Hey fellow travelers .... Thank you all for the encouraging comments ... It's the end of day 4 and tummy pains have almost gone thank goodness. Still a bit shiverish but the aches and pains have subsided a little. Feel a bit weird and anxious but still trying to focus on being positive. The naesea is really p****** g me off!!! Don't like feeling sick at all..... Appetite is good however cos I'm eating little meals. Nights are the best cos I sleep right thru giving me a well deserved break from feeling crappy! I hope I don't jinx myself lol.... Thank you once again and keep posting .....
Half way thru day 5 I'm glad to say the aches and pains are gone! No ibuprofen today which is good . I went on the treadmill this morning for about 25 mins which I think has helped my muscles to relax today. Still a bit of a runny nose and a couple of sneezing fits but other than that I would say I'm feeling about 80 percent better! For others out there it is possible it's hard at first but if I can do it so can you! Now for the psychology .... I get slightly anxious when it's the time I used to take the pills because it's something I've done for so long. It lasts about ten minutes I do manage to distract myself and that is key for me. So keep trying and itll be ok in the end.
Hey again Sarah (Guest that posted "well done Sarah" here)! That's awesome news that you are starting to feel better. Yeah I found that exercising helps with the muscle aches. I had this crazy urge to do a load of push-ups (which I usually hate) as it seemed like the only way to satisfy the achy feeling. Now on day 7. This morning I a bit anxious (which is probably the only remaining symptom now) but then went to see the doctor for some 2mg diazepam for the anxiety. By lunch time I was having a meal with a friend and honestly can't remember the last time I spoke so much. I was feeling pretty much 90% so thought I'd have 1 diazepam to take the edge off the anxiety and now I feel pretty much human again! Gonna have one more if I wake in the night to help with sleep but otherwise at this rate I'm pretty confident I'm gonna feel pretty damn good in no time at all :) To all the people who want to give this a go... As Sarah says, you can totally do it. I thought about it forever and the horror stories I read online were probably the things put me off more than anything else. I can honestly say that while cold turkey isn't exactly a walk in the park, it's not as bad as I initially feared. Kind of feeling silly I didn't try it sooner now :P I hope nobody feels I'm undermining the severity of withdrawal - I admit fully that I never want to do it again, but to those of you who want to do it but are afraid, trust me - it's totally doable and totally worth it. Good luck :) Kraig.
Ps. my comment about me not remembering the last time I talked so much was BEFORE taking the diazepam, not after. My point here is that I feel like I'm coming back out of this shell I'll been in for what feels like forever. Kraig
Pps. Sorry - typo central :/
Cold turkey is very difficult but certainly doable ... no Craig I don't think you are undermining the withdrawal symptoms ... You are right when you said they come in waves so you can be feeling ok and then feel c**p again. This is how my symptoms seem to be presenting but it's the sheer determination and will power that actually help to deal with them especially in the first 24 hours right through to day 3 . After this period there seems to be periods of rest and flare ups . Of course this is me personally but it is essential to have the determination and positive outlook that all this will come to an end. so let's look forward to a codiene free life.
Please be careful of taking diazepam as I've heard it's also addictive . If you really need to then maybe just for night times on alternate nights a few times just to give yourself a rest. Take care
I thought I'd turned a corner when bang the stomach pains and diarrhea started again!! I was shaking like a leaf and it lasted a couple of hours. I will add it wasn't as bad as the initial symptoms but still I was rattling big time. I'm in bed right now but cant seem to doze off. I'm trying really hard to keep my chin up but I'm really FED UP right now . The tapering method is really appealing to me and I'm thinking maybe I should never have tried the c/t . I've got no tablets in the house right now other wise I would have just given in and taken some!! Just to get some relief from the withdrawals. The buzz from the tablets is a thing of the past which I don't miss at all it's just feeling c**p most of the time that's really a downer.
Day 6 woke up this morning feeling a lot better , a little stiff but a lot better. Last night was tough and started to have doubts about the whole thing! It's really hard trying to keep a positive outlook when feeling absolutely helpless and crappy. Today is another day and has started well so I'll just keep my head up and expect ups and downs remembering that this isn't forever. Now gonna get some chores done and get ready for work. Hope you guys are doing good. Keep posting .....
