Help please...

[AimeeCymru1982]

Hi there,
I'm new to this site but I've been reading other people's posts here for quite a while and you seem helpful enough people.
Basically, I have a problem. I am on Fentanyl Patches for post-op pain but also recently realised that I have a problem with addiction to Cuprofen and Nurofen Plus.
I really want to stop this addiction before it gets anymore out of control as I watched someone on TV saying that they were at risk of death etc because they take a strip of 8-10 tablets daily, whereas I take literally HUNDREDS.
The TV programme showed a councellor suggesting he go on methadone which'd be a route I'd be happy to take, but, if I were to go to my GP and say all this, would they stop my patches? I really still need them as without, the pain is unbearable. Also, I used to be prescribed codeine infrequently for movement pain, would this be stopped as well?

Any advice of any sort would be MUCH appreciated and please no one take the mickey or anything as it's taken me ages to get the courage to post here.

 

[villian]

If you are honest with your doctor you will almost certainly lose the patches.

If you are taking fentanyl I'm surprised Nurofen+ even has any effect on you

 

[Ixchellian]

first of all welcome. if yeh have any questions about your darker urges or demons, as well as your triumph over them, feel free to ask. there's lots or knowledge here..... and eww; compassion.

that you're trying to head off being totally junkificated; reduced to pawning/hustling to get the price up for a next hit, and never knowing when yeh gotta find a different place to sleep...... smart move.
nothing about opiates are worth watching the rest of yer life go bloop-bloop, and getting to know what life being reduced to zero looks like.

 

[FkdItAllUp]

hi aimee,
as im not familiar with those drugs im sorry that i cant help you with that.
but isnt methadone used as an alternative for heroin withdrawal? it helps with movement pain for sure but i dont think it would be a good option to use. id rather take valium.

and btw, thumbs up for your courage to post in here!

 

[Pchild]

Fent, and methadone are both used for long term pain, with possibly a short-term med. used. I don't think ANY doc. would write these 2 together. And personally I don't think you should even consider it, especially the methadone. That's if you might ever want off opiates, methadone is a real bear in the woods to deal with.
Best

 

[villian]

If I read the post correctly OP hasn't been on that fentanyl that long, and the real problem is a codeine addicition..

Taking methadone to manage a codeine addiction is a bit more then overkill

 

[AimeeCymru1982]

If you are honest with your doctor you will almost certainly lose the patches.

If you are taking fentanyl I'm surprised Nurofen+ even has any effect on you

Like I said, I have to take literally HUNDREDS and when they were saying on this programme that this guy who takes like 8 per day is 'putting himself at huge risk...' it just sorta hit it home for me how stupid I'm being.

as im not familiar with those drugs im sorry that i cant help you with that.
but isnt methadone used as an alternative for heroin withdrawal? it helps with movement pain for sure but i dont think it would be a good option to use. id rather take valium.

The drugs are opiates both used for post-op pain control.
and yes, methadone is a drug used to come off opiates. I wasn't suggesting I take it for the pain, I was saying that I want to stop taking the Nurofen Plus but not the Fentanyl and if there was any way the doctor would let me take methadone to come off the Nurofen Plus but let me keep the patches for controlling the pain.
It seems a bit catch 22 tho.

 

[AimeeCymru1982]

If I read the post correctly OP hasn't been on that fentanyl that long, and the real problem is a codeine addicition..

Taking methadone to manage a codeine addiction is a bit more then overkill

that's correct.
if you think it's overkill, what'd you personally suggest? it was just that this is what the programme I saw suggested as progress. I'm personally totally clueless as what the best way forward is so any advice is welcome.

 

[Pchild]

Oh my, I did not know the problem was codeine. No, no don't even think about going to methadone. If you have a problem with codeine, you could have one MAJOR problem with methadone. Thats super strong stuff, believe me.

Why do you want anything to substitute for the codeine. With fent., I know you surely should not have any WDs quiting the codeine. So I don't understand unless you really want to ramp up the latter to stronger opiates than codeine.

 

[villian]

Well, first off, you said you are unable to function without the pain meds?

If your goal is to get off the drugs completely, I'd recommend a direct taper off the codeine. Nurofen has 12.8mg codeine per tablet if I remember correctly. Codeine has a ceiling dose of around 500mg (around 50 pills), which means if you take any more then that at once you aren't going to get any higher, because you have maximum receptor coverage. I assume when you say you take hundreds you mean spread out over the day, so you are essentially taking the maximum effective dosage of codeine a few times a day.

If you didn't do the direct taper, a better method of getting off the medication would be using buprenorphine. It is a much better drug (in my opinion) then methadone, and would more then adequately cover the doses of opiates you currently take. You could use it to taper down, or to maintain.

If your long term goal is not to get off the pills all together, you should really look into getting another opiate rather then codeine. Taking hundreds of Nurofen a day is terrible for you, they are full of ibuprofen. You can split the pills longways though, and one half will contain only codeine where the other half contains all the ibueprofen.

If you could state what your long term goal is I'd be happy to help you out a bit more

best of luck

 

[Counterintuitive]

I was saying that I want to stop taking the Nurofen Plus but not the Fentanyl and if there was any way the doctor would let me take methadone to come off the Nurofen Plus but let me keep the patches for controlling the pain..

Okay, you really need to research the drugs that you're taking for a better understanding of their effects - long and short-term. It makes absolutely no sense to be concerned about codeine (Nurofen P) withdrawal, while you are taking Fentanyl. Your primary concern should be the Fentanyl, and if it prescribed for post-op pain... Continue to take it as advised. You should have no problem, in terms of withdrawal, stopping the Nurofen immediately while still using Fent patches. Methadone is a quick ticket to long-term dependency, and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

P.S

T.V is not a reliable source for information. I'm glad it brought you to post on BLight, but I would consult with experienced members here on BLight and professionals for any questions or concerns about addiction. It shouldn't require a T.V program to enlighten you that opiates are addictive and the dangers of being addicted. That's the best that I am able to say with what limited information you've provided.

 

[Ixchellian]

I second staying off methadone. or any "maintenance" med for coming ofc anything something short of a heavy IV heroin/oxy/morphine/etc habit. a taper off of the opiate you're habituated too will take a lot of guess work out ot the ordeal. always try to make your taper as short as possible.... drawing it out only makes the sickness drag out, and relapse more likely.

 

[Gl1mmer1ngVoid]

It sounds like you're worrying yourself too much about the stopping the codeine.... I wouldn't depend on television shows (except maybe a couple) for advice, trust first hand accounts and advice from people here, and your doctor.... try slowly tapering off the codeine and while you're still on the fentanyl you shouldn't feel any withdrawal from the lack of codeine.

Are you prescribed the nurofen? If so let your doctor know you think you should stop taking it, and when you do if you feel any withdrawal or additional pain then let him know and you could go a different route...

 

[Armandfist]

I'd agree with Gl1mmer about not depending on the TV shows since most things on the tellie aim at shock value and ratings...not complete facts or truth. I'm relatively new to BL but there is a wealth of info and wisdom here.