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Opioids Codeine causing anxiety?

Pico's

Greenlighter
Joined
Jun 7, 2012
Messages
12
Location
Scotland
So recently when I've taken codeine I've been getting pretty bad anxiety.

I used to take codeine semi-regularly a few years ago and always really enjoyed it, I got the usual nods and sense of wellbeing, and only really stopped when I tried tramadol, which I enjoyed much more(and also had the added benefit of not needing to be drank in a horrible solution) so due to this and also having a fairly regular supply of trams I no longer felt inclined towards codiene.

I stopped having such easy access to tramadol after a year or so of this and up until last year sometime I only really took downers every so often when a friend passed them out or had some to sell. So last year it just kind of hit me, I'd forgotten about CWE! Fucking awesome I thought!

It didn't quite turn out as expected though, as I said I was anxious from basically the moment I felt them kicking in, and it was a real horrible kind of anxiety, like a fear of the world, it almost felt like I was having a bad psych trip. Luckily though from being so fucked I could just crash out and sleep it off.

So since then I've taken it probably around ten more times, a couple more times just to test and curse the lords of the high, and a few times I've literally just forgotten how fucked up it made me and had to learn all over again. Last night was one of those times, I was sitting around pretty bored and broke when I thought I'd go and get some codeine, and was looking forward to it, and actually enjoyed it for about ten mins when I started feeling the anxiety creeping, I had luckily only taken about 200mg so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

I've had tramadol and oxycodone since this first happened and neither has given me the slightest hint of anxiety. Basically I'm just wondering if anyone else has this issue, or if anyone knows why this might be causing me to be anxious, whereas before it had completely the opposite effect?
 
Twice as much caffeine As there is codeine in t1s, 500mg + caffeine at once will definetly cause anxiety
 
I assume t1's are tylenol? I'm in the UK so none of that here, I'm also very careful not to pick up codeine/paracetamol tablets that contain caffeine (made that mistake before, you are very much right!)
 
that's a good point...how much caffeine is in what you're taking?...cuz the cwe doesn't rid the caffeine.
beyond that..
tram can do funny things to people and you were on it quite awhile...
and by downers i'm assuming you mean benzos which come with
added anxiety when stopped...
but pbuilders thought was my first thought too...
i will only ever take pure codeine phosphate pills...
otherwise count me out...
i've got enough problems already.

~token
 
When I used to take codeine (in form of t3s, which had something like 30mg codeine, 30mg caffeine and 325mg APAP, or thereabouts), I'd always get a little gittery anxious, but I don't think it was the caffeine. rather, I was more used to stronger opioids at the time (spoiled as I was) and the brevity of codeine's high pissed me off and ended up making me anxious. no joke. then again, I was predisposed to anxiety problems at the time, and shortly after that ended up going on ativan at a low dose for six or so months....

but yes, in a nut shell: codeine pissed me off, which made me anxious, all cause it wasn't as strong as the opioids I was used to at the time. for some reason I do think this had something to do with codeine, as I've never experienced it with any other opioid, whether stronger or weaker than codeine ("weaker" opioids like tramadol at low doses I still love, and have no problems with it... well, as much as one can love an inanimate object).

I'm kind of convinced codeine cause me anxiety because it would get my superbly high, making me feel as any other opioid would more or less make me feel at that time, but the high would disappear so fast so quickly. Hence, pissing me off. Or, rather, leaving more a little more sensitive to things going on around me that normally wouldn't have caused me much concern. But, since I wished I was high, and ticked for that reason, such stuff was more prone to eat at me (or I guess it's more accurate to say I was more receptive to letting myself allow it to eat at me).
 
There's absolutely zero caffeine in the pills I'm taking, they are straight up paracetamol and codeine phosphate. Also with the trams I wasn't taking them often enough to build an addiction, the height of my habit would see me taking them 2-3 days on the trot about once or twice a month, which probably lasted for around 6 months.

The longest period I took them daily was for about a week and a half and I had a good month long break after that. The benzo's I took at an even lesser rate as I've never enjoyed them as much, I've probably only taken benzos around 10 - 15 times in the last two years and it's been 1 or 2 valium/temaz to enjoy with a smoke, so I've never experienced w/d from either of these.

Really confused about this 8(
 
Could it be mental ? It's a long shot, but I have experienced it. I grew up in a christian school K-8th Grade, the first time I fucked a girl I had damn near a breakdown from the anxiety. I am not saying that yours has anything to do with religion, but could there be something going on in your head that creates enough guilt to cause that kind of reaction ? Just a thought.

-Sunshine.
 
There's absolutely zero caffeine in the pills I'm taking, they are straight up paracetamol and codeine phosphate. Also with the trams I wasn't taking them often enough to build an addiction, the height of my habit would see me taking them 2-3 days on the trot about once or twice a month, which probably lasted for around 6 months.

The longest period I took them daily was for about a week and a half and I had a good month long break after that. The benzo's I took at an even lesser rate as I've never enjoyed them as much, I've probably only taken benzos around 10 - 15 times in the last two years and it's been 1 or 2 valium/temaz to enjoy with a smoke, so I've never experienced w/d from either of these.

Really confused about this 8(

i'm confused about it too...
you know..the first thought that comes to my head once you say there's no caffeine in it..is
codeine..and dhc are both stimulating opiates for me..
i am extremely prone to anxiety...i'm pretty much always anxious about one thing or another, or 80.
but..I don't experience more anxiety from codeine than i would w/o it..but if i wasn't
an anxious mess..then maybe after a couple hundred mg. of codeine i would be??
you said you'd had it many times w/o this side effect, so i didn't bring it up..
but the anxiety could be caused by that ...
or a million other things..
it is a mystery op..good luck.

~token
 
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I find when I'm in the wrong mindstate or worried about my health, just about any drug will give me anxiety. Even opiates.

It's most likely completely mental, but it could also be your body telling you to stay straight for a while. Best to take a 'wait and see' approach.
 
This was my first thought on it, I think I've probably had a relatively similar upbringing to yours which has resulted in my being extremely overly analytical and anxious, but it's just such a fucking insanely strong feeling, so intense it almost hurts, it's very different from any other kind of anxiety I've ever felt even whilst on uppers, it's just so strange.
The other thing that makes me think it's the substance rather than me is I can still take trams, oxycodone and even benzo's without the same thing happening.
Oh well guess I'm just gonna have to chalk it up to one of those things.

EDIT: also thanks guys, your input is much appreciated, I'm actually gonna have another go with them tonight as I'm not doing anything and I'd like to experiment so I'm gonna go out and have a walk and see if this helps. After this I'll probably not take them again for the foreseeable future as they're not really worth this hassle.
 
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Pico, it could be so many different things.. Right now I am dealing with anxiety because of too much caffeine and a super strong bupe buzz (did not expect it) that combined feels like a low dose amph. I would suggest just staying away from codeine unless you absolutely need it to stay out of WD's. If the cons out weigh the pro's then it's time to move away from what you are doing.. Good luck and I hope you get to feeling better.

-Sunshine.
 
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Thanks badstones, I will take your advice and steer clear after tonight, tbh codeine has never been more than a once a month experience for me so it won't be hard. I am curious about it though so I'm going to give it one last go tonight. Thanks again!
 
"If the cons outweigh the pro's then it's time to move away from what you are doing.."

everyday, i find a new wallpaper on here...;)
 
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