Mental Health Codeine, alcohol, my job and mental health

[lonelyoldman]

I have diagnosed schizophrenia and autism.

I came off my meds a few weeks back in a bid to lose weight and be less docile.

I had held a community admin job for 4 months but have been having trouble going on now with paranoia, anger episodes and depressed feelings.

I have had a drinking problem a long time. I try to keep it under 50 units a week. Without any other recreational substance this is a struggle for me.

Got my hands on 7 bottles of codeine linctus 200ml 15mg/5ml, so 600mg codeine per bottle. Had one bottle last week and didn't drink any alcohol as a result. Just dosing with 60-90mg doses trying to play it safe.

Could I keep doing this with the other 6 bottles and get a 7 week alcohol break? Is this a dangerous game?

What can I do with my job?

I'm going to discuss a med change with the doctor on 29th July.

Also, is there a more enjoyable and safe way to use the codeine? I obviously get little buzz off these tiny doses but I panic and my breathing gets a bit depressed.

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

Yeah what you're doing is probably not a good idea.

Your meds allowed you to hold a job, right? They kept you less paranoid, depressed, and upset.

Honestly, taking that dose of codeine is less physically harmful than drinking a lot to get drunk (units? You mean ounces? If so, that's a ton of alcohol).

I think the best way to get your job back is talking to your doctor about switching to medication that you can tolerate more. Codeine use for recreation is extremely dangerous in what it could lead to.

 

[Spurs_1882]

I think the OP is probably from the UK. We have the concept of alcohol units here. E.g. 1 litre of vodka is around 38 units.

OP what does the codeine help you with? If you panic, your breathing gets depressed and you get little in the way of a buzz, it doesn't sound like much help. I agree with trying to review your medication with your doctor asap. Hopefully when you are more stable work will be easier.