7 days into a Codeine withdrawal and I feel awful

[Lobenn]

Good Morning
I'm 7 days into a codeine withdrawal (CT) and I'm having a rough time this morning. I haven't had much sleep and I can't seem to stop crying. I am trying to do this without further medication although I did try using some OTC sleep aids the first few nights but as they only allowed me an hour or twos sleep and left me feeling medicated but not any better I stopped them. I started taking codeine again just over a year ago after been free of them for a few years as a coping mechanism after losing my Dad, my Mum then passed away pretty soon after so its been a little harsh. I have no intention of using, I'm not even slightly tempted but I literally have no support ATM, since losing my Dad I've isolated myself to the point that I barely speak to anyone. I suppose I'm just looking for a little reassurance that this level of emotion and crappy feeling isn't going to last forever.
Thank you in advance.

 

[Rovraldo]

Hey, first time post for myself so Im going to try do as best I can to help in your situation.

I myself have been battling an opiate addiction for close to 4 years now. My DOC was Heroin and I got into a pretty regular daily usage pattern many a year ago now. I have used the facilities available to me being pharmacotherapy, both methadone and currently suboxone.
I still struggle myself to not use as its something that gives me a desire to live life to the fullest and then on the other side im a depressed wreck. I have suffered myself from depression and anxiety for many years even before drug use just like many other addicts on here. Anyway enough about my background, im terribly sorry to hear that you have had to deal with your parents passing recently. I cannot begin to imagine how bad that must impact on you so i wont lie and say i know how you feel as i genuinely dont. But what i do know is using substances for coping mechanisms for the emotions that we experience in our lives regardless to what its caused by. Really great to hear that you have no intention of going back to the drug. Thats a fucking top move man and I take my hat of to you. And be proud that you managed to just keep it at codiene. Most people cant do that so be happy about the fact you didnt take it too farw hen you easily could of. Times will be rough for a while but you will come out the other side stronger than ever before. You will slowlyfeel better. the pain will never fully go away but you will learn to live and deal with it and if you do it without drugs then you will be a winner in life my friend. I been through some tough times myself too so if you ever want to speak please dont hesitate to PM me. Im allways here for people who need the help, whether that be just listening or provideing advice. Take care and i hope things start to get better. If shit gets back regardiling WD, immodium will work wonders for alto of the feelings especailly with it only being codiene. You will make it, trust me. Pm if you want. good luck and much love.

 

[CorinaC]

Hi Lobenn,

How are you feeling today? I'm on day 3 of wd and it truly sucks. I feel even worse because I was massively addicted to tramadol and was taking in excess of 1000mg daily for about 3 years till I overdosed and had a seizure at work 2 years ago. I cold turkeyed from it then and I went through hell. I was so very ill, I didn't sleep a wink for 4 days, didn't eat a thing, couldn't even keep water down. I was freezing cold but sweating, had awful runs, huge anxiety and depression and just felt awful. As the physicals wore off I just couldn't get back to normal so I stupidly relapsed onto codiene so here I am 2 years later going through WD again. Thankfully it's nowhere near as bad as it was coming off Tramadol but man it sucks. The worst thing I think is feeling so worn out all the time I can barely even wash my hair. I feel very teary and can't sleep due to restless legs. I have a docs appointment tonight so I'm going to ask for something to see me through the next few days.

I just keep telling myself that it will get better. One thing I have found to help is loporomide (immodium). If you take say, 6 x 2mg tablets, it really does help. Whether this is a placebo effect or it actually works I dont know but either way I'm not complaining!

Remember Lobenn that you're not on your own, we are here for you.

I hope to hear back from you.

Peace and Love to all x

 

[Xorkoth]

Hey guys, it will absolutely get better! It just takes some time. The good news is that once you're past the acute withdrawals, it gets better as time goes on until you realize you feel good again without opiates. I was addicted to opiates (various ones) for 10 years, and I'm over 4 years clean from them now and I don't even think about doing them anymore. 4 years is a long time, but I've felt this way for a long time now, they're way in my past. As much as opiates seem to help with your problems short-term, they bring you down to a place where even the best you feel in a day, right during the peak of being high, is still many times worse than the way you normally feel without opiates.

Withdrawal sucks, and it's scary, but at least with opiates, you can cold turkey and be done with it relatively quickly. Some drugs, like benzos, are life-threatening to cold turkey from, and require a long, drawn-out taper and can take years to recover from. Silver linings.

 

[FnX]

Xorkoth, the silver linings are a kind thought, but honestly during withdrawal pretty much the last thought that could come up in my head is "well, things could always be worse!". Even though I agree, thoughts like that just wouldn't really help me at least :D. Still, the only constant thing around is change and I can 100% promise everyone going through opiate withdrawal that it will get better over time (the withdrawal symptoms). If it didn't, it would mean homeostasis of the body was a concept of the past, possible to cheat or somehow avoid and therefore withdrawal itself would become avoidable. 10 years of addiction and over 4 years clean is quite a feat though and at least to me it's quite reassuring that things get better.

 

[E563]

Hey, I'm a newbie to blue light and never posted so hope this works! Codeine was the first thing I searched on this because I'm trying to get off them myself but struggling. It's so nice to know I'm not on my own and read things that I can relate too and talk to people who will understand. You're doing so well to have stayed off them for 7 days (hopefully longer by now!) I didn't actually know that it wasn't dangerous to go cold turkey so I'm relieved to hear that. I want to stop but I don't want to stop if that makes sense?! The doctor was reducing my codeine phosphate 30mg weekly to try and get me off them but I came clean and told her the truth that I relapsed and was taking more than I should and she stopped them altogether. I feel like I'm being punished for trying to do the right thing. Now I'm spending ridiculous amounts to buy them to reduce myself and it's causing problems with my family. I'm sorry for the rant and thank you to anyone who reads this!

 

[clubcard]

http://michaellinnell.org.uk/michael_linnell_archive/mc_dermotts_guides/pdf/M2 DIY detox.pdf

The original and still the best information. One important detail missing from the reprints was that the worse you are, the less you need to feel a lot better. If someone using 300mg several times a day uses 50mg so they sleep, they stand a much better chance. Codeine is supposed to have a ceiling effect but depending on your genetic makeup, that ceiling could vary hugely. Using minimal doses can make it a good servant - but it takes a terrible master.

Never give up giving up. If you fail one day, just get back up and carry on.

 

[echohead]

I've had some success with a long-term codeine withdrawal by cycling phenibut and tianeptine (sulfate) along with various other supplements such as l theanine.