My name is Andrew, 26.
A while back I took codeine to help curb the pain of a broken wrist. Ever since then I’ve been taken them everyday.
I started off taking 2x30mg, and then when I found out it had a euphoric effect I started taking more.
I have friends who own pharmacies so supply of codeine was easy to get, but then it started getting out of hand...
I started taking up to around 6-8x30mg up to 4 times a day. Because of the job I had it helped me relax, and found it actually benefited my productivity, so I never stopped.
I then decided that it cannot be good for my health and tried to stop. I took my last dose the day before I flew to Cyprus. It turned out to be one of the most hellish holidays I’ve ever had.
Through the whole holiday I slept for maybe a total of 5 hours. I had cold sweats, severe flu like symptoms, headaches and extremely fatigued. I suffered for the full week. I tried going to the pharmacy looking for Nurofen Plus (contains 12.8mg codeine), but no luck.
I got back, went straight to the pharmacy and bought the Nurofen Plus and took 8 straight away. Within minutes I felt better.
I changed jobs so the supply slowed down, until it eventually stopped. I was buying a 32 pack of Nurofen Plus every few days - taking around 12-18 tablets a day.
Now I’ve found a supply of diphenhydramine, and I’m struggling to get myself off them. It’s ruining me and I really need help and support.