Ibuprofen and Codeine damage reversible??

[opiateaddict123]

Hey there,
I'm sort of combining two threads in one here because I dont really want to create 2 separate threads. I would be grateful if you could answer both of these questions, but the main thing I want to know is the second question.
Some of this might be a bit irrelevant but I am gonna give you some background information. First of all I am a 21 years old male who lives in the UK, I have currently finished retaking my A levels (not sure what the equivalent is in the US) and am currently doing nothing in my life, living with my parents. This is partly due to a number of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, mood swings. I have been buying over the counter ibuprofen and codeine pills and have been taking them for over a year. I started off just once a week, but as you can imagine that is no longer the case, I now take up to 40 tablets at once every single day, each tablet containing 200mg ibuprofen and 12.8mg codeine. My tolerance to codeine is pretty high at about 500-600mg. I simply cannot do a CWE because I live with my parents and they are already suspicious, this is simply impossible for me, I have tried a few before but I botched them and lost a lot of codeine in the process, I am broke and cannot afford to lose codeine. My parents give me money, I lie to them and use it for codeine, I know this is not right but I simply cannot get off of these pills. I just can't see a life without codeine. For those of you who think codeine isnt a proper opiate and the high is pathetic etc, I can assure you in high enough doses, the high is comparable to morphine from what others have told me. Is there any advice you can give me about what to do, if I could just feel like I do 3-10 hours after taking codeine, I would be happy in life and get a job etc. I started taking codeine because I was depressed and anxious, and obviously opiates don't exactly help with that in the long term.

First of all can you give me I know at one point I am gonna have to stop and I started wondering is the damage I have done to my body from ibuprofen reversible? I was looking at long term effects such as stomach bleeding, kidney problems, heart problems... if I manage to ever get off these pills, will I ever be able to recover to the point as if I had never taken the pills before.

Sorry, I know it's a bit long but I would be grateful for any help and advice, I just wish I could take opiates safely without destroying my body in the process.

 

[swilow]

^Hey man, sorry to hear you are struggling with codeine. I've struggled too with it, I was addicted to it for a few years though I fucked up and moved onto harder opiates. Hugely regrettable decision though I am "clean" or, at least, not addicted now.

Yes, codeine is a powerful drug, especially at high doses. My tolerance is at about 500mg, anything less does very little. It worries me that I cannot feel opiates in therepautic doses, but I accept the reality of the choice I've made.

I don't want to frighten you, but what you are doing is incredibly dangerous. It is potentially fatal, both in short-term and long-term. Ibuprofen will destroy your stomach lining; you can get stomach and duodenal ulcers which could perforate and lead to life-threating sepsis. In the long-term, you will cause yourself kidney problems which could lead to you being on dialysis, or dead. This is no joke. A close friend simply took voltaren/Diclofenac in recommended doses for back pain, and gave himself an ulcer. Diclofenac is an NSAID like ibuprofen. The risk is real and should not be discounted, and the doses you are taking, with that regularity, will cause you serious health problems before long.

If you are going to do this, you MUST CWE. There is no excuse that is reasonable. Your parents will be upset if they see you taking drugs, but think about how upset they will be if you die from this? Put it into perspective; is saving yourself a difficult conversation really worth potentially losing everything? A CWE can be done very easily and discretely. All you need is a water bottle, a thick cloth of sorts and a cup. This technique is not perfect, and probably doesn't remove all ibuprofen but it is infinitely better then simply eating tablets straight.That is so risky my friend...

I think you need to see a doctor/GP. When I admitted that I was cwe'ing a lot, my doctor got concerned and prescribed me pure codeine pills, 30mg each. He assisted my in finding treatment, though I fucked it up. You sound like you have underlying mental health issues; I assure you, opiates do not help in the long term. See your doctor, tell him what is happening, ask for help, do some counselling. You've just finished studying-that is fucking great! Well done! Now don't waste what time you've spent. You cannot take this medication in the way you are and survive for long.

Please know that I am not trying to upset you, though I think you need to be concerned. You need to either start extracting or you need to see a doctor. Otherwise, you will not survive this.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Much love my friend, there are people on your side

 

[CFC]

Without question you cant keep taking the ibuprofen buddy. I hope you listen to Willows advice. And please speak to your GP he/she may be very helpful. Also you must do the CWE but right now go out to Boots and pick up some over the counter omeprazole for heart burn. It won't reduce all the other damaging sides of excessive ibuprofen use but it will prevent gastrointestinal risks (ulcer etc) escalating.

 

[swilow]

And eat something before taking the pills. Slightly less effect but will reduce some risk...

