Codeine withdrawal? HELP!

Hi there,

New here, total closet-case pill popper. I began using tylenol#1 (OTC) with 325mg of tylenol and 8 mg of codeine about 4 years ago. It all started legitimately... chronic headaches. Innocent enough, right? Yeah, I'm sure I don't have to tell you the rest. 4 years later, I'm taking about 8 pills, every 4 hours. At my most, I was taking about 13 pills every 4 hours. (TONS of liver damage, I'm sure)

Over the last 2 months, I haven't taken the pills to get any sort of high, but rather to just keep myself out of withdrawals. They are so painful. Crippling stomach cramps and diarrhea, rebound headaches, muscle cramps.... ouch. I've arrived at a point where I'm not interested in being an addict anymore. I'm kept in this cycle, not because of the high, but because of my desire to avoid the withdrawal. Every time I've taken the pills over the last couple weeks, I am developing a hatred for them. They run my life. I hate setting down my purse, and having to hear the pill bottle. I hate opening my medicine cabinet and seeing dozens of empty bottles, proof of the hundreds of pills I've consumed. I hate the constant counting..."ok, it's noon now, I took some at 8:00... so one two three four....eight. ok. that'll tide me over". I've become TOO good at taking pills while sitting at the same table as someone, and not having them notice. sneaky, sneaky....

I've separated the codeine from the tylenol, and drank the extracted codeine in liquid form to try to do my liver a favor. ick.

it's time. It is SO time.

last night, I took my 8 pills at 7:00. At 11:00, I decided to extend the time that I waited. at 12:00, I went to bed, without any pills. at 7:30 am, I took only 4. Just now, at 1:30 pm, I took 6. the leg pain and headaches are crippling.

I WANT to be clean. I have to do this, for my health, for my kids, for my LIFE. I'm tired of knowing the shifts of each pharmacist/pharmacy tech in town, so that I can schedule my 2-3 purchases of pills (200 pills in each) every week.

I NEED THIS. Is there ANYTHING that can speed up the detox process? I've got immodium to help with the diarrhea, gravol to help with the nausea and anxiety, ibuprofen to help the achies... but is there ANYTHING else I can be doing? I mean... teas that help purge your system, foods that speed metabolism, etc?

I just want to get this over with.

Hi
I have been taking Solpodol and Analgiplus for 11 months..... not a lot, maximum 6 tablets a day, but usually 3 or 4. The strength is 30mg codeine, i never ever thought about codeine addiction, then last Sunday I had the start of influenza, so i went to bed and consequently didn't take any tablets at all, well the experience of the codeine withdrawal was really bad (I thought it was the flu , but realised this was too bad to be flu, it was in fact i stopped my daily codeine consumption).. I started to sweat at night, hot and cold flushes, dull prolonged headaches, and worst of all restless legs in bed at night meaning i couldn't sleep because my legs were NEVER comfortable, anyway I am on my 6th day without codeine and starting to feel my old self again, i played golf today and managed a few decent swings, anyway best to keep busy while withdrawing from codeine, go for long walks, go to the gym, eat fruit, keep busy all he time as it makes the symptoms less painful.........I will NEVER NEVER take codeine again in my life,this has-been the worst week of my life....and I'm glad I'm now ME ME ME and not some codeine ZOMBIE .
Good Luck and stay off codeine if you dont it will control your life, the withdrawal time i reckon is 7 days (The 1st 4 days are a nightmare) .
Bye for now LD

Hi brunette_bombshell
I am wondering how you are making out with the codine?
I have an appointment this coming monday march 10 to arrange detox and rehad..If you go to my page you can read my story,
I hope you are doing well.
I had no idea these little pills could do such damage..
I hate the thought of going off them though, as you know the withdrawels... I think that is why I have never actually tried hard enough to stop.
But they have numbed me long enough..
take care.

