Codeine - redosing just after 30 minutes, useful or a waste?

[Dopa-Amine]

Hi,

I am a codeine newbie and I am using it to go through my tramadol withdrawal (horrible withdrawal, by the way). Luckily, I have benzos at hand so I can at least get some sleep.

I am new to codeine and have some from when I was at the A&E some months ago. Yesterday, I read around Bluelight for doses and decided to be conservative for my first dose, only doing 106 mgs on an empty stomach on single dose. I felt a bit fuzzy for an hour but that was it.

Today, I decided to take 120mgs, went into the shower, had a warm bath (great for withdrawals) and 20-30 mins later I decided to take another 46 mgs for a total of 166 mgs.

My issue comes with re-dosing. I am aware that redosing with codeine is futile if done within the span of 6 hours after the first dose but I was wondering if redosing so fast as I did (only 20-30 mins) would still have allowed for the second dose to contribute to the first dose as if it was just one single dose. I took it on an empty stomach (fasted state) and I have read that codeine takes 30 to 45 mins to express itself.

Have I just wasted this extra 46 mgs? Or was redosing so fast still worth it bearing in mind codeine's particular metabolism?

Many thanks

 

[bupropion]

How much tramadol were you taking? I stopped 200mg abruptly with no problem. Why don't you buy some on the Internet and taper it? I find codeine to be a stronger drug comparable to morphine or oxycodone, but I am probably a good metabolizer. Fentanyl seemed stronger to me but that was a full dose for anesthesia, although it does have greater lipid solubility so it penetrates into more areas of the brain.

I have codeine to act after 10 minutes or faster if chewed.

 

[i against i]

I find codeine to be a stronger drug comparable to morphine or oxycodone, but I am probably a good metabolizer.

this makes no sense.

 

[bupropion]

Some people have multiple copies of the enzyme that metabolize codeine into morphine.

 

[i against i]

but then it's not stronger is it? only 5% is metabolised into morphine which is rapidly excreted. 80% is turned to codeine-6-glucuronide.

 

[Dopa-Amine]

How much tramadol were you taking? I stopped 200mg abruptly with no problem. Why don't you buy some on the Internet and taper it? I find codeine to be a stronger drug comparable to morphine or oxycodone, but I am probably a good metabolizer. Fentanyl seemed stronger to me but that was a full dose for anesthesia, although it does have greater lipid solubility so it penetrates into more areas of the brain.

I have codeine to act after 10 minutes or faster if chewed.

I have been taking 200-250mgs for about 6 months every day. Tramadol is my drug of choice, I don't use it for the opiate effect, I actually dislike it (makes me a bit schizo), but I find it to be the best AD for the initial 5 hours. 200mgs lifts my depression up, that's the only drug I do. Many people say it is shit, but tramadol is a drug that works in the background and it will not floor you unless you go above 400mgs, which I don't want to do as that's not what I am after.

Anyway, please reply to my enquiry, I don't seem to be feeling much of an upgrade in dose from today's 2 doses as opposed to yesterday's small dose.

Thanks!

 

[i against i]

tbh codeine is so weak that anyone with an appreciable opiate tolerance, which you have, will probably not gain much from it except minor wd relief, i doubt even an opiate naive person would notice a 50mg change in dose, beyond placebo. are you CWEing it or do you have pure codeine?

 

[Dopa-Amine]

tbh codeine is so weak that anyone with an appreciable opiate tolerance, which you have, will probably not gain much from it except minor wd relief, i doubt even an opiate naive person would notice a 50mg change in dose, beyond placebo. are you CWEing it or do you have pure codeine?

Pure codeine phosphate pills (30mgs) and then I throw in an extra two 8/500 (codeine/acetaminophen).

I don't think I am that opiate tolerant, I still feel the opiate effect even from 150mgs of tramadol and 250/300mgs has me nodding.

So, do you think that redosing ceodine within the time frame of 30 minutes can still be counted as a single dose? Or what would be the leeway allowed after dosing codeine to throw in an extra dose?

I am asking this because I have read how redosing codeine is worthless but surely, in the time that codeine saturates the enzymes converting it to morphine, there must be a small time frame that would allow for further codeine to be taken and converted to morphine as the first dose would, even if it is only 5 minutes.

Apologies if I am not being clear enough, my mind feels hazy, which is ONE thing I have noticed from codeine, even at the low doses I have taken (something tramadol doesn't give me BTW).

Thansk!

 

[effie]

Codeine inhibits its own metabolism so redosing is pretty pointless until most of the drug is out of your system. It's because of this, not saturating the enzyme, that redosing doesn't really work.

It's a really complex drug - only 5-10% is converted to morphine, and a big chunk to codeine-6-glucuronide as i-to-i said, but people argue about the relative importance of each. Some people do seem to get drastically more from codeine than others, and high/low metabolisers seems to make a difference - but at the same time myself and many others have taken doses above the "ceiling" (which relies in morphine being the primary active metabolite) and have definitely got significantly stronger effects. Even when I had a bigger tolerance than I do now, high dose codeine (above the ceiling) would still hit me - where as others with hardly any tolerance don't get much from it at all..

Hrmm I'm not sure now if codeine inhibits its metabolism to codeine-6-glucuronide as well as to morphine now.. may have to look this one up.