 

[opiateaddict123]

willow11 thank you very much for your informative answer. Don't worry you are not frightening me as such, but I am starting to come to the realisation that this cannot continue for much longer. I know what I am doing is dangerous, but hey, that is the power of addiction. I have a plan, as CFC suggested I am going to buy omeprazole from the chemist to prevent stomach problems and I will take this every day. THis should buy me a bit more time (a week or two) so I can perfect my CWE technique and after I've got the CWE right, I will stop taking whole pills and instead drink the codeine solution. I have read about people taking these pills for 10 years every day with minimal adverse effects, maybe they were just damn lucky? If I continue to take the pills as well as a proton pump inhibitor, what would the effects be? From a curiosity point of view, if you don't mind? Obviously kidney damage is a side effect of long term use, is the threat to the kidneys from ibuprofen very serious? Can it be negated by drinking lots of water? I read that the mechanism by which kidney cell necrosis occurs is due to lack of blood flow to the renal cells? Is this correct? And will I ever recover to the point of never having taken the pills or will my kidneys and stomach always be worse than they were? It would be a worrying sign if what you said didn't scare me, because that would imply that I do not care about the damage I am doing to my body and would therefore not be inclined to stop taking the pills Thank you guys so much for your answers, I feel like I am not ready to cease opiate use at this moment, depression and anxiety are looming over me. I'm definitely gonna get some omeprazole or esomeprazole to stop the GI effects immediately, and I need to do a few CWE's to get them good cause I really can't afford to waste codeine atm. Also I should add I haven't been taking it every day for a year, more like every day for 4 months and twice a week for the rest of the year. I just wanna know if the damage I have done will be reversed or not and whether I am likely to have any health problems in the future. WIll my heart and kidneys be as healthy as they were for example. My parents know I was addicted to codeine but I told them Im clean and really don't wanna have to admit. They just don't understand, they think taking codeine is not acceptable but smoking is :L

Many Thanks

 

[swilow]

willow11 thank you very much for your informative answer. Don't worry you are not frightening me as such, but I am starting to come to the realisation that this cannot continue for much longer. I know what I am doing is dangerous, but hey, that is the power of addiction. I have a plan, as CFC suggested I am going to buy omeprazole from the chemist to prevent stomach problems and I will take this every day. THis should buy me a bit more time (a week or two) so I can perfect my CWE technique and after I've got the CWE right, I will stop taking whole pills and instead drink the codeine solution.

Really, any CWE technique is going to better then just taking the pills. Its a very simple process and whilst I highly doubt that it creates a pure solution, it is much safer then taking the pills. There is no reason for you to wait a week or anything like that; just do it!

Its good that you are considering all of this though.

I have read about people taking these pills for 10 years every day with minimal adverse effects, maybe they were just damn lucky? If I continue to take the pills as well as a proton pump inhibitor, what would the effects be?

I think you will still really badly damage your stomach and gut, as well as damage kidneys. A proton pump inhibitor will reduce risk but absolutely by no means negate it. Definitely do what CFC suggested and take omeprazole but don't be lulled into thinking this means you will not harm yourself.

Some people may have taken NSAID's for years, but certainly not in the huge doses you are. Many more people would have died then survived that...

Obviously kidney damage is a side effect of long term use, is the threat to the kidneys from ibuprofen very serious? Can it be negated by drinking lots of water? I read that the mechanism by which kidney cell necrosis occurs is due to lack of blood flow to the renal cells? Is this correct? And will I ever recover to the point of never having taken the pills or will my kidneys and stomach always be worse than they were?

Lotsa questions. I don't know all the answers but I will try.

Yes, the threat to kidneys from ibuprofen is extremely serious. The fact is, you are taking huge doses of ibuprofen every day. Even therapeutic doses can cause damage in the long-term. There is no way that you will avoid this eating these pills straight.

Drinking water might help to flush toxins from your kidneys, but only to an extent. Again, the effect would be minimal considering the high doses you are taking.

I'm not sure how kidney failure happens TBH, but I don't think kidneys regenerate, like the liver. The only way for you to avoid problems now is to begin CWEing immediately.

Also I should add I haven't been taking it every day for a year, more like every day for 4 months and twice a week for the rest of the year. I just wanna know if the damage I have done will be reversed or not and whether I am likely to have any health problems in the future. WIll my heart and kidneys be as healthy as they were for example. My parents know I was addicted to codeine but I told them Im clean and really don't wanna have to admit. They just don't understand, they think taking codeine is not acceptable but smoking is :L

Its good that you haven't been doing this for that long. You are certainly not in too deep. However, I think you are taking a massive, unneccesary risk. I suffer from anxiety and depression too, and used opiates initially to cope with the w/d from benzo's that I was prescribed. Opiates are pretty effective in masking depression and anxiety but the issue is still there inside you. For that reason, I feel like you aren't really thinking clearly. It doesn't matter whether your parents understand or not. If you die from this, they will be effected for life. I don't think you wishing to avoid their disapproval is a good reason whatsoever to not be doing CWE or seeking treatment. You are risking death because you are afraid of conflict with your parents. That isn't really rational, you know? I think if you confided in your parents, and explained that you are addicted, that you want help, they will assist you. If you explain that, in the meantime, you will need to prepare your drug in the privacy of your bedroom (or somewhere), or else you risk serious illness/death, they will understand. They won't like it, but I would imagine they would hate the alternative.

Probably the next best option, if you mus avoid conflict, would be to see a GP and tell them what's happening. Explain your health concern, explain that you also want help with mental illness, and ask to be prescribed pure codeine tablets. A GP will usually be pragmatic, and do what is best for you. Doing this will help you immensely; you will have pure codeine (a nice clean high), you won't be directly involving your parents and you won't be messing up your kidneys and stomach. I think this is a good option.

Again, I hope I don't seem like I'm being an asshole, but I think you might need these things pointed out to you. You've made a great start by trying to get some facts and make a decision. I just want you to not get ill, especially as it can be largely avoided. Take it easy mate.