Is codeine withdrawal normal?

Hi, I am also a codeine addict. I started taking codeine in 2002 when I lost my baby and everything started going wrong health wise. Over the next 4 years I was taking codeine every day. I knew I was addicted as I didn't have a clue how many I was taking all I knew is I wanted more.

In 2006 I decided to stop the medication I wanted to see if the pain I had was really there or just in my head (a reason to take the codeine) It took me just over a month I started reducing my daily dose and keeping notes written down of the time I took a pill. I gave my tablets to my husband at home and a collegue I could trust at work so I couldn't just take them whenever I had a craving.
The withdrawal was horrible as so many of you have said the flu feeling especially in the shoulders becomes unbearable, I just felt restless. I used to rub lavender oil into my back before bed which did help a little.

I was so proud of myself when I stopped even though I know it wasn't over I only had to see codeine and wanted one but I was strong.

Three weeks ago my dentist prescribed me with some pain relief (codeine based) and being silly I thought I would be ok as it was only a short term supply and it had been two years. I was wrong it took me a day and a half to get back used to the feeling and now I am suffering again with withdrawal, I am not sleeping and have that feeling in my shoulders which just makes me want to cry.

Once I am over this and I will be. I am never taking anything with codeine again it really isn't worth it.

Be strong it is possible to get back to a normal life. It is amazing the differnce being clean makes.

I've been addicted to oxycontin, then i switched to codeine because I moved to a country that didn't have access to oxycontin but plenty of codeine without a prescription. I was taking 300mg at a time about 3 times a day, nearly a gram of codeine per day! I came to San Francisco and started a suboxone treatment, it's really amazing, no withdrawals and you don't have to worry about taking it every couple hours you take it once every 24 hours... http://www.suboxone.com/ its really an amazing drug, theres some people who try to taper off it too quickly and get intense withdrawal effects but you have to be on the drug for atleast a month depending on your addiction. Addiction to opiates is truely a disease because it alters your brain permanently, don't be ashamed of it, just have the courage to turn your life around. If I would have known it was as easy as going to their website and putting in my zip code then calling the clinic and coming in the next day I would have done it years ago when I was doing massive amounts of oxycontin, atleast 240mg a day of oxycodone... I was severely addicted codeine is practically impossible to quit going cold turkey on the amount I was taking but I could imagine if you were taking atleast half the amount i was you could easily ween off at the recommended 10% every 8 days, thats the standard, every EIGHT days you shave 10%, 7 days is almost enough time for your brain to respond but 8 days will make it more comfortable. Weening isn't always the best solution because you may or may not have a steady supply or powerful enough will, when you're weening its extremely important that you time your doses within 15 minutes. but i truely recommend suboxone as the best solution for ANY opiod dependence

hi guys

just thought i would let u all know (if u didnt know already)

having recently come off nurophen plus-used for migraines and pms cramps and accidently got addicted.....

the withdrawal symptoms suck, nausea, headaches, leg cramps are the worst at night!!!

well after 4 days i felt normal by 2 weeks energy levels were normal

and THE BEST BIT

as my sister is a GP she let me know that drinking tonic water helps combat the symptoms of leg cramps as it contains quinine...so have a gin and tonic before bed she said!! and also lavender oil helps with all symptoms especially leg cramps and insominia, put some drops in a bath before bed and also some on a towel or pillow in bed.

good luck those coming off. stick with it :0) its worth it!

javascript:emoticon('XD')


XD XD XD

That's a bit harsh my friend, but sometimes true in certain cases. In my case I had agonising pain in both calf muscles and my Dr thought it was psychological because I had a bad childhood (yes he's a dickhead!) anyways cut a 12 year history short he kept upping my codiene unti it hit 360mls per day whilst specialists looked at his psych outlook on me and although I told Dr Alan Broom that we may be putting a bandaid on an open wound he said it was in my head.



Well I moved countries and the Drs here diagnosed me by the size of my huge calves with Chronic Compression Syndrome wwhich is where the muscles becomes too big for the fasica and starts pressing on nerves.

So for 12 years those nerves were covered by heavy codeine use and now after surgery on them I find that 12 years damage has been done and my pain from crushed nerves will be forever.

I can't sue because New Zealand (where I came from) has stupid laws in to 'save' doctors who mess up!



