TLDR: what are long term side effects of low dose codeine beyond tolerance and dependence
Hi all,
I have quite severe IBS-D and have suffered from it for the past 10 years. I get very painful cramping, diahorea, extreme need to use the bath room and in the worse cramping cases I get cold sweat, difficultly talking, difficultly standing up. Sometimes I get such concentrated acid when I relieve myself that it burns off the skin and causes very small amounts of bleeding on the outside.
Before I started using codeine to treat these symptoms my life quality was very badly impaired. Having a job was difficult because I couldn't predict when I would have 2 hours long cramping sessions where I can't move far from the bathroom. Going out for drinks with friends basically would have to be canceled as soon as I felt cramping start and I would just need to return home instantly in the hope I could get there before it got too painful.
I don't have Crohns and I don't have Coeliac disease. I have tried a range of treatments including a variety of anti-spasmodics, food elimination diets, lite benzos during times of stress. I find fasting and not eating much food does help reduce the symptoms, as does eating very healthy diet. Codeine is the only medication that I have used that can stop the cramping once it starts. It basically allows me to live a normal life (sometimes I am in pain for 30 mins until the codeine kicks in but that's not too bad).
I use between 0-90mg in a day. Sometimes I'll have weeks where I use only 1-2 times a week, sometimes I have to use every day for a long time. If there is a particular stressor that is causing very bad cramping I use up to 120mg (bad stressors can include LSD, excessive eating, bad social anxiety). I have used it for the past 3 years, not finding that I need to increase the dose yet.
I have a doctor who is very understanding of the condition and gives me scripts for 150 30/500 codeine/paracetamol tablets on request (I don't use ever recreationally). Previously I've been to gastroenterologists who have been no help at all and basically ignore the fact that I tried food elimination diets for years before I saw them and were only willing to suggest that route.
Due to a mix-up in doctor's names I went to another doctor at my medical centre who refused to prescribe me this amount of codeine and kept saying 'it's a very bad drug' and that at 23 it would be horrible for me to be dependent for the rest of my life on an opiate. She gave me a referral to a gastric diseases study centre where I have made an appointment.
Basically I want to know what the long term side effects of low dose codeine is. I have tried to look it up but the side effects seem to centre on dependence and tolerance. I asked the doctor a number of times for why she thought it was bad for me to be taking it and she gave the same answer.
It doesn't really tell me the actual side effects I will get. I haven't had to increase my dose over 3 years so tolerance isn't a major concern. I can go weeks without using it if I am not having IBS symptoms so I don't know how much of an issue the dependence is. I want to know what negative effects on my body could be caused by continuous long term use will be. I understand opiates can have an estrogenic effect. I understand that I need to limit the amount of paracetamol that I take in due to stress on the liver. I just don't understand why I can't get a straight answer out of doctors about what the side effects will be. If they don't know then I don't get why they are giving me a strong opinion on the topic. The doc who prescribes for me basically says that it's fine as long as I don't increase my dose.
If I find a new treatment that works as well as the codeine I'll use it an happily give up the codeine. If nothing else works I won't stop taking the codeine ever basically. I want to know what the side effects of this will be and if there are any ways to mitigate them.
Thanks for any help!
ps I currently suffer no noticeable side effects from the codeine. I don't get any effect I can notice at all except relief of cramping and the need to go to the bathroom
Hi all,
I have quite severe IBS-D and have suffered from it for the past 10 years. I get very painful cramping, diahorea, extreme need to use the bath room and in the worse cramping cases I get cold sweat, difficultly talking, difficultly standing up. Sometimes I get such concentrated acid when I relieve myself that it burns off the skin and causes very small amounts of bleeding on the outside.
Before I started using codeine to treat these symptoms my life quality was very badly impaired. Having a job was difficult because I couldn't predict when I would have 2 hours long cramping sessions where I can't move far from the bathroom. Going out for drinks with friends basically would have to be canceled as soon as I felt cramping start and I would just need to return home instantly in the hope I could get there before it got too painful.
I don't have Crohns and I don't have Coeliac disease. I have tried a range of treatments including a variety of anti-spasmodics, food elimination diets, lite benzos during times of stress. I find fasting and not eating much food does help reduce the symptoms, as does eating very healthy diet. Codeine is the only medication that I have used that can stop the cramping once it starts. It basically allows me to live a normal life (sometimes I am in pain for 30 mins until the codeine kicks in but that's not too bad).
I use between 0-90mg in a day. Sometimes I'll have weeks where I use only 1-2 times a week, sometimes I have to use every day for a long time. If there is a particular stressor that is causing very bad cramping I use up to 120mg (bad stressors can include LSD, excessive eating, bad social anxiety). I have used it for the past 3 years, not finding that I need to increase the dose yet.
I have a doctor who is very understanding of the condition and gives me scripts for 150 30/500 codeine/paracetamol tablets on request (I don't use ever recreationally). Previously I've been to gastroenterologists who have been no help at all and basically ignore the fact that I tried food elimination diets for years before I saw them and were only willing to suggest that route.
Due to a mix-up in doctor's names I went to another doctor at my medical centre who refused to prescribe me this amount of codeine and kept saying 'it's a very bad drug' and that at 23 it would be horrible for me to be dependent for the rest of my life on an opiate. She gave me a referral to a gastric diseases study centre where I have made an appointment.
Basically I want to know what the long term side effects of low dose codeine is. I have tried to look it up but the side effects seem to centre on dependence and tolerance. I asked the doctor a number of times for why she thought it was bad for me to be taking it and she gave the same answer.
It doesn't really tell me the actual side effects I will get. I haven't had to increase my dose over 3 years so tolerance isn't a major concern. I can go weeks without using it if I am not having IBS symptoms so I don't know how much of an issue the dependence is. I want to know what negative effects on my body could be caused by continuous long term use will be. I understand opiates can have an estrogenic effect. I understand that I need to limit the amount of paracetamol that I take in due to stress on the liver. I just don't understand why I can't get a straight answer out of doctors about what the side effects will be. If they don't know then I don't get why they are giving me a strong opinion on the topic. The doc who prescribes for me basically says that it's fine as long as I don't increase my dose.
If I find a new treatment that works as well as the codeine I'll use it an happily give up the codeine. If nothing else works I won't stop taking the codeine ever basically. I want to know what the side effects of this will be and if there are any ways to mitigate them.
Thanks for any help!
ps I currently suffer no noticeable side effects from the codeine. I don't get any effect I can notice at all except relief of cramping and the need to go to the bathroom