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Opioids How fast can I taper codeine?

jayne1047@

Greenlighter
Joined
Apr 4, 2024
Messages
6
Basically I’ve had a BAD codeine addiction for the last 6 years. At the worst of it, I was taking up to 1500mg a day. For the last 8 months or so I’m down to 300mg a day, I don’t use it to get high anymore, I just take it so the withdrawals don’t happen (been through it many many times and I honestly think if I have to go through it again, I will end myself to make it stop.) I know that lots of people here can tolerate a codeine withdrawal, but I can’t. I’ve tried. But I’m at a point where if I don’t get myself off this shit NOW, I won’t be around to see 27. My weekly prescription is only 30 30mg codeine tablets. So do the math and they last me 3 days before I start doing pharmacy runs for nurofen plus (paracetamol makes me throw up so i can only take the ibuprofen/codeine tablets) to last until my next prescription. Yes, I now have a stomach ulcer. I’ve never wanted to try a CWE for fear of messing it up, not getting enough of the codeine in my system and ultimately going into withdrawal. Hence my desperation more than ever to get off this shit before it kills me at 26. I’ve been too pussy to continue lowering my dose, I was doing it slowly for months and then around 8 months ago I just got stuck at 300mg a day, overcome with fear at the thought of dropping any lower. I don’t know why. I think I’m scared that the codeine, whilst not getting me “high” anymore, is still alleviating some of the severe anxiety and depression I’ve struggled with since I was a kid and I fear how horrible life will feel all the time when I come off them. But I have to try. So from a dose of 300mg a day, how low do you think I can jump and still feel relatively okay and bearable? Cause I’m absolutely terrified of going into withdrawal, I legitimately think I’ve got PTSD from all the times I’ve had to put myself through that. I can’t deal with the full blown withdrawals at all but also don’t want to die from the ibuprofen melting my stomach lining and splitting a hole in my stomach or some other horrible painful way to die. :(
 
Sorry I don't have an answer because I've never used codeine or had a painkiller problem. But I was curious... your goal is to stop use altogether correct?
 
You've got several issues going on here at once, the codeine but also the ibuprofen. I can't speak for dealing with codeine withdrawal, but you really need to cut back that ibuprofen. That sounds like a really high dose and actually more harmful for you than the codeine itself. Try the CWE. Even if you lose some small amount of codeine in the process, what the hell, you wanted to cut back on it anyhow. Or another thing, maybe replace some of the nurofen with a paracetamol-codeine formulation, keeping your daily paracetamol under the max suggested while still reducing the ibuprofen.
Of course the best thing is to reduce the lot, but I'll leave that advice to someone else.
Good luck, mate!
 
Basically I’ve had a BAD codeine addiction for the last 6 years. At the worst of it, I was taking up to 1500mg a day. For the last 8 months or so I’m down to 300mg a day, I don’t use it to get high anymore, I just take it so the withdrawals don’t happen (been through it many many times and I honestly think if I have to go through it again, I will end myself to make it stop.) I know that lots of people here can tolerate a codeine withdrawal, but I can’t. I’ve tried. But I’m at a point where if I don’t get myself off this shit NOW, I won’t be around to see 27. My weekly prescription is only 30 30mg codeine tablets. So do the math and they last me 3 days before I start doing pharmacy runs for nurofen plus (paracetamol makes me throw up so i can only take the ibuprofen/codeine tablets) to last until my next prescription. Yes, I now have a stomach ulcer. I’ve never wanted to try a CWE for fear of messing it up, not getting enough of the codeine in my system and ultimately going into withdrawal. Hence my desperation more than ever to get off this shit before it kills me at 26. I’ve been too pussy to continue lowering my dose, I was doing it slowly for months and then around 8 months ago I just got stuck at 300mg a day, overcome with fear at the thought of dropping any lower. I don’t know why. I think I’m scared that the codeine, whilst not getting me “high” anymore, is still alleviating some of the severe anxiety and depression I’ve struggled with since I was a kid and I fear how horrible life will feel all the time when I come off them. But I have to try. So from a dose of 300mg a day, how low do you think I can jump and still feel relatively okay and bearable? Cause I’m absolutely terrified of going into withdrawal, I legitimately think I’ve got PTSD from all the times I’ve had to put myself through that. I can’t deal with the full blown withdrawals at all but also don’t want to die from the ibuprofen melting my stomach lining and splitting a hole in my stomach or some other horrible painful way to die. :(
You want to stop entirely, correct??? You've an issue, a medical one which complicates the matter, and in my opinion requires the intervention of an md, that ulcer can be greatly aggravated via any wd syndrome. You need to seek out a professional and come clean with them, one of the worst complicating factors of prescription drug abuse is with these pain meds that are mixtures of tylenol/ibuprofen and an opioid. for just the reasons you describe. I am more concerned with the ulcer than the wd syndrome, which can be a serious complication...
 
Ibuprofen can cause ulcers so that would be my guess where that came from. Even if you did a cwe on the pills there could have still been enough to maybe cause a ulcer. Either way dont take ibuprofen or any anti inflammatory ever again and see a doctor.
 