I am on Lyrica 300mg twice daily now and it has dulled the agony to a 1 out of ten, but Now Imust start my codeine withdrawal.

I was taking 12 30mg tablets but have this down now to 1 30mg tablet but I know the sh*t hits the fan when that one comes off, so I'm here to find out how others are doing and well thst's my story

Hi all

Im pretty new to this place and have just come across this thread. As yet i dont really have many answers, just lots of questions. I am addicted to Cocodamol 30/500's and i last took them 4 days ago. I have not cut down or used anything to quit.

I was taking 10-30 a day, sometime more but generally around 15. I generally only used them at night.

At the moment i am going through hell trying to stick to not taking any, which is the reason that i am sat writing on here at 6am!! I have begun to blog my days of cold turkey on another thread on this site which i think you may find useful or interesting.

https://www.steadyhealth.com/topics/withdrawal-from-codeine-cocodamol-30-500s-day-2-of-cold-turkey#566579

I am not sure if the link will show up or not. If it doesnt simply look at the threads in

SteadyHealth.com - Health Topics Forum Index -> Addiction & Recovery -> Narcotic (Opioids) Drugs Dependence

and look for my name - perfect-angel or look for the name of the thread -
Withdrawal from codeine - cocodamol 30/500's - Day 2 of cold turkey!

I hope you will reply.

I am also addicted to codeine 200 mg daily sometimes more. .I am on day 4 of cold turkey withdrawals. Last night was my worst.
I am really getting sick of the sneezing its constant which is terribly unpleasant along with the headaches and nasua... anyone else?
My tips for survival in these four days are positive thinking and I am talking just under 2 liters of water per day to avoid dehydration.(From the constant vomiting and diarrhea)
There is pain everywhere it seems, so I am looking at it as a "Working Pain" if you will, it is our bodies working toward something really amazing.Take the time you need to be sick but don't pitty yourself.
And now I feel like its going uphill, although honestly I still feel really tired/hot/cold.and shaky and im starving, eating right now is tricky, pudding and toast stay down nicely and fill the void.
Now what I really want to say to everyone is Gratz on the lifestyle change the realization you deserve something better and there is something to be said for all the strong will in this forum :) Good luck to everyone.

Hey All, I am pretty surprised to find so many people in the same situation as I am, in fact on day 4 of cold turkey withdrawals. I wont lie to you guys its not pretty not at all, but I am indeed out of bed today and my mind if nothing else has not felt better in years.
Last night was the worst yet, chills hot cold such a roller coaster, but aside from my loving family what really hits home common concern for long term damage we all seem to share.
So far my survival tips for this nightmare are as follows, lots of water im talking 2 liters per day to avoid dehydration, I accept what I did to get here and now as much as it is painful everywhere, I accept what I have to do to change this.
I am tired of the sneezing though ...anyone else? Its so uncomfortable with the stomach issues. And frankly I am starving !! I have lost some weight already and the snacks I have noticed that stay down are pudding and toast.
I hope that helps someone out there. What I really want to say here is Grats to all who are here in this realization that somethings got to change
think of it as a "Working Pain" if you will, it really does hurt like hell but when you give yourself time to be as sick as you can get, then it will only get better. There is an amazing amount of strength in this forum :-D good luck to all.

I just wanted to thank you for your posts during you self detox. I am currently trying to free myself from the codeine a little at a time and am getting these horrible headaches. Actually I have tried to break these tabs in half (same as 1 tyl.3) to no avail. I have also been on adderall 30mg 3 times a day but have managed to cut that in half. Not to put him down but all of this was prescribed by my Dr. The Tyl 4 was a step from the Methadone patches my other Dr. had me using. I never realized that codeine would have such harsh withdrawal. I thought the methadone withdrawal was bad enough. It looks like I am detoxing again. Except this time it will only last a week instead of the 6 weeks that the methadone detox. In short I am sick of taking pills!! These pain meds started as a result from an auto accident. I cannot tell the difference from what pain is being caused from the codeine and what is still residual from the accident. So the plan is to get off of everything and hopefully re-evaluate.

Again I appreciate you entries here and I sincerely hope that you are doing well.

Regards Mike H.

