Is codeine withdrawal normal?

I'm 17 years old and have only been using codeine for a week and a half after an accident broke my tailbone. I have been on maximum dose and have been doubling it up with high strength Ibruprofen. I have been off co-codamol now for about 3 days but I feel awful. I have such bad headaches and a cold sweat/shaky feeling. I can't sleep at night and when I do, I've been waking up with a start. Not to mention the fact that Brufen on it's own isn't doing the job so I'm in pain still. Is it possible to experience a form of withdrawal after suddenly coming off a medication like Codeine after having been on it for a short time?

Always consult a doctor when stopping drugs, withdrawal can be dangerous - some times you may even need to be in a hospital for supervision (BTW most dangerous is alcohol withdrawal which can kill). Talk to your doctor, go off the drug under his\her supervision. Once symptoms are over is the part where you have to suck it up - don't get addicted again!

I have been clean from all drugs for 2 and 1/2 years. Then the doctor prescribed liquid codeine and I feel like I am back in the middle of my addiction. Any suggestions?

I am confused over a side effect, I decided to stop using any over the counter meds containing codeine when I realized that I had been taking them too consistently for too long, probably only a total of 140 to 180 or so in total of codeine a day on a bad day a lots less on a good day. I stopped 8 days ago and switched to plain asprin and paracetamol, apart from feeling a lot happier and more energy than I had in a long time and the occasional craving I have been fine (except for a migraine but that's not unusual for me).
My confusion is that my blood pressure, the bottom figure, is acting up, it was 141/97 when I had it checked earlier today and its not something I have not been aware of before, would this be from the sudden stopping of codeine or from starting (again) Duromine 15mg two days ago? Given the info on the posts I decided to take 20mg of codeine tonight on the off chance its a side effect of the codeine and I will taper off more gently as it suggests here, but does anyone know, are there different effects that codeine has on blood pressure versus Duromine on blood pressure how do I tell which one of them is making it much up or if its unrelated to all? thanks

I have been on these pills for 5 years, I have 2 kids, I kicked the habbit when I found out I was preg with my second child, Then came a bad tooth and I got some for the pain, Then 3 went to 4 and 4 went to 8 a day sometimes more its been 15 months I have been taking them. But Im on my first 24 hour without any, Going through withdrawl :'( .
Its no fun but taking other drugs to stop this one is'nt for me and going through this will make me stop, and never want to do these again.
It's going to be a long old road but once you go through it you will never forget the pain and bad feeling you go through. So that may make you never want to do them again. I also feel like never putting another pill in my mouth ever, If you are doing this cold turkey like myself stay strong hang tough, Im in Canada and it's very easy to get these all thats on my mind is just one more day, 2morrow i'll do it 2morrow, you have to do it now stop I feel for all of you all I really do. Hang in there you can do it 2morrow will be 48 hours for me, I no if I can make it these next few days anyone can XD

Hello! I've been addicted to codeine (T1's OTC) for 13 years, I'm 33 now. Been through 2 rehabs, soon 3 maybe. Total clean time I have til now has been less than a year at different times. I was taking anywhere between 40 and 60 pills a day. Then this time eventually added alcohol to the mix. Blackouts. I started have tremors/shakes in the last several months so I knew something was coming. Ended up in the hospital over the Thanksgiving weekend on the Monday aft. Came home on Wed. I've on day 5. Still sick. The worst is how weak I feel, takes all my strength to sit/stand up and the leg pains. Those are still pretty bad. Boiling baths helps, only thing that does.

Actually I'm glad this all happened. I'd tried lots to wean down off them but always soon found myself going back to normal quantities. So for me, having something drastic happen, not my choice and having to do this thing cold turkey is the only way for me. Now as an added precaution, my sis-in-law is taking charge of my bank card. When I need money I go to her, give her my receipts so I can't go buy a bottle.

Shan

I hope this may help some of you; I have been variously addicted to opiates for some years and have recently stopped. I find that keeping very physically fit helps with withdrawal. Being able to do an extra couple of k's on the bike or in the pool whilst withdrawing seems to alleviate the worst of both the physical and mental problems. It helps with the insomnia (in that you're too knackered to stay awake) and also with the cramps.

I would suggest that, if you're contemplating getting clean then joining a gym/ going for a regular swim/run/cycle before you quit and getting fit, then reducing the dose as you continue to increase the exercise. This worked for me. Not for everyone, but it can help replace a bad addiction with a good one (until your joints give out with old age :-)

Good luck

hey man
deep in withdrawal even from a mild opiate I can barely move let alone go for a run

but I remember before I used to take the stuff (and back when I used it once a week max) I used to jog and I must admit I felt better then than I have in a long time since.

I kinda wish I'd tried getting fit while still on the stuff tbh, it probably would have helped now I can't eat etc.

