Withdrawal from codeine - cocodamol 30/500's - Day 2 of cold turkey!

Hi Aunt Florence

I posted a fairly long account (as guest) a few weeks back. I'm now just over 7 weeks into "being clean" of the evil codeiene pills.
I know I've got a fair way to go yet but I can say that after the first few weeks you do notice an improvement when looking back. I still feel crappy some days but after a while you come to understand your symptoms and find ways to deal with them. The worst days are when you try and fight them or get frustrated by them. Just let your body do what it needs to do - it'll happen when it happens.
Initially I never felt that my symptoms would get better - I really felt trapped. It was a horrible and scary feeling. But then when I look back over the weeks I realise that I've progressed massively, and I don't get anywhere near the levels of depression, anxiety, rls, insomnia, etc. that I get now. It kind of flows in and out now. But becasue I know every bad day is one more step towards a good day I don't mind as much because I know it is getting better - just like everyone else has posted in the past. So if you are at the early stages and are scared that these symptoms will never end - don't worry it's normal and everyone thinks like that. Just take one day at a time. Or an hour at a time if need be.

There's lots of info out there but you know you should be drinking lots of water, taking vits / mins suppliments, amino acids, exercise, taking life as it comes, maintaing good relationships. And that's not an optional list - really you will need to invest in all of these. If you don't believe so then you've still got some learning to do!! Just in my humble opinion.

Accept your fate people, take it easy and be happy in the knowledge that if you are withdrawing you are taking some of the most important steps in your life. I'm not there yet myself but I've read on many sites about the first time you realise you've not had or thought about the paws symptoms for a few days. People say its one of the happiest days of their lives. Surely I'm not far off now!!!

Good luck everyone

Very good advice. Seven weeks seems a long time off. But it's good to know that it's achievable. A day or an hour at a time is very good advice. I still feel like a lead weight. I think I may be distracting myself with food as well but at the moment I'm rolling with it. keep on going I know ~I'll have reached a goal at the 24th when I haven't renewed my prescription.

I'm like you in that I was taking Solphadol 30/500 (effervescent) for about 10 years. For the last 3 or 4 years I was taking the maximum dose (and sometimes more). I've been quite involved in these forums for a while now and I got to say your detox story so far has been the best I've heard. You are very lucky. I'd say that 99% of people wouldn't be able to go to work during some of the first 5 days. I don't believe I could have (for days 2 and 3 for me). Don't let me put you off. I'm sure this is a good sign. Everybody is different in how they are affected. So you're on day 8? Wow you've done really well and congrats on keeping such a positive attitude throughout. On other forums people do talk a lot about days 10 to 20. They seem to be the worst for lack of energy. But then people start to see a dramatic improvement after that. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. It seems you / your body is coping very well with this. And I'll bet that your goal of March is very achievable. You also mentioned distractions with food. Also a massively positive sign. Most people find it hard to get food down them for the first few weeks. Make sure you're making healthy choices. When you say the 24th do you mean of this month? Also your 2 week mark!! The hardest bit is done. All you have to do now is wait, and as spring starts to appear I'm sure it'll feel so much warmer this time round. Good luck AF. Keeps us updated. It really helps others too. And thanks for sharing.

PS - I wonder how Perfect Angel is doing. The person who started this post back in 2008.

I tend to use this forum quite a bit, particularly for support during the darker days!!

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That's where I started reading. I decided it didn't matter that it was 2008. But yes I wonder what happened if she made it or not. It's good to know that days 10 to 20 can be bad as I could be tempted. Today wasn't a particularly good day stomach ache and feeling really sick. It might be symptoms or it might be a bug who knows, we'll see what tomorrow brings. your story sounds so similar to mine I was taking the max dose and then I started taking up to 5 doses I kept thinking this isn't right when you sit down and work out how many a month your taking. If you told someone you had taken 8 paracetamol a day sometimes 10 for the last ten years would they think that was normal. Nooo!!