Hey all, I hope your all feeling good today :-D
Sorry about the double post yesterday lol as it says newbie (shakes head)
Today is 5 and all the symptoms are the same but less intense which is awesome, and I was wondering if anyone else is dealing with the sneezing?
Mister Mike I am really sorry to hear about your bad doc, its true there are those who like to bandage things they don't have to deal with later, I hope you can somehow get around their "safety laws" and at least feel validation.
Take care :-D

HI GUYS
i AM NEW TO THIS SITE, I HAVE CURRENTLY BEEN ON APPROX 630MG OF CODEINE A DAY, SOMETIMES MORE BUT RARELY LESS, I DECIDED TO COLD TURKEY AND I AM AFRAID I AM NOT AS STRONG AS YOU GUYS, I GAVE IN ON DAY 4 AND TOOK 15 NUROFEN PLUS, IRONIC REALLY AS I WAS PROBABLY GETTING TOWARDS THE END OF THE WORST OF IT !!! ANYWAY I FOUND IT SO HARD AS I HAVE A YOUNG DAUGHTER AND WORK ETC. THE WOARST WAS THE DEPRESSION I FELT NUMB AND THE WORLS SEEMED BLEAK TO ME, MY DAUGHTER DID NOT DESERVE TO HAVE SUCH A sh*t MOTHER...THAT WAS MY EXCUSE !!! ANYWAY I TEARFULLY PHONED MY MUM AND TOLD HER WHAT I HAD DONE, SHE WAS O WORRIED THAT I WOULD END UP TAKING TOO MUCH IBUPROFEN OR PARACETAMOL THAT SHE TOLD ME SHE HAD SOME CODEINE AND WOULD GIVE ME 4 A DAY SO HERE I AM HAPPY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WEEK !!! SAD ISN'T IT..HAVE GOT ANOTHER WEEK TILL DOC WILL GIVE ME A SCRIPT ALTHOUGH MY MUM IS COMING WITH ME TO EXPLAIN I WANT TO TAPER OFF THEM..DOES ANYONE AGREE THIS IS A GOOD WAY ? MY MUM IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO DROP THEM BY DAILY IN TIME REDUCING THE DOSE...WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK ???

Hello All,

I was in a car accident about 3 years ago and have been on Codeine for about 3 years. I have been wanting to get off of them for a long time, but I keep making excuses as to why I cant. I know that it was going to be hard. I was abusing them about 6 years ago. The only thing that got me through that was Tylenol PM, and even that wasnt enough.

My mom goes to a neurologist who heard my story and asked that I come see him to get off of the meds. He told me about Suboxone which would help me get through the withdrawl, but instead gave me a longer acting opiate(did I spell that right?) So I was off of the codeine and taking morpheine instead. Well now that the DEA is enforcing new practices for narcotics, I am forced to pay my co-pay for an office visit every 30 days just to pick up an RX then I have to pay the 40 to fill it. I cant afford to pay $65 a month for narcotics.

I am a single mother with a 3 year old boy with ADHD. He is having some behavior issues that I blame myself for. I am 25 years old and dont want to live my life dependant on drugs. I have 1 1/2 pills of my codeine left and have been biting off small amounts to stiffle the withdrawl symptoms. But it is almost like looking down the barrell of a shot gun, knowing that I am going to run out very soon, and things are going to get worse.

I dont have the luxury of having someone to help me with my son while I deal with this, so I am scared for me and more so for my son as I deal with this. The past 3 days have been hard, as I have been limiting myself to only worse case doses of codeine since then.

Are there any natural remedys for dealing with these symptoms? I am more concerned about the physical symptoms as they are the reason that I get irritable, moody and turn into >;) . Need I say more. LOl

Honestly, I am so scared to do this, I have been trying to do this for over a year and I give in every time. I have an apt with this neurologist on Monday an I am afraid that he will talk me into taking something else. I feel that if I can go the rest of this weekend I can do it. But from what I am seeing, that will be my 3rd day coming off, and that is the worst day. I have a feeling that I will be vulnerable.

I am not suicidal as I am taking Cymbalta, so that is not an issue, I am just having a hard time with the pain from my accident and the mixed pain from the receptors in my brain craving more.

Any advice at all would be helpful.

