Opioids Codeine withdrawal - up dosing has reset withdrawals?

[MrManners]

I’ve been addicted to codeine for 3 years. I mainly cold water extract several times a day. Usually twice a day in the week and around 4 times a day at weekends. Due to lockdown here in the uk it’s been about 4 times a day everyday for around 2 months. I’ve withdrawn several times over the last 3 years but always end up relapsing. This time I’m determined to stay off for my daughter, I need to be the person she thinks I am. Also if I keep going like this I’ll end up losing my job. Any way, I stopped codeine last Thursday (8 days ago) but for the Thursday and Friday I took dihydrocodeine thinking it would help the first couple of days but I think it just delayed withdrawal. So Saturday was my first day opiate free and I managed to get to Monday. I’d gone with no sleep since Sunday morning and had to work a night shift Monday night so I broke on that Monday and dosed with 2 x cold water extractions. I managed to do the night shift and I haven’t had any opiates since. It’s now Friday and I’m still struggling bad. I wake up with my entire body tingling and ringing in my ears. Does anyone else experience this tingling, it’s worse in my arms and hands. I assume this is physical symptoms of anxiety, although I don’t really get psychological anxiety symptoms that bad and the tingling tends to wear off during the day. It’s been 7 days without opiates apart from that updosing on Monday. Normally I’m feeling ok by now during past withdrawals. Did that updose on Monday just completely reset my withdrawal?
Also I’ve been paranoid about liver damage from the apap for the last year or so. My cwe method is ok, I get clear solutions and use about 100ml of water but since finding out that some level of apap still dissolves in water it freaked me out. I’ve had at least a dozen liver function tests in the last year or so which have all come back within perfect ranges, very similar figures each time, plus I’ve had 2 ultrasounds where the liver appeared normal as well as normal spleen, pancreas, gall bladder, bile ducts etc. I have heard in rare cases that the liver can still be damaged so I freak out about it yet still end up using. Does anyone know if I’m freaking out about nothing? I get some pains in the rib cage in the liver area but they’re more like tender ribs rather than underneath the rib cage. I wonder if this is due to a long time using opiates and they’re causing a sensitivity to pain as I’ve read this is possible. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jhjhsdi]

If your liver function tests are coming back ok then I'd say you don't have anything to worry about there.
The rest sounds like normal opiate withdrawal from what I know.
How come you decided to cold turkey rather than try a taper down program? Be way easier on your body that way...

 

[MrManners]

If your liver function tests are coming back ok then I'd say you don't have anything to worry about there.
The rest sounds like normal opiate withdrawal from what I know.
How come you decided to cold turkey rather than try a taper down program? Be way easier on your body that way...

Thank you for the response. It’s 3 years of a daily paracetamol/apap dose (unknown dose too but I assume it’s minimal) that concerns me. Could it have been doing a little damage bit by bit that’s led to some fibrosis? I freak out about it too much and don’t act rationally about it so it’s hard to reassure me. Even doctors say I’m fine but there’s always a nagging doubt due to the rare cases of people having fibrosis but having clear liver function tests. I think I’ve just got to accept that it’s some health anxiety, probably from a guilty conscience about my codeine habit.
I can’t taper, if I have it in the house I’ll take it. I can manage a cold turkey as done it a few times now so I feel that works best for me. Do you know if the doses I took on Monday would have set my withdrawal back to day one? My withdrawals are often different. I’ve had some that last 2 days max of barely noticeable symptoms to this one that’s now a week long and I’m still bad! Strange how they can vary so much for the same person.

 

[jhjhsdi]

If you can't taper (I know that exact feeling of if it's there then you're gona take it) why not go and buy a box to do a cwe and instantly flush half of the tabs away?
I've never really known much about liver fibrosis. I have massive fibrosis of the bladder due to ketamine abuse. They should be able to see any scarring with an ultrasound or MRI scan? Have you asked/told your doctor? Be honest about your use. They might even give you something to help with the withdrawal.

 

[MrManners]

If you can't taper (I know that exact feeling of if it's there then you're gona take it) why not go and buy a box to do a cwe and instantly flush half of the tabs away?
I've never really known much about liver fibrosis. I have massive fibrosis of the bladder due to ketamine abuse. They should be able to see any scarring with an ultrasound or MRI scan? Have you asked/told your doctor? Be honest about your use. They might even give you something to help with the withdrawal.

I’d just rather do a cold turkey and have it done with. I kind of feel like it’s deserved punishment for being an addict, weird I know. I don’t think it’s going to last too much longer now so I’ll stick with it. I can’t be honest with my GP as my work accesses my medical records. I’ve had two ultrasounds that came back clear so that’s something but I’ve read that it’s hard to spot on ultrasound. Hopefully I’m worried about nothing.

 

[jhjhsdi]

Best of luck then @MrManners

 

[DrTechno]

I used codeine to manage heroin withdrawal many times.. Were I live, we get NeurofenPlus which comes from the U.K if I remember correctly. Compared to heroin, since the dose and purity are always the same due to being pharma-grade product and not street stuff, it's way easier to do a tapper down with codeine sometimes with only little withdrawal effects.

I know you said you wish to go cold turkey, but if you change your mind I can tell you how I tapper down from it step by step usually.

I would suggest that in the future you use NeurofenPlus which is codeine + ibuprofen, easier and safer in my opinion for CWE. all you need is some cold water and the ibuprofen will fall in the bottom given enough time as it's solubility in room tempreture is very low(around 20mg per litre if I remember correctly) let alone in cold water.
But even using the ones with APAP(paracetamol) if you are doing good, the low dose of APAP daily shouldn't be an issue at all, it's only an issue if you constantly go over the safe limit.

Regarding resetting your withdrawals - from my experience, and with heroin mostly, if you are still not 100% recovered, you will get a day or two of worst withdrawals after the usage but around the 3rd day I usually go back exactly where I left so I wouldn't worry a lot about using just 1 time ressetting your withdrawals, it may do so, but only for 1-2 days altough of course everyone is different.