Just read a post from perfect angel from 5years ago and she said the same thing about craving food as your appetite is suppressed by the tablets and to watch out or you'll struggle with your weight as well. So thats good to know. that it's normal to crave food if your not feeling sick.

Hi Aunt Florence,

I've been on and off this crappy merry go round since 2001 where I was diagnosed with a genetic apparently uncurable disorder and given co-codamols for the pain and left with an open script. Turns out my uncurable condition cured itself after 18 months but by then I was totally reliant on the pills and knew no different. 

It's been a long road since then and only made easier by educating myself on what these horrible pills have done to my body and brain. In a nutshell the chemicals interfere with our nervous system and depletes the brain of all natural chemicals. So once we start detoxing we're pretty much re-booting our entire system from scratch so we have to start putting good stuff back in which our body needs to do this.

I know that all of us want this to be over in a week or two but it really does take time and a very, very positive open mind because it is a long process but it IS do-able ...!!!!!!! After the first week we are so relieved that the acute physical symptoms have subsided we get that " great it must be over " feeling and for that stage it is, now we start healing.

One thing which codeine like all drugs of this type does is interfere with is the reward part of our brains which is responsible for driving our feelings of motivation, reward and behavior. This part of our brain is to make us feel good when we engage in behaviors that are necessary for our survival. These beneficial behaviors include eating, drinking and sex. Basically to make us eat our brain says " you need to eat" so it makes us feel good when we are hungry so we " will " eat. The codeine tricks the brain then to think we need codeine to survive and makes us feel good to just take them.

I hope I don't sound to " sciencey " but it all boils down to facts and figures and if you can read up and learn what your body will do during the detox and withdrawal it will make it that little bit easier. 

The best way to look at it is this, we have not been in the real world for a while so general life without meds is a very different and new place to us so we'll learn to live in it again unrelient on pills to numb us from difficult situations or to motivate us to do a simple everyday task or make our jobs bearable etc. PAWS will affect you and it does not last forever, I've heard all the scary stories of people having PAWS forever, turns out these people are really depressed which the earlier addiction had masked. PAWS is in our hands to control and a positive day by day attitude will kick its arse..

 

Guys

Something I forgot to stress on my last post was that 5-htp work wonders for me. It basically helps out the brain in supplying a bit of feel good factor, and for me really helped with my horrid sleeping. You don't exactly get a buzz from it. It's more of a mood lifter and kind of brings you to normal. I took this from day 20 and took a month's worth - 100mg per day, spread out over the day. I took it on a mixture of full and empty stomach. I think it's important that you're taking a multi vit / min also as this will contain niacin (b6) and a couple of other mins to help your body process the 5-htp.

 

For me day 21 seemed to be the magic day, funnily enough the same time as I started taking 5-htp. Not sure if it was a coincidence or not. Phsychologically or not I felt better and that's what counts!

 

hi all I'm gav and I'm so glad I found this site as I've been looking for some help with my addiction for some time now.I've been addicted to co codamol 30/500 for over three years and secretly got up to taking 200 tablets a week through prescription as well as a former work colleague who has a dad on them who doesn't take them himself so gives them to me for free.having got to the stage where I have no feeling for life or any enthusiasm anymore I want to stop as I'm on the verge of ruining my life.I have a 1 year old daughter and a partner who are both unbelievable and loving and I try hard but have no feeling and I've become more and more detached from them and from what I sense very difficult to be around.after reading all the posts on here I see so many similarities and its so heartening to see a lot of positive outcomes  and I hope one day I can relay the same outcome but for now I know I have a hard time ahead and I'm going down the route of cutting down which I've started by getting rid of my prescription tablets and taking just 2 8/500 before I go to bed which my partner is administering to me to help with sleeping. I would like to hear from anyone who has advice or any other people who would like a support friend as I feel I'm going to need the help thank you for reading my blog and I'm going to post as much as I can.Lastly I just wanted to say thank you for all sharing your accounts as its a lot of help to know I'm not alone with this problem.