I haven't eaten in over 3 days and I am very skinny anyway so I don't want to go out for a run, as I will collapse
but I definitely need to at least get some natural endorphins flowing instead of the pill-based ones...

so...err...I not been here before...and I take mercyndol daily..lots of it...for the last three years..but for some reason..i thought..fk it...I'm gonna get off it...i'm gonna go cold turkey..so for a week...I've physced myself up...I've told my mum what is really happening to me...and she's moving in. Told my best friend and she's gonna support me...which is great!!! Love them both for that...but the thing is....I'm still lying, I told them I was gonna go cold turkey on tuesday but thought I'd go do it sunday....today is sunday..and now I'm going cold turkey today..coz my best friend...just scouted my house..and flushed all my fuckn tablets down the toilet. I'm not ready..I want those extra days... And now I'm in panic mode....coz I know how hard it's gonna be...I know how hard I'm gonna have it....and even tho I'm not in withdrawals....knowing my best friend flushed those pills down the loo....I can feel a headache coming on...she suggested...I write about it..so that's what I'm gonna do...
I did some research about withdrawals..and about what you have to go thru..but all I hear is day four is worse..I don't hear the after or the before..just day four is gonna suck big time...so..I'm gonna try to keep you posted on what I'm going thru...just in case some one out there...wants to know
you gotta know..my best friend is a pretty cool chick...but I never thought she'd flush my fkn pills....fk I was pissed off....and upset and desperate...my mum...thinks multi vitimans will work....I know going cold turkey can be bad..and thats why I've told my mum and my best friend i'm doing this...just in case..they do need to call the hospital, coz you see...I have a little girl to take care of...she's 7... and I don't wanna jepordise her in any way.
I started taking these pills coz...not coz i was in pain but more to help me relax after an abusive relationships..you've heard it all before, you don't need to hear it again...but f**k..it doesn't take long to get addicted, it doesn't take long before you think you can't sleep without them...anyway..tonight is my first night..and I'm sh*t scared!!!!! I think I'm having a panic attack...crying..pacing up and down..thinking of the ways I can do to get my hands on more pills....but I gave my mum and dad my key/credit card...I have no money in my purse.....so you see, I really do wanna do this...just don't think that I can...coz I am weak. I thank God that I have such good friends and family around me to stick by me thru this..coz there is no way I could do this alone.
My best friend..found the stash I was keeping from everyone..and she flushed them..I thought about doing some plumbing to get them back...but err....I'm hoping...I'm not that fkn desperate to undo the s bend or whatever it's called...I'm hoping that writing this...getting this all out...will help me distract me.
it's 11.18pm..I have to get up in seven hours to make my daughter lunch for school....am I gonna be capable...am I thinking too far ahead...I should be taking baby steps right...but when you have kids..its hard not to think ahead.....
How did I get myself into this position..it doesn't matter what situation I was in....it was still me that allowed myself to do it...and now I'm paying for the consequences....
Anyway...I'm off to watch a video..or talk to people on the net..anything to get my mind off the fact that I don't have fkn pills anymore...this IS DAY ONE!
i hope i'm lucid enough to talk to you every day too....god bless anyone that is going thru this..and if anyone that has gone thru this..please email me and tell me it's gonna be okay...
Cheers
Clares

Hello everyone!

I found this forum after googling 'codeine withdrawal' and after rummaging through several other sites, I found this to be the most relevant and helpful.

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was not the only one suffering from such a crippling addiction.

I'm a 24/m and as most curious youths, I have dabbled and recreationally used several types of narcotics or psychotropics in the past. It started with smoking and unfortunately led to experimentation with marijuana before graduating to harder substances like MDMA and crystal meth.

I'm glad to say that I have long since ceased abusing the abovementioned drugs and have been clean for a very long time now.

I have recently been diagnosed with manic depression although I have gotten used to it and have been receiving therapy for it for a while now. With medication and talk therapy, I've managed to somehow maintain a normal life and it's safe to say that it's the least of my concerns.

I've been using liquid codeine for a little over 2 years now. I used to take 300ml daily but slowly, I've managed to curb it to a 300ml every three days. I realised that this was an extremely dangerous and malicious addiction about a year back and threw the habit away. I kept clean for several months before a harmless (or so I thought) day of killing time led to my current predicament.

I'm back to where I started taking 300ml every three or four days. I have tried to really stop but this time, the withdrawal stage is frightening. I think most of you have stated the symptoms during withdrawals and to some extent, I'm comforted with the fact that I am not alone.

I really want to cease abusing codeine but even though I have never touched harder substances like cocaine or heroin, I realised that codeine has similar symptoms. I feel like a heroin junkie curled up in my bed during the days I don't take it. It has ruined my life completely.

My studies have suffered considerably as I'm currently in university majoring in Theatre/Acting and involved with local television and theatre productions.

I realised that codeine has a vice-like grip over my life. On the days I don't take it, I feel absolutely sad, depressed and counting the minutes till the day I'm able to take it. I'm always broke and my social life has unsurpisingly taken a huge destructive hit from this addiction. I used to be very involved with various activities but codeine has steadily pulled me further away from them.

Reading through the posts, I feel more confident that I'm able to tackle this dilemma but still, I can say that it's extremely difficult. My doctor does not know about this but he has knowledge about my past drug abuse.