Totally respect your decision to go back and taper if you wish - my doctor actually suggested it yesterday when I told him I was 7 days in (unbelievably). If it helps I'd like to tell you that I'm on day 8 now and I'm feeling pretty normal again. Last nights sleep was intermittent still but the writhing with aches and madness was at like 10% of what it has been so it was totally bearable. I still have a little anxiety today but only really to the extent of having coffee that's a bit too strong. The toilet situation kind of comes and goes but I just take a couple Imodium and it sorts that right out for a couple days. The diazepam is fine by me to be fair but I appreciate the concern. I know my limits and only take 1 (rather than 2) if I just need to feel 100% for a bit. I only got them really because me and my fiancée fly out to Thailand to get married in a few days so I wanted to make sure I had some form of backup so I can enjoy my wedding and holiday if the withdrawals haven't totally subsided. Genuinely confident that it will have pretty much gone by the weekend though. Anyway - good luck to you whatever you chose to do. I hope this gave you a little hope to stick at it :) Kraig.
Good to hear you made it through the night! Sleep at the end of day 5 was pretty crappy for me too :p Kraig.
@ kraig thank you for the feed back... Congratulations on your up coming wedding now that's a fresh start worth fighting for! Last night was bad but have had a good day so far.... Tapering is not an option for me now cos I'm so far into the c/t that I will feel I have let myself down ... Been given a reality check by my mate who's been fantastic .... A good support network is important and I feel very lucky ican whine in person to her and on here . I wouldn't dismiss tapering for others who may want to start slowly. Everybody is different. For me I feel tapering just delayed the withdrawals for weeks on end.
I've done ok today ... Have had the chills and slight aches so took some ibuprofen. I've been looking back over the last 6 days of my posts and realized that my initial post I'd put 3 years on cocodamol instead of 13 years. Something I feel good about today is the fact that for a few hours I'd totally forgotten about the timings of the dreaded doses I used to take and actually had a coffee in the afternoon without thinking about the tablets which I used to take religiously just before anything to eat or drink. I know I'm rambling on but this is helping so much so sorry for boring you!!.... For everybody else out there if I can do it you can too whether it's tapering or cold turkey.... Just believe in yourself and you will get through it
I'm glad for your progress. I know it's painful but it's really worth it. You've made it so far, so keep moving on and soon you'll look back and understand that this is the best thing you've done for yourself. Withdrawal is different for everyone, i had withdrawal symptoms from Codeine and again from Subutex. I just wanna share some tips thaty helped me and helped others. But bare in mind that only time can get you substantial relief, but these tips made my days somewhat bearable. Here what i found quite helpful:
* Insomnia: Klonopin (very effective but addictive)/ Meltanonin and Valeriane (are moderatly effective),
* Shivering (hot and cold): hot baths and showers (effective but short-lived)/ Exercise (seems the best bet if you can do it, cause i couldn't)
* Anxiety and restlessness: Listening to Music/ Sleeping and napping if you can / avoid cafeine, alcohol, and nicotine/ having sex/ Relaxation and Meditation
* Energy and motivation: Rhodiola and Gensing supplements (are effective)/ Multi-vitamines (maybe subtle effect),
* Aches: Aspirin/ NSAID/ Cold pads on joints and muscles/ Massage/ maybe sauna.
* Social support: reading forum and blogs/ sharing experience/ keeping a diary of symptoms. (IMQUIT is good App for monitoring your progress).
Good luck.
Thank you for the tips and encouragement . Day 7 today and it's been good. Been out and bought some kalms tablets . Apparently they are good to take for stress and anxiety so I thought I'd give them a try. Feeling a lot better now and trying to keep positive. Easter holidays have started so the kids will be home to stress me out more!! Lol but I suppose being busy with them will help to take my mind of the symptoms. Don't miss the cocodamols at all . Went to visit my parents and there was a pack of 30/500 s sitting there staring me in the face! It didn't bother me one bit so am quite pleased with myself. Hubby thinks I've got flue( I haven't told him and don't intend to ) I would rather keep this to myself as he works very long hours and doesn't need to stress and worry about me. He was concerned and wanted to book appointment with the gp but I managed to talk him out of it. I am lucky in terms of the symptoms being moderate compared to some of the bloggers on here THANK THE LORD !!! The aches and pains are mild and ibuprofen does the job where as before the ibuprofen came no where near to providing any relief. I've already taken two doses of the kalms tablets so will keep you posted on how good they are. Once again thank you for the tips and feed back , really appreciate it ?