hi im glad u have the restless legs cause i was startin to think somethin was wrong with me it is horrid never had any thing like it oright till u lay down at nite for bed man its trying like u codein has been a problem for me been taking panadein forte 8 \10 a day and im over it 2 its been a week 7 days t day i feel good but the legs man it aent over for me yet i been to bed 10 times tonight up down up down man its frustrating will it stop and when do u no it seems to be only withdrawl left apart from head ache thanks for ure post stay strong guys im goin fishing its early hrs and i might as well make something good out of not bein able to sleep

SO I'M SITTING HERE FRIDAY AFTERNOON, ONE OF THE HOTTEST DAYS SO FAR ... THE HUMIDITY IS UNBEARABLE AND THE AIR-CONDITIONER IS BROKE!!
I'M CONTEMPLATING ABOUT GOING OUT AND BUYING ANOTHER BOTTLE OF T 1's ... DO I DARE ... I KNOW IF I DO THEN I'LL BUY ANOTHER AND THEN ANOTHER!!!!!!!
I'VE BEEN TAKING THESE LIFE CONTROLLING PILLS FOR MORE THAT 13 YEARS!!! LUCKILY ENOUGH I HAD MY LIVER CHECKED LAST YEAR AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE!
RECENTLY I'VE BEEN TAKIN MORE THAN I EVER HAD. YA SEE WAY BACK WHEN I STARTED I'D TAKE 4 - 6 -7 -8 AND NOW 10 ???????? WHY DO WE DO THIS TO OURSELVES?
SO ANYWAYZ THE LAST TIME I TOOK SOME WAS AT 6 THIS MORNING! IT'S NOW 2 IN THE AFTERNOON AND I CAN BARELY LIFT MY ARMS, MY WHOLE BODY FEELS LIKE ITS ON FIRE, I'M CLENCHING MY TEETH ... MAN IS IT HARD TO NOT DO THAT!! I CAN FEEL THE HEADACHE COMIN ON AND I KNOW ITS GONNA BE BAD WHEN IT HITS!!!!!!!
SO WHAT TO DO? I READ IN A BOOK RECENTLY THAT IF YOU DRINK A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF GINGERALE THAT IT HELPS TO CLEAN OUT YOUR SYSTEM, HAS ANYONE TRIED THIS?
WELL I'M GONNA GIVE THIS A REAL SHOT THIS TIME AND IF ANYONE HAS ANY SUGGESTIONS PLZ HELP OUT A GIRL IN NEED ... I COULD USE ALL THE FEED BACK YOU HAVE !!
WELL GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE WHO'S TRYIN TO GET THEIR LIFE BACK AND UNDER CONTROL ... TAKE CARE!! [/b]

SO I'M SITTING HERE FRIDAY AFTERNOON, ONE OF THE HOTTEST DAYS SO FAR ... THE HUMIDITY IS UNBEARABLE AND THE AIR-CONDITIONER IS BROKE!!
I'M CONTEMPLATING ABOUT GOING OUT AND BUYING ANOTHER BOTTLE OF T 1's ... DO I DARE ... I KNOW IF I DO THEN I'LL BUY ANOTHER AND THEN ANOTHER!!!!!!!
I'VE BEEN TAKING THESE LIFE CONTROLLING PILLS FOR MORE THAT 13 YEARS!!! LUCKILY ENOUGH I HAD MY LIVER CHECKED LAST YEAR AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE!
RECENTLY I'VE BEEN TAKIN MORE THAN I EVER HAD. YA SEE WAY BACK WHEN I STARTED I'D TAKE 4 - 6 -7 -8 AND NOW 10 ???????? WHY DO WE DO THIS TO OURSELVES?
SO ANYWAYZ THE LAST TIME I TOOK SOME WAS AT 6 THIS MORNING! IT'S NOW 2 IN THE AFTERNOON AND I CAN BARELY LIFT MY ARMS, MY WHOLE BODY FEELS LIKE ITS ON FIRE, I'M CLENCHING MY TEETH ... MAN IS IT HARD TO NOT DO THAT!! I CAN FEEL THE HEADACHE COMIN ON AND I KNOW ITS GONNA BE BAD WHEN IT HITS!!!!!!!
SO WHAT TO DO? I READ IN A BOOK RECENTLY THAT IF YOU DRINK A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF GINGERALE THAT IT HELPS TO CLEAN OUT YOUR SYSTEM, HAS ANYONE TRIED THIS?
WELL I'M GONNA GIVE THIS A REAL SHOT THIS TIME AND IF ANYONE HAS ANY SUGGESTIONS PLZ HELP OUT A GIRL IN NEED ... I COULD USE ALL THE FEED BACK YOU HAVE !!
WELL GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE WHO'S TRYIN TO GET THEIR LIFE BACK AND UNDER CONTROL ... TAKE CARE!! [/b]

