Hi everyone,
I haven’t been on here recently( life got in the way!) but I am around still if anyone needs help.
As encouragement, I am now codeine free 18 months! Saying that feels surreal. Genuinely if I could do it, anyone can. I was completely addicted for 6 years taking 30 pills a day.
The withdrawals are horrible. There is no way around that if you go cold turkey but it does pass. I think online sites make it seem like after day 7 the withdrawal go but from my own experience and listening to others, it takes nearly 3 weeks to get to a state where you feel anyway like you again. The worst of the physical withdrawals are gone by day 10/11 but the emotional and anxiety of that second week is tough. Having a support network really helps; be it support here online or from loved ones. The physical symptoms are rough. If you have a doctor that knows what you’re doing, they can give you something to help you sleep and to help with the restless legs. If going cold turkey, it’s best that you’re eating well, taking all the supplements spoken about here ( magnesium etc), drinking plenty water before you even start. Give yourself the best chance you can!
If you taper, please do it slowly. Otherwise, you will throw yourself into withdrawals and you are just prolonging the agony. Reduce by 1 pill and don’t reduce further until you know your body has coped with the initial reduction. Then continue with a further 1 pill until you get down to 1-2 pills and then reduce by halves if you have to. If you go slowly and do tapering properly, symptoms can be minimal. If takes so much discipline but its definitely the more humane way to get off these pills. I simply couldn’t do it this way!
You think the withdrawals are the worst part and physically they are! However, keeping off these pills in times of hardship is bloody hard. I’ve had a curveball thrown at me this past year and I thought about pills at times but luckily my husband is a star and he reminded me I don’t need them. He was right, I didn’t but my brain was very quick to tell me I did. If you get off this drug, don’t be lured back in. It really tries to get you!
Finally, never feel shame for being on this drug. It lures you in until you are so addicted it feels like there is no way out. We all started for genuine issues. We never set out for this. If you’re reading this and are still taking codeine, I urge you to tell someone and get support. It’s hard and lonely on your own. Talk here if you have noone you trust around you. The one thing I’ve always said is you won’t give up until you really really want to. I tried loads when I didn’t really want to but felt I should. It never worked cause I liked taking codeine, it made me feel so good. You have to get to a point where you have enough, the drug isn’t having the effect you want anymore and you want out. You then find the strength to give up and deal with the withdrawals!
Being codeine free is liberating! No chemist runs, no lying, no dodgy stomach, no constipation! I promise you can do it to anyone reading this. Take control back!
Best wishes to everyone,
Rach x