Thanks,

Killerpain

Hey there everyone,

I too suffered from codeine addiction and withdrawal.
I initially started taking the tablets after an horrendous accident which left me with a smashed in nose and the subsequent operation to address the damage left me in even more pain. Tie this into the fact that I am a woman and suffer the dreaded monthly cramps..and you have one hell of a problem. I was non stop pill popping for 3-4 months. I could not take nurofen because of stomach troubles and so codeine was the most effective thing I could take.

Once I realised i had become addicted i started on a regimen of ''cold turkey''. And yes i had the sweats and shivers and my gosh the HEADACHES. However this all subsided after 3 days and I am now feeling normal again after having been on 20 tabs per day.........scary i know.

BUT it can be done.........just be prepared to be holed up in bed with a large bottle of mineral water , DVDs for entertainment and a good friend or partner for emotional support.

BEST OF LUCK EVERYONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nasty business, i've been taking mercyndol 20x500/10 every night for about 3 years. decided two days ago to try and quit, and its been real bad. feeling very flu-y, no sleep at all, and i havent been able to eat during the whole time.

geez i hope this gets better. i stupidly went and bought 2 packets today, hoping i have the strength to not take them.

but its been helpful to hear that there's ppl out there doing it worse than me! not that its good for them, but i've spent so many years thinking how bad 10grams of paracetamol a day is only to find there are ppl doing more than twice that! i've always wondered why it hasnt killed me...

Hey all, I was reading through all the posts and the one thing that struck me was how wonderful it is for you to wake up and decide that you don't want to be taking the pills...that's the 1st step.

I absolutely disagree with one of the posters where they say it's your fault, deal with it and suffer. Thats wrong, theres no reason for you to suffer, especially if you have other health concerns, ex: Some women have MVP (Mitral Valve Prolapse) and stopping cold turkey is NOT advisable due to the heart palpitations you'll experience.

Ok, I'm speaking as a MD/PHD student here, so I know a little about all this.
I know it's easy to blame your DR. for giving you the script to start with, but keep in mind..in some states, people who have LEGITIMATE pain have problems getting a script for pain relief because of bad press Dr.'s get for being to "free" to write a script, so the people who truly need it, SUFFER and worse...they are viewed as addicts looking for their next fix...even though they can't get a DR. to write a script. It's a bad situation all around, but a GOOD doctor is one who will write the scripts and keep up with you, ask you about how things are going, if there are any changes while taking the pills etc...It's a partnership..it's NOT your fault...it's NOT your Doctors fault...so now, you've taken the 1st step and decided to stop.
PLEASE do this under Doctor care, Don't feel embarrassed! He/She will be impressed that you came to them and they will respect you and your decision more than if your quiet...TRUST is very important in a Doctor/Patient relationship and they trusted by giving you the initial script and now it's up to you to continue the trust by mentioning problems or concerns.

The KEY TO STOPPING these is TAPERING OFF! You do NOT have to go through all those horrible symptoms, at least not at THOSE levels because all in all...you end up with the same end result, so do it the way that is healthier. safer and less stress on your body. Your Doctor will determine a schedule based on how many you have been taking and talk about what to take if things get bad and later, you both and figure out what to take if you need pain relief later down the line and not get sucked back in with taking the T3/W/Cod.

I've worked with quite a few people who have been dependent on this and I SAY Dependent because they take it due to legit reasons, do not feel that "high" when they take it, they take it as directed..but after a certain time..their body becomes "used" to it and dependent on it.

Just keep the faith, get to your Doctor and have a chat...it CAN go smoothly and there's NO REASON to be suffering in the way I have read on some of these posts.

Good Luck!

Med-Chic :-D

Telling people to "suck it up" doesn't help anyone. If you have a job and a life it isn't easy to make it through the withdrawal. I am also addicted to codeine and it can happen to anyone. You don't choose to get addicted it just creeps up on you and one day you realize you can't stop. I don't use that heavily (180-300mg a day) but for me the withdrawal is bad enough that I would have to take time off work to go cold turkey. When you are hiding an addiction from your employer and you family and friends it is not easy to deal with. Most people also face the dilemma of needing pain killers for real medical problems that keep them from being able to quit. People need to be understanding of these problems and we users need to help each other out by not judging each other and sharing information that will help us feel better and live better.