Opioids headaches from daily codeine

[belligerent drunk]

I have been using codeine daily for a little over a month. Recently, about a week ago, I started experiencing very subtle headaches in the evening. I will describe everything below.

I had been using codeine prior almost daily, but the use moved onto being daily about 40 days ago. I went up from 250 mg to 300 mg an evening, with some evenings going up to 450 mg. I never take it during the day or in the morning, usually after I get home at around 6-7pm, latest being 8pm. I sleep well and enough, wake up fresh and don't experience anything withdrawal-like at all during the day. Now come evening, I start feeling a slight headache at about 5pm, which slowly increases in intensity until I take my codeine dose. It is in no way strong, just a little bit unpleasant. About 30 minutes after taking my dose (on an empty stomach always) the headache dissipates.

I thought mild opioid withdrawal at first, but it doesn't check out. Morphine and codeine have short half-lives so I expect there is practically no significant amounts of morphine left in my system by morning, so if it was withdrawal then it would start a lot earlier. Also, there is no other typical opioid withdrawal symptoms, and lastly what I take shouldn't really result in withdrawal in the first place.

So maybe it's a sort of paracetamol withdrawal? I estimate that I ingest about 1.5g of paracetamol each time, the very maximum being 2g (I perform CWE). I have read that people using only paracetamol, daily in high quantities, for pain relief would get headaches upon stopping. Could that be the case here?

I don't take any other drugs, only drink coffee 3-4 days a week. I eat and sleep well, have physical and mental exercise every day. Any input and speculations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Conspirator]

Cocaine will cause headaches in some people... all severe long term cocaine use will cause chronic headaches eventually. This is likely due to the dendritic remodeling that it does to the spiny neurons in the Nucleus Accumbens (pain center of your brain). Based on experimentation on rats, this is thought to take about a month to cause effects. The damage from short term use such as a few months will likely not last long, just a few weeks to a month, but long term chronic cocaine use is thought to be able to cause damage that takes over 50 years to repair... Not to mention what you're doing to your heart. None of this has been entirely confirmed or disproved, but is one of the leading theories as to why chronic cocaine abuse leads to headaches, depression and body pain. Whether or not this is the cause, cocaine is known to cause headaches and there is no such thing as apap withdrawal as far as I know.

I recommend that you stop your daily cocaine use and use in moderation, no more than twice a week as well as get off completely for a week or so, then use in moderation if you must. This will also help get your tolerance down.

 

[pbuilder]

Cocaine will cause headaches in some people... all severe long term cocaine use will cause chronic headaches eventually. This is likely due to the dendritic remodeling that it does to the spiny neurons in the Nucleus Accumbens (pain center of your brain). Based on experimentation on rats, this is thought to take about a month to cause effects. The damage from short term use such as a few months will likely not last long, just a few weeks to a month, but long term chronic cocaine use is thought to be able to cause damage that takes over 50 years to repair... Not to mention what you're doing to your heart. None of this has been entirely confirmed or disproved, but is one of the leading theories as to why chronic cocaine abuse leads to headaches, depression and body pain. Whether or not this is the cause, cocaine is known to cause headaches and there is no such thing as apap withdrawal as far as I know.

I recommend that you stop your daily cocaine use and use in moderation, no more than twice a week as well as get off completely for a week or so, then use in moderation if you must. This will also help get your tolerance down.

He said codeine not cocaine.

 

[Invisible Helper]

Never heard of Tylenol withdrawal don't think it exists in fact your body gets resistant to Tylenol . I think it is opiate withdrawal because it would make sense codeine is a weak opiate , your dosing and length of dosing withdrawal would start at about hour 18-20 which is next day 3-5 pm headaches are the weakest of withdrawal symptoms ... H addicts get head aches within a few hours lol be lucky you realize how opiate withdrawal sneaks up on you quit and don't fuck with it like my dumb ass did. But than again you probably have a gene for opiate addiction you're already taking 450 mgs

 

[Opiatehell85]

Hi BD, I was just reading your profile on seeing if I could return the advice favour, and it seems I can. As u know I'm addicted to codeine and have been for three years!

I mainly take take mine in the morning/day as if I take of a night I can't sleep, it gives me energy which is strange I know. Anyway, I'm fine of a night if I don't take as my body is used to getting it during the day, so if I take at (for example) 3pm each day, then by the time that time is approaching the next day, I would start with a headache and achey legs, and then the rest of the symptoms would start to appear in the hours after. It's very strange, but I can go a whole 24hrs without it, then if it reaches a minute past the usual time I take it, my withdrawal starts, it's like my body has an alarm, it knows by habit when I need to take it and I suppose it's it's own way of telling you to take some. I know the half life is short, but it must almost be gone completely after 24 hours. If you have been taking almost every day for the past three months you will definitely recieve some withdrawal from it. I did when I stopped the first time after two months of taking it, so much that I continued for a further three years.

Please try try and stop before it does get a hold of you. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Weak opiate or not, it's withdrawal is nasty!!

Hope ive helped you a little and you understand a bit better, xx