The thing is, I believe that the difficulty in stopping codeine is because it's not really considered a narcotic in a sense. It's readily available and obviously easier to obtain that other drugs. Over here, it's regulated and only available via prescription so it's almost like it's OTC anyway.

I wish to say that this forum has helped me quite a bit just by reading through the posts to psychologically prepare and motivate me into quitting. I seriously don't want to be a slave to this substance and I long to approach life with happiness and elation not related to codeine. I only feel these emotions when I'm on it and I miss it when I'm not.

I believe that with proper devotion and support, I'm able to quit but it's a slow uphill task in itself. However, I still think I can do it.

I hope you guys didn't fall asleep halfway through my entry. LOL. Any comments/suggestions are always welcome.

Good luck to all you guys in throwing this habit away!

yeah, I'm back on the stuff... it's too easy to go into a chemist and ask for them, they sell them without asking twice.

I've got some Tramadol coming my way so I'm going to use that as a "taper" method, or just accept my fate until they ban OTC codeine in the UK.
I extract the codeine from paracetamol but it probably shags my liver anyway.

There was a TV program on today about a woman who took 76 codeine+ibuprofen tablets a DAY without extraction.. not suprising she ended up in hospital and only survived... and she still takes 65 a day! (it was on "This Morning" on ITV1)

Good luck all... tbh if I didn't have neuroses I'd probably have given up the codeine by now, I think my psychological dependance is worse than the physical symptoms

I'll agree that Codeine is treated like a joke in the UK also,
I've got access to Diazepam, muscle relaxants (carisoprodol), cannabis, alcohol, which are all treated worse than codeine as far as addiction is concerned, yet none of the above have got me hooked or even appealed to me that much

Grief, this has been interesting reading.

Following an accident in 1999, I was on Co-Codamol (500/30) + Dihydrocodeine (30), each x 2 x 4 times a day giving me a 'healthy' intake of 240mg of codeine a day.

I eventually underwent pain management therapy in August 2003 and quit the lot, gradually withdrawing over 2 - 3 months with zero adverse effects.

Then, about 2 years later I was in a traffic accident and have been back on the co-codamol (max dose of 500/30) since August 2005.

Now, I'm working overseas in a country where you cannot buy codeine, end of story, so my script is posted out to me by a friend. Naughty but necessary.

However, the last package has gone walkabout and I am now undergoing enforced withdrawal which is about as much fun as a hot needle through the nads. The first five days, as I realised I was running short and the package hadn't turned up, were OK as I simply cut down but had enough for my 'fix' but eventually I run out completely then the pain kicked in x lots but no other adverse symptoms.

My big mistake was then having too much to drink one night (4 nights ago) - not grossly excessive but just enough to give you a slightly squiffy head in the morning, that would be gone by mid morning....under NORMAL circumstances - and since then it has been hell. Irritability, insomnia, hot and cold sweats, anxiety, excess stomach acid, reflux oesophagitis, a mouth like Ghandi's flip-flop, blurred vision, inability to concentrate, lethargy.

Now I have absolutely no choice but to fight it - there is no option - I just hope that, once I've broken the back of this c**p situation the package doesn't turn up and I'm tempted to jump straight back in. That would be stupid but you all now how easy it is, I'm sure.

Even reading this thread and writing this post has helped as until now I was totally unaware of how bad this drug is and how important it is to get shot of it.

Hi,

I crushed some bones in my foot 6 years ago at work. I've used some pain killers over the time. My one foot is 1 inch shorter that the other now so this was not just in my head. As work changed and the demands of life increased (more kids at home) I justified Co-Codamol (500/30) and my work life improved. Except I was much ore prone to flying off the handle, lethargy, loss of sex drive, confusion and just not being myself.

I had a flue that lasted 3 weeks recently. In that time I used cold remedies and cut out the codeine. Now 2 weeks on I still get; waking up early, restless muscles, runny nose, eye strain, mood swings and feel BLAGH sometimes. But it is reality.

The codeine was only changing the way I saw & felt about things in life. I was coping but "thought" I needed it to "help" get by. It put the succ in success as I never felt really positive, happy, clear, OK or anything when using it. Now I can see life more honestly. My first thought needs questioning (I still a little bit reactive at times) so I go with the second.

Thanks for all the contributions, I have read them all. I feel less on my own with this now. You have helped me a loads. My family have noticed a change in me in two weeks. 12 - 8 a day to 0 with the flue. Something had to change and it did. just do it, it will work out. keep in contact. I'm gonna keep reading.

Regards,

Paul

Day 10 and one thing I have noticed is that the pain that I was taking the Co-Codamol for has reduced significantly.

OK, the arthritic pain in knees and hips is still there but I can live with that, however, the injury related pain in the head and neck that I was taking the stuff for seems to have more or less gone - it's certainly nowhere near as bad as it was when I was taking the Co-Codamol.

It says a lot for the 'medication induced pain' theory.

I even managed a few beers and 5 hours sleep last night so things must be looking up!!