FOR USEFUL INFORMATION. I say again....why on earth would you be worried about codeine when you are ingesting highly toxic levels of paracetamol from which there is no recovery for the liver after the damage is done.

Also....allergic to morphine yet taking codeine??? codeine is converted to morphine in the body after you take it. You would have to take a semi synthetic opioid...tramadol for example.

hi to you all that as just stopped me from

taking this horrible tablet i im so pleased i found this forum i was given zapian today for an hip replacement pain wich is very painful  but after reading the side effects you are all experiencing im not even going to try taking it 2 four times a day plus i also am on oramorph 5mls 3 times a day which i only take one 5ml plus 2 parocetomol 4 times a day wich i can control but the parocetomol is not taking any effect even with the oromorph what annoys me most of all i hope you all agree with me if im wrong please reply

 our GP's are so quick at dishing tablets out do they ever concider looking up the side effects we all get from any tablets we take when i read the instruction's of any tablet i bet we all have some complaint that interfere's and intracts with most illnesse's we already have they never stop to think its nearly all tablets that cause illness's to start with instead of getting to the bottom of the pain before they dish the tablets out making us worse i wish i was on there pay for sitting there just giving pain killers out and when we get addicted to them what help do they give us they try blameing us by saying you should have only took them for a short while but just how short.

from my own experience i was put on diazapam 40 yrs ago then suddenly took straight of them never thinking i could have suffered so much side effects wich i experienced i ended up in a mental hospital i kept going back to the hospital with halluinating really bad pain's all over my body loss of speech to this day i still loose my speach on and of the reason they put me on another tablet that was only in the early stages of trial so had to be took of that and reported to the tablet firm what extra caution to be took its now of the market i cannot remember the name but god did i suffer badly from that also i have had to be perscribe it back again which is ridicolous that i can't ever come of the thing through the dr putting me on it in the first place it all started from me having hardly had any sleep with my first child now i am addicted to it and can never come of it again hope no one ever as to be put on that tablet unless its really a nessesary and took of it after 3 to 6 weeks as i no now. 

it gets at me when ever i go into hospital i get asked what you on the tablet for as though its my fault im on it i panic for if they try to knock me of it so i do sympathise why ppl that get addicted to any tablets and feel too frightened to break of it its harder than any one can imagine i do not symperthise with any one that takes tablets like hard drugs for the sake of getting high i must admitt i have to take certain tablets for heat trouble to keep me alive to any one that takes them for kicks to the extent of killing themselfs.

but all i can say is thank god i saw this and hope you all can get help in been able to ween of this no good tablet in time. 

I have just been to see my GP as I too am addicted to codeine. I joined this forum last week and received excellent advice. First thing to do is to get the repeat prescription cancelled and to change the strength of the tablets to 8/500. And maybe to advise home to try these for a week and then go down to one tablet a day. I am doing the same and handed back my usual tablets and received a lower dose from the GP but can only receive tablets issued by the doctor. I haven't had any today and determined to quit these things. Support your boyfriend any way you can and I would start by getting him on this site so he can interact with others who are going through the same issue. Best of luck to you both. You can do this. 😉 x

Co codimol is a killer. The paracitamol kills the liver, he will have damage already from this habbit as the above post shows he took 20 to 30 a day for 6 years.. He needs to get a doctor to arrange some liver tests as soon as possible. Its the codeine that causes the constipation, the paracitamol that kills you.

I pooed my pants because of taking co-codamol 30/500  's and i was highly embarassed to say the least.

I have just found this thread and was disturbed to hear how much some people suffer from chronic pain, and then suffer more through addiction to analgaesics. I have suffered from phantom limb pain for 40 years, which might sound a bit 'wussy' - the pain is real, but I can see it is not as bad as others writing here experience.  

I just want to say, for anyone worrying about taking co-codamol medication, that not everyone becomes addicted. I guess there must be stats for this within the medical profession. I have self-treated with co-codamol 30/500 intermittently for many years without apparently becoming addicted. On a bad night/ day, I might take ten or so in 24 hours, but then stay clear for days before the pain comes again. I have worried at times that if my brain takes a liking to codeine, it might induce more frequent pain to get its 'high'! - but that seems not to have happened.

I had taken lower over-the-counter codeine doses previously, but they weren't controlling the pain - which left me supplementing them with brandy, not a great combination for the liver (or the pocket). I have found that 30mg codeine phosphate alone, without the paracetamol, did not work so well as the 30/500 for my pain. I found Tramadol worked OK, but I was concerned about possible side-effects and discontinued. I have also been recommended Gabbapentin, but will not try it as long as I feel in control of my co-codamol dosage. 

Hi..I  started when a so called friend introduced me to them..when I was 30 I'm now 37 and still on them..its all I think about from morning to night..I avoid going places if I've not got any...its completely running my life..I'm ashamed I hide them, take them secretly. Anyway I can..my family know but nothing they can do..I take at least 15 a day..even buy weak ones to keep me going..wish I never did but it's hard..only advice I have is..try and keep busy...much love derekx