Sorry to hear about your issues Lynz. Like you I also have a prescription for dihydrocodeine but I get them prescribed weekly because when I had them fortnightly I overdid them, I can only dream of a monthly script.
I take 8x60mg daily but have managed to keep it at that, when I have taken more I feel even worse than if I’d had none, so find a happy medium and for me it’s 8 daily.
All 8 are taken about 4am when I wake and although I’d like at least 10 a day my doctor only allows the 8, I’ve been on this dose for about 18 years or so.
The only downside to this is my libido which is zero but that’s fine because my wife of 30 years also has a libido in tatters, so it was a happy coincidence.
Personally speaking 20 a day is mad, the most I ever took was 16 and it doesn’t feel good, it’s almost as bad as taking none, so go for less, 7 is the minimum that I can take, any less and I’m crawling up the walls.
On the day I pick up my prescription there are none left because I’ve talked myself into taking more than I should, so I’ll plant myself in front of the TV and watch garbage until I pick up my prescription after 3pm.
In the US there is a monthly injection available for opiate addiction called Sublocade but it’s not available here and if you go to a government drugs & alcohol service they offer talk therapies, Buprenorphine or Methadone and both of those are even harder to quit, so stick with the dihydrocodeine but have less, try to drop it by a tablet a day until you find a dose that suits you.
I’m wondering if medicinal cannabis would work because you get the euphoric feel and it’s more natural than the codeine treatment.
I have tried NA and AA for my drinking problems but come away feeling more like a drink than before. If a drug helps you to cope and it causes no health issues apart from withdrawal then why not stick with it, I did and I’m fine but I’d like to try the sublocade but it’s not available, so I’m sticking with my 8 a day, a healthy diet, walks on the beach and I work every day as a builder so get out and about.
Best of luck for the future.