Hi Gavin79,

Well you've come to the right place and well done for recognising what the evil pills were doing to you, and for doing something about it. The tapering off method means you'll not go through the horrid "acute withdrawals" and having someone to help and support you while doing this is vital. Going off what I've learnt during my time most people who taper on their own never seem to manage it.

Like the others on this site I'm hear to help in any way I can, and if you ever need to chat or a shoulder to cry on just shout. Even happy to exchange email addresses if it helps you.

What I can say is that one day in the near future you'll look back at the time your life was controlled by these pills and get a sense of massive achievement, and realise how happy you are and how lucky you are to have such a loving and supportive family. Things will get better and you'll have down days but its only temporary. Try and focus on that.
Also try and not taper over too long a period fo time. Experience shows that quicker these things are out of your life, and deal with the readjustments, the better. But this is the opinion of some, and not all.
Tapering will minimise or eliminate the first stage of detox / withdrawal but I don't feel it has any bearing on the secondary stage where your brain chemistry starts to repair itself. Unfortunately there's not enough scientific knowledge about this (pharm companies tend to find other solutions that make them money!!) and I have read some accounts where people have tapered and had no side effects. A lot of it comes down to how much of a positive person you are.

Anyway please keep us updated. It will be really useful for others now and in the future to hear how you tapering method works for you.

Once again congratulations and keep up the good work.

Cody

Hi Gav it soundslike you've already decided and started taking steps, so good luck.

Aunt Florence.

Did you get any help from anyone? Did you tell your Doctor?? Did you tell your partner?? Did you do it alone? I suppose thats all the same question..

What do you think about trying these things to help you through it. I read one post that listed allsorts to help you through it. I would be very cautious that I was swapping one addiction for another. The only think I think I would try would be a vitamin is it B12 for your liver. Did you take anything??

morning all firstly thank you for your input so far it's a great help and an encouragement to see this through and making this first step.So as my 1st night past and sticking to my plan of tapering I have found many of the early withdrawal symptoms kicking in.The body aches bad stomach cramps and insomnia having only achieved 1hours sleep but from reading the same symptoms on other people s accounts I know I'm starting the process.Unfortunately I've had to take a day off from work I went in for a couple of hours but felt to shaky to do my job as well as looking tired my boss sent me home(think she fears its nooro virus as she covered her mouth when talking to me).So far I'm definitely finding day time easier to deal with and I'm going to look into some vitamins as suggested as I'm now realizing the damage I may have caused.To answer a few questions my partner is going to be involved with this problem as she had been aware of the addiction for some time,I haven't told my gp yet and I'm not sure if I will be as I don't know if I'll be labelled as a addict.Right for now I'm going to sign off and hope the rest of the day goes well.Just a quick msg for Cody and aunt Florence I would be more than happy for any communication and my email address is 

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HI , I was put on co codamol nearly 5 years ago , while i was pregnant with my youngest , they helped with the abuse my un born childs father was putting me through , plus helped me to block things out and actually helped me sleep through it all , i now have every sympton going , i started to think i was going through the change , i am a single mom of 3 , my youngest is 4 , and my middle one as epilepsy and bad learning difficulties , i know i need to come of them but aint got the energy to cope with it yet , from what i have looked inti there are hundreds out there who carnt get of these , to be honest they should be banned xx i hope the tests come back ok for u , xx

I haven't told my doctor for the same reason. it's a shame we can't talk to them being as they are partly responsible for the problem. Have you ripped up your repeat prescription or are you like me not brave enough yet??

I'm just over a week in, yesterday was ok today I haven't moved. I haven't really suffered any serious withdrawal symptoms I don't think anyway. I just feel really lethargic. Today I have a headache that I think may be sinus related I would normally have a couple of tablets and it would feel better. I would have definately taken them today if there had been any in the house. just concentrate on a day at a time and soon we'll be like the others above saying it's been seven weeks. I've just been working out I'm on day 11 today just hooping I'll get some of my bounce back soon. keep at it Gav