Addicted to Rikodeine, how to stop?

[mandapanda468]

Hi all, sorry if this is a long post

I have found myself really addicted to Rikodeine cough syrup. I've been drinking a bottle of it a day for the past two months and I can't seem to stop This sounds odd, but I don't really even mind the stomach side effects as I have been wanting to lose weight and it really keeps me from eating anything all day long until dinner and has helped me drop a few KG. I also just like the calm effect it has on me, but I am spending so much money on it, over 20 dollars a day and sometimes I have to go to a few different chemists a day as I get recognised. I have hidden this from my husband as well, I am so ashamed of it I tried quitting cold turkey and I got so sick I had to go and get a bottle to make myself feel better. I want this to stop though Should I go to a doctor? Or try to taper off? Could anyone with any experience help me with this one? Thanks to anyone who can offer help and advice I really appreciate it!

 

[Branggen]

That's codeine right? how many mg per day are you taking?

 

[mandapanda468]

That's codeine right? how many mg per day are you taking?

It's a fake type of Codeine, Dihydrocodeine tartrate still available over the counter out here so don't need a script. I am drinking a whole bottle of Rikodeine a day which equates to about 400 mg of fake Codeine, I have become so used to it that it barely gives me a high anymore

 

[Branggen]

Looks like that's equivalent to about 800mg of regular codeine, I would definitely do a taper but some prefer the cold turkey route, doctors have told me cold turkey or any intense withdrawal is hard on the nervous system and I agree, I even go as far as thinking intense withdrawal can create a type of ptsd. Anyways I would say drop 25-50mg every 1 or 2 weeks and speed up or slow down as needed good luck

 

[draculic acid69]

Just stop taking it.u can't be that addicted to it after two months.
Last time I drank it I swore it was the last time.the stomach pains and that sickening strawberry taste makes me feel like.never again.

 

[draculic acid69]

I can tell u the shit they put in it cancels out the good feeling from the dhc

 

[slortaone]

Are you serious?? This cough mixture is NOT available OTC. It is not even listed on the PBS. It is available ONLY on private prescription 200ml bottle if you are in Australia. As for addiction - are you serious???? All you are doing IF you are drinking it is wrecking your GI system that is why you are losing weight. I also note why you have not experienced CNS symptoms such as delirium. You say you are addicted, um ok, to one of the weakest opiates available..............you need immediate methadone maintenance!@!!!!!
I just cannot believe this..........

dihydrocodeine is a real opioid. its actually stronger than codeine. if you can somehow get by the huge amount of sorbitol in it it is habit forming.

this is indeed OTC. Rikodeine has always been OTC, even since the codeine ban.

 

[slortaone]

It is a semi synthetic opioid it is not a "real" opioid.
It IS available OTC as S3 in preparations up to 15mg per dose. I am speaking of S4 100mg per dose. How anyone could get any buzz from such a low dose S3 is beyond me........that is why she is chugging down bottles of it. I also wonder if she is showing her ID for the label........

Dihydrocodeine is indeed a semi-synthetic opioid. it is available OTC.

 

[anonymouse77]

I was drinking about a 200mL bottle every 2 days for a while so I know what it's like. I think you can quit now as it's still early days. The thought of that artificially sweet raspberry flavour even now makes me want to gag. I don't know how you can drink a big bottle a day. Also last time I tried to buy it I was asked for ID so they are cracking down. I feel they will eventually. If you can't stop I think you need to tell your doctor what is going on and they might be able to put you on a suboxone taper or similar. Good luck - you can do it!

 

[slortaone]

im sure they are clamping down on it considering it is the only opioid still available OTC.

i wouldnt recommend suboxone. thats taking it to an extreme. if you really cant live without it then maybe but i promise ull regret every going down the suboxone path, you can taper off this. rikodeine is made in a lab you know the strength of every milliliter... taper down. start using the measuring cups.

i forget how much is in a bottle so when you come back tell us what you use on a daily basis (including other drugs) and im sure someone here will be able to tell you of a good taper plan.

 

[mandapanda468]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies. I am currently drinking a 200 ml bottle a day all in one go, it does make me feel a bit high and calm and the stomach affects don't bother me all that much, I just down it and chase it with a drink of some sort to get rid of the nasty strawberry taste. So I am drinking a full sized bottle a day if I can get it. It is financially taking a toll on me. The chemists I go to do not ask for ID and sometimes I say it's for my "son". I don't have any kids. I am so down on myself for getting so addicted to it, it was just something I took for a legit cough one time and liked the side effects so kept taking it....I am going to try and taper down if I can, quitting cold turkey has made me feel like crap I don't use any other drugs except panadol with codeine every once in a while when I can get it, but that isn't that often. Honestly I don't use anything else.

