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Opioids New here - looking for info/help

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GrowingPain82

Greenlighter
Joined
Oct 12, 2015
Messages
3
HI,
I have been taking codeine for many years, just for the buzz... As most are probably aware - the more you take, the more you need to take next time...
I want to stop... but it's so hard...
I guess I'm just reaching out..
I don't know.
 
You just slowly reduce the daily dose - no cheating! - until you quit. Seek help from your doctor (he's not allowed to tell anyone).
 
Hey, the good news is it seems like your habit is somewhat stable. I would not be worried so much with the physical WD but the mental. You know what works for me? Getting involved with other addicts. I volunteer with at risk youth, I come here to post, I go to AA/NA. Being around sobriety and others who are at risk does wonders for me. Being able to talk to others about it like it is just something completely normal. Being open and having a place to be open and talk to others about it is a huge help. Try becoming an active member here and posting if you like, I am always around and I take helping others very seriously. You can always feel free to PM me.

The best thing for me is Fitness and nutrition. And I use those words carefully. Because I take them very seriously. It is easy to become addicted to working out. But it is one of the few things that has ONLY positive benefits as side effects. I workout daily and diet very strictly. So it helps me so much. It gives me something to always be thinking about.
 
Doctors(GPs) in the U.S. can't give meds to an addict to sustain his/her addiction even if it is tapering. You would have to go to a suboxone doctor or a methadone clinic.

Sounds like you are reaching out to me and that's a great first step. Try doing a little research on suboxone I think it is a terrific drug to use to detox with. It can be habit forming as well but if you do a suboxone detox they will bump you up to a dose that makes you comfortable and over a few weeks wean you down. You will still have minor withdrawals but more easy to manage then cold turkey. You also will under go Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome(PAWS) but lets cross that bridge when you come to it!

Good luck and I hope I was helpful!
 
Well lets not jump the gun, if he is not physically addicted yet we do not want to tell him to get on suboxone. This could be controlled by much less intense means. I think getting in a support group is the best possible thing for them right now. Or just having some mechanism of support. A therapist could be VERY useful at this stage.
 
Mad Dash said:
Well lets not jump the gun, if he is not physically addicted yet we do not want to tell him to get on suboxone. This could be controlled by much less intense means. I think getting in a support group is the best possible thing for them right now. Or just having some mechanism of support. A therapist could be VERY useful at this stage.
Click to expand...
He said he's been taking codeine for many years I'd assume he's addicted.
 
True, But with codeine sometimes people use a couple times a week never really building up a high enough to become physically addicted. Just with it being codeine I am kind of hoping there is a chance he is not on the physical side of it yet. Even if they are codeine has a ceiling dose so it should be easier to taper off it than to go on to suboxone which is way stronger than codeine and a much longer half life.
 
Yeah OP, you're not in too bad a position really, codeine is certainly addictive both physically and mentally but coming of it is very doable with relative ease.

As others have said you just need to consistently taper your dose down before you decide to jump off. How many msg are you swallowing per day?
 
Hiya, fellow codeine addict here, how many mg are you taking and do they contain paracetamol? Maybe i can help but need more info ☺
 
I'm taking the 15mg codiene with paracetamol. Highest OTC dose available in Australia.
A 40 pack will last me about 3 days and then I try not to buy any for a week in between.....
 
You're going to have very little to barely any physical withdrawal imo - 200mgs per day usually only 3 days in a row with usually 7 days till your next 3 day run. Gosh I wish that's what I was facing, and not to take away from your situation GP82 as you certainly have a codeine habit, but those 3 day runs with double the time off in between are going to save you some pain for sure, even if you were 3 days on 3 days off I would be thankful my habit hadn't gotten worse.

You've managed to keep at 200mgs per day in roughly the schedule you've described for years, lets say 3 years, well with that there is great hope but also potential peril. Many of us around here and I put myself in this camp, had we come across oxy, morphine then heroin, we would have hurt the crap out of those drugs within the first year of our opiate habits no doubt in my case. The fact that you haven't done this helps us gauge where you're at with regards to both physical and psychological addiction and should be encouraging to you that firstly you are not completely totally owned by codeine otherwise your habit would be a lot larger lets say 600mgs per day and secondly you are not dosing every single day without fail.....So....

*How do you feel physically on your days off in between your runs of codeine?
*Do you have strong mental cravings for your next run? I suggest not because of the off days and dosage but I'm interested to know more about you with respect to willpower.
*Do you think you would have taken stronger medications such as oxycodone and morphine if presented with the opportunity?
*Have you ever been presented with the opportunity to take these stronger medications?

Hope I haven't freaked you out with all these questions, feel free to disregard them, but It would be good information, thank you for sharing and take care GP82.

Edit: Oh yes I forgot, the great potential peril I mentioned is obvious, you do have a habit, you have formed an addiction cycle, you mentioned that you try not to buy any for a week between runs but if those breaks are getting shorter your dose will likely eventually rise and this can lead to stronger meds being sought out if not already happened across.
 
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You're in luck, sounds to me like you can still get out of this without much hurt.

I live in Australia too, you're taking panadeine extra, the 40 packs with the redish stripe on the bottom am I right?

Word is they'll be script only in about a year or less you'd be doing yourself a favor and saving yourself a lot of hurt by stopping.
I used to do codeine a lot, now I have an H habit and wouldn't even feel the kinda doses you're taking. It's not too late yet. You're getting good advice man, although I wouldn't be considering suboxone or maintenance for your habit, not yet.

I'm sorry if this questions already been answered I haven't read line for line every post, but what about just stopping cold turkey? Have you tried? I mean you said youdidnt take them at all for a days at a time. I know just the mental side can be a real bitch, but it might be a viable option.
 
Thanks everyone.
Seems my habit isn't as bad as it could be, or as some others.....
I live in a small town with only 2 chemists, so getting my hands on them without ringing alarm bells is a juggling act... So, I use them sparingly when I do get them... However lately I've been travelling and so they've been easier to obtain at different pharmacy's where I'm not known to the staff. With one of my many stories about why I need them - they usually give them to me right away... Having more on hand has resulted in me taking more... I still have a day or two off between packs, but the withdrawal symptoms (mainly that I get irritable and moody) make me want to take more..However, I really DO want to detox and I do want to stop... I feel great when I have a couple of weeks off, but then something will happen and I feel I need an escape so I go and buy some and then there'll be weeks where I take them with only a week or less between binges... I almost can't wait for them to become prescription only - that way I'll have to go off them....
My digestive system has suffered, I can only assume it's because of my habit...
I get snappy at my beautiful partner and our 3 three kids when I'm coming down, I hate that part... I often try to just stay away from them so I don't take it out on them, but that's as bad really - when they think I don't want to be around them...

I'm reading everyone's posts and realizing I need to stop while it's easy to stop.. before I need stronger drugs.... while I can stop myself with the will power... My will power comes and goes..... my drug habit is a bit like my yo yo weight loss.... do really well for a while then fall off the wagon again...

Thanks again for all your responses
 
I do 600mgs of codeine a day (CWE) and have been doing for about a year now and I know what your going through the best way to stop would be tapering yourself off I have tapered down to 100mg but have upped myself to the maximum because I love codeine good luck hope you the best
 
Be glad you are coming off of codeine and not Fent or hydromorphone, or even worse methadone/opana..

You should be fine, just taper down a little bit and you are good to go, it's not going to be fun, but it's not going to be nearly as intense of a withdrawal then the other opiates i mentioned above.
 
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