You've got several issues going on here at once, the codeine but also the ibuprofen. I can't speak for dealing with codeine withdrawal, but you really need to cut back that ibuprofen. That sounds like a really high dose and actually more harmful for you than the codeine itself. Try the CWE. Even if you lose some small amount of codeine in the process, what the hell, you wanted to cut back on it anyhow. Or another thing, maybe replace some of the nurofen with a paracetamol-codeine formulation, keeping your daily paracetamol under the max suggested while still reducing the ibuprofen.
Of course the best thing is to reduce the lot, but I'll leave that advice to someone else.
Good luck, mate!
* THIS IS A LONG REPLY, BUT ITS VERY INFORMATIONAL, AND IT'S ME DOING THE BEST I CAN TO HELP, FROM MY PART. SO PLEASE, READ IT ALL TO THE END @jayne1047@ *

Ya, I don't know about where OpnLives but, in my country, the OTC meds you can get that include code in has like 300 mg paracetamol/acetaminophen, on the LOW End, and still Only 12.5mg of codeine sulfate sooo. Yikes. Likes just to take 300 milligrams of codeine daily, like op is doing now. That would be around 25 pills of the OTC stuff, so at least 7.5 GRAMS of acetaminophen. I unfortunately dunno abt the ibuprofen versions, but they are just as bad, if not worse. So when op was taking 1500mg codeine daily that would be like 200 PILLS in a day. Like the fact that you're even living now op, if a freaking miracle. And in not joking. Op is, or op YOU ARE completely wrecking your organs like they're probably already destroyed a this point.

And this is coming from a guy and ex-alcoholic who got Chronic pancreatitis at 24 years old because, he drank yo to a complete one-and-a-half of those paper carton boxes of wine a Day, that you could get for super cheap. You know the ones with 3 Liter of shit wine in them, and a regular glass bottle of wine has 0.75L or 750ml, so I that's 6 Bottles of wine a day, every single day, mixed with whatever pills I had. Not a fun time, and I have to live with this pancreatitis shit forever. It will never go away, I have to be checked at the hospital at least once a year, it causes issues for my other organs, and I will always be in some kind of pain, Even though mild 90% of the time, it's still there pretty much constantly, even now that I'm Sober from drinking it there, and I can still eat the wrong thing that would be hard to digest for my body, like a tough steak and it will Cause me a lot of pain still.

And this shit you're going still sounds more insane to me, like God damn op just keep doing cold water extractions and eventually you would be a master. Instead you went "Nah imma master how to execute my liver, kidneys and prob pancreas too." it's not like the medication is super expensive. My country is an expensive one, and it's $4 for 20 pills. So just try with like 10 pills and keep trying till you're a master. But all this is already way too late now, I guess. I am really sorry op, but I think you've done irrepairable damage to your inner body. Now, in seriousness, if I were you, I would recommend you to go see or find some type of addiction center for addicts, where they'll help you. Call them up, and see how soon you can get an appointment. Make a point out of saying that you ARE NOT DOING cold water extractions, and thus just take all these huge amounts of Ibuprofen that wreck your organs, and see if you can get started on Buprenorphine or suboxone. Normally I wouldn't recommend it at all for someone taking codeine, but since you don't do CWEs, it's way better than being dead within the year. Try to push for a small dose. Especially if you get pure buprenorphine with not nalaxone, since it's so much stronger than codeine that it would prolly get you slightly high at first, and we don't want that. So see if you can get just 1mg. I was abusing oxycontin, gaming doses of 3-4 x OC80S up to 3 times a day, and they started me on 16mg which honestly might have been too high. But I still had slight withdrawals after giving me 8, so the doctor gave me 8 more. Now I don't get high from it in any way, but 8 would still have been plenty for me. Buprenorphine is like 75x as strong as oxy and 100x stronger than morphine.

Either way like I said, get a hold of an addiction center, and they can get you started on a very low those of bupe or subs. That way you won't have to experience any of those withdrawals you fear so much + you can keep on living a life without dying of organ failure in like two weeks. It's also nice to have a place to go to a couple of times a week, and be proud of yourself, and, you know, feel like you're progressing a bit w/ your life, getting sober. Good luck my friend!

*BIG IMPORTANT LOOK HERE*
If you read this comment also have a problem with Cody in like OPI has but do you not just take a bunch of ibuprofan and coding pills but actually Do a CWE, og Get Real Cody in pills from the street or something do you not start up on bupernorphine or suboxone. Again da jeg extremely extremely power for drugs that will take a long time to take out of and they have way worse withdrawals then H for example. My point was for op to start on a super small dose, since 300mg codeine is nothing, and then after maybe 6 months of being stable and showing up there, then he could probably taper down and out. But even 1mg would be like at least 8-12 months of tapering. It's only because of ops insane choice to don't do CWEs, which could literally kill him within a few months, and has most likely already done irreversible damage. When I was an alcoholic, your liver numbers are supposed to normally be between 10-70. My liver count showed almost 700. And, LUCKILY, I don't have any permanent liver damage, "only" pancreatitis. Which also sucks ass.
Anyways, just wanted to point that out. You can survive a cold turkey from codeine, but OP, no lie, needs to either start doing a cold Turkey right now or contact a center and get on subs or bupe ASAP. So unless you're a complete wimpy little Bitch like op is (sorry op, but others need to hear this) just do the cold turkey. Maybe supplement if with some Kratom, if you still can't handle it.


That's all. I really do wish you good luck op. And hope you listen to my advice. Also, if they give you a choice between methadone and Buprenorphine, please turn down the methadone in favor of the Bupe. Bc I hope you want to get Sober, just as much as I want you to get Sober. And choosing methadone as a codeine addict is not an "I want to get sober" move.
 
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Start by learning how to do cold water extractions. It's a very simple procedure and in your case, may very well be life saving.

You should be able to manage a reduction of 2 Nurofen Plus every 3 days which is ewuivalent to 25.6mg of codeine. If this is too much try a single Nurofen Plus every 3 days.

It is absolutely vital you learn how to CWE. Ibuprofen isn't just gastrotoxic. It can, in sufficient doses taken chronically cause damage to the heart, liver and kidneys.
 
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