 

[JessFR]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies. I am currently drinking a 200 ml bottle a day all in one go, it does make me feel a bit high and calm and the stomach affects don't bother me all that much, I just down it and chase it with a drink of some sort to get rid of the nasty strawberry taste. So I am drinking a full sized bottle a day if I can get it. It is financially taking a toll on me. The chemists I go to do not ask for ID and sometimes I say it's for my "son". I don't have any kids. I am so down on myself for getting so addicted to it, it was just something I took for a legit cough one time and liked the side effects so kept taking it....I am going to try and taper down if I can, quitting cold turkey has made me feel like crap I don't use any other drugs except panadol with codeine every once in a while when I can get it, but that isn't that often. Honestly I don't use anything else.

It sounds like you're still fairly early into an opioid addiction.

Please don't think I'm dismissing what you're going though, I'm not. I just mean that you still have time to potentially avoid a lot more pain in the future.

I really hope you're able to taper down and stop, but if you're not, please don't let shame or guilt stop you from trying to get help.

A lot of addictions start like this, and they can get so, so much worse than what you've described.

I know withdrawal feels horrible, even with a fairly mild tolerance it's horrible. But if your habit progresses into a severe opioid addiction, things can still get so much worse.

Good luck man. If you wanna talk, feel free to message me.

Even tapering down you may still find that when you stop entirely you feel like crap, I highly recommend some comfort meds if you feel you can't get through it without it.

The ultimate goal is to stop it controlling your life, it may take various attempts and strategies to find an approach that's best for you.

Good luck.

 

[Aussie Mello guy]

I'd have to disagree with some of what the above poster has said. In a 200ml bottle or rikldeine there is a lot more then 28gm of codeine(that's less then 1 panadeine forte?). It has 19ml of dihydrocodeine in every 10ml. So 380 per bottle of dihydrocodeine, which is 1.5-1.9 times stronger then regular codeine. I know people go on about how codeine is a weak opiate and people that are addicted just need to know what heavier(morphine,H, fentanyl) feels like and that with them it's a real addiction. I say that's fucking bullshit cunt! To anyone who thinks like that... I've been through the heavier shit with addiction but for me 100% the hardest of them for WDs was codeine!! I was taking about 1300-1600 a day and when I tried to stop it was fucking ruthless! I'd prefer oxide wd anytime. My dr explained that codeine can be the hardest one to WD from. You might not believe it seeing how it's one of the weaker opiate but if you like up you will see plenty of places where it's claimed it can be the hardest. Either way I bet it's different for everybody and some people find different opiates harder then some others. Yeh stronger aka more drugs you would think would be harder and probably 95% of the time they might be. But a codeine addiction can and is a proper fucking habit. The shit might not have you on the nod like fentanyl but I assure you it's just as fucking hard to come off. And yes my dr put me on methadone to come off it and then I keep using and fucked the done off ND later chose to go on bupe to kick it. So yes ORT is definitely available for people addicted to codeine. ORT(OPIATE!!) Replacement therapy. Opiate. I'm saying the OP is addicted to about 20+ the amount of codeine (dihydrocodeine) then your saying. And the OP is probably doing it fucking rock solid with WDs. So just cos you been around the scene and knowthe harder opiates don't write op off as not a real habit and rattle off shit that do not really help but dismiss it as not a real WDs. Because I assure you codeine is fucken hard to kick! So to OP I feel your pain and it's going to be fucking tough as fuck... Know you will be able to do it. Many many people do. Happens all the time! It didn't take you a day or a week to get a habit so it's not going to stop over night but stick through the hard shit ND you'll get there. If you can't quite cold turkey and your choice is to get your life back and be functioning again. Find a prescribing Dr that does can sort you out on the program. Methadone or Suboxone and go from there. I'd suggest Suboxone as once you get settled you don't get my sort of high but you honestly don't want to either and you can go back to feeling like you and in time when you feel up to it you can taper down and beat this fucken demon. It's fucked bro but msg me and I'll tell you how I managed to do it and explain abit bout wht I went through and what to expect and shit that helps and all that. Just know it's a marathon not a sprint and it gets easier my man!!


Seriously msg me cause I definitely can help you out...