I've been consuming about 2000mg of raw codeine powder for the past 15 years. I would simply pour the powder onto the palm of my hand, judge the qty by sight and knock it back. Any non-addict normal person would instantly be sick due to the bitterness however as an addict, like anything, you get used to it. I am a trusted (yeah right) professional in the p'ceutical industry and therefore had access to the raw material. However, I decided to clean up my act and I am now on day 6 of withdrawal hell. It is incredibly unpleasant and requires monumental will power but I'm not going to give up - NEVER. The physical symptoms seem to peak at 3 - 4 days and then progressively but very slowly improved from there. They were, in no particular order, nausea, vomiting, acute diarrhoea, dyspnia, dyspepsia, restlessness, headaches for 2 days, insomnia, cramps, inability to tell if I was hot or cold, arrythmias, hypotension and sweating. The psychological effects continue to be the intense desire to use codeine, depression and possibly anxiety. The current problem is restlessness in the legs and a "clouded head feeling". I'm really hoping that by day 7 tomorrow I will start to feel human again. To anyone who has also had enough of the lies, decete and all the other nonsense that goes with drug taking and wants to get clean, good luck and hang in there, remember it DOES get better. I hope this may help a fellow addict.

For the sake of my fellow addicts and perhaps medical science for info and improvements in the treatment of addiction, I would like to add to my above post. I confirm that I was taking in excess of 2000mg of raw codeine powder per day. I am now 50 years old. Day 15 of c/t abstinence syndrome is still incredibly unconfortable so the withdrawal period to be expected is most definitely dependant on dose, usage time and age. I still have acute diarrhoea (correct spelling in this country), RLS at night, a "clouded head", dyspnia and low energy. However, I can feel my body slowly returning to some form of normality although in very small incriments. I read somewhere that it can take months to fell normal again !!! I await with great anticipation for that day. To all out there going c/t, hang in and be strong.

Me again (50 yr old raw codeine addict). I'm now on day 36 c/t and the going is still really tough. Acute phase has gone but PAWS has set in with vengence. I believe I made a huge mistake by going c/t instead of tapering. However being an addict I doubt whether I could have had the discipline and self control to endure a self inflicted reduced dosage program. Now (day 36) I get headaches every day, have very erratic sleep, my head is always clouded and I can't think clearly much to my frustration, low energy levels, still get RLS some nights, irritable etc. etc. I've read that PAWS will continue for 3 - 6 months. It really is unpleasant but I guess directly related to the time, dosage and frequency that I used for. What I'm feeling now is pay back time (i.e. the time that it will take for my neurotransmitters, endorphins, 5-HT etc to return to normal levels after the years of their suppression. To any "older" addict thinking of going c/t please get professional help to reduce your withdrawal period to a min and in order to stay clean, find out about PAWS because it can be debilitating and lead to relapse (not everyone gets PAWS).

wow...2000 mg is insane. even after a big binge the most i take at one time is around 250mg raw (i dont have access to raw but i get pills without a buffer). once i was sitting at my computer and ate 400mg but when i realized how much it was i chickened out and made myself puke it all up.