 

[slortaone]

+1 -

dont let anyone tell you this isnt a real addiction, you are using 380mg of dihydrocodeine a day. they say dihydrocodeine is twice the strength of codeine and neither are fun to come off. dont think for a minute your're consuming anything less than that no matter what you might have read in this thread.

people have been put on suboxone and methadone for lesser addictions. uve just been using for SUCH a short peroid id really advise and hope you didnt take the ORT route. even if you have to go to detox for a week if you cant do it on your own. what commitments do you have? normally id say if you need to hide the fact you were in detox for a week id suggest you tell people youre going on a holiday but right now obviously that isnt an option. are you hiding it from many people that would notice you missing for a week? uve been on it for such a short time, 2 months... you can detox and be done with this. if it was 2 years i might be saying something different. dont make this a life long ordeal.

edit - i looked at some conversion rates of codeine to morphine (dihydrocodeine seems harder to find conversion rates on). at 380mg it seems you're taking daily what would equal at the minimum 30mg morphine, on the high end it could be 65mg. dihydrocodeine is said to be double the strength of codeine tho... so i dont know if you should double those numbers? maybe someone that knows more than me could say something. i just hope you dont feel like this is a walk in the park to quit because it isnt, its a nasty habit that uve, luckily, not had for too long.

get back to us and stay safe.

 

[Freedome]

You’ll feel like shit, but cold turkey won’t kill you.

I just wouldn’t plan on doing much for the next week or so.

If you can, avoid addictive things during this time. Don’t swap one habit for another, it sucks, been there, still am, just don’t have an opiate problem anymore.

I was addicted to Poppy Seed Tea for over 2 years, used ALOT of codiene in that time with CWEs, and Oxy.
Cold turkey on that was a very painful 14 days. But we’re talking withdrawal from nearly 50 alkaloids in PST (codiene, morphine and theobaine being the main ingredients). Painful, but do able.

Of course it’s no bullshit, it’s a prodrug for morphine (codiene).
Heck, one of heroins so loved effects are from the metabolism to morphine. Get what I’m saying..?

Good luck. Don’t stress. Excercise. Baths and showers. Don’t worry about sleep, you can catch up once the PAWS start.

 

[slortaone]

at one time i enjoyed tramadol more than morphine and oxycodone. many years down the track, i got a tolerance and things are different now. i don't enjoy tramadol at all anymore but enjoy morphine and oxycodone. everyone is different.

 

[Freedome]

^ exactly. Everyone’s different.

Is working out the exact amount of morphine required at this point?

I understand rikodiene is not codiene, and metabolises different. That’s why I said codiene.

All in all, an opiate addiction is an opiate addiction, everyone will act differently to stopping.

Avoid the need for benzos as above advice. Don’t swap to something that takes even longer to withdraw from if you become addicted, and to be honest, that’s a possible outcome that will spiral down even worse within time....

I’ve felt amazing relief from codeine in the past. Being able to get rid of pain makes life work a bit easier if your sensible.

 

[anonymouse77]

^ exactly. Everyone’s different.

Is working out the exact amount of morphine required at this point?

I understand rikodiene is not codiene, and metabolises different. That’s why I said codiene.

All in all, an opiate addiction is an opiate addiction, everyone will act differently to stopping.

Avoid the need for benzos as above advice. Don’t swap to something that takes even longer to withdraw from if you become addicted, and to be honest, that’s a possible outcome that will spiral down even worse within time....

I’ve felt amazing relief from codeine in the past. Being able to get rid of pain makes life work a bit easier if your sensible.

I dabbled in rikodeine for a while when I couldn't get prescribed pain killers but stopped all that now and am now spiraling into alcohol use so it does happen. I seemed to be happier and more stable when I was on daily subutex film for a few weeks but the hassle of continually going to doctors to adjust the dose and the chemist put me off. I was active and walking daily at that time and seemed to care a bit more.

 

[rikoshea]

I went through this shit after codeine was made script only, at one point I was grabbing 2 or 3 bottles a day, vomiting constantly. 9 months off it now.

Hope OP is okay.

 

[Flower Fairy]

dihydrocodeine is a real opioid. its actually stronger than codeine.

DHC (DF118s) work on me but codeine phosphate doesn't even in doses of 18 x 30mg but 4 x 30mg DHC gives me a chilled high but BAD CONSTIPATION so I can't take it

they say dihydrocodeine is twice the strength of codeine

Its nothing like it, it's different I don't know how, I can take 10 times as much codeine as Dihydrocodeine and still not feel anything from codeine other than ITCHING SO BAD that I scratch my skin off, scratch it raw!