Codeine Taper - Mom of 2 Kids - Please Help
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: British Columbia
Posts: 3
Codeine Taper - Mom of 2 Kids - Please Help
Hello Everyone,
I am a stay at home mom to two boys aged almost 2 and 3.5 years. We moved to a city where I have no friends or family for support. So I am 24/7 responsible an on-the-go with my boys.
Last fall I found out my husband was having an affair, he did not cut it off right away and it was a horrendous time. The up-side is my husband has somewhat stopped being an a**hole, at least enough that I can now seriously see how we can make this marriage work. We are in individual councelling and marriage councelling.
I am Canadian and have always taken the OTC Tylenol#1's 8mg codeine, 300 mg acetominophen and 15mg of caffeine, for sever menstrual cramps. This is no longer a problem as my endometriosis issues have been medically/surgically resolved. The BIG problem is that I started using them to maintain my mood and to sleep after I found out my husband's affair last fall.
I had initially gone to my doctor for help but he walked out the door saying and this IS a direct quote "cheaters always cheat"... thanks doc very helpful. Unfortunately I then started self medicating with the T#1's codeine. My usage went up gradually to between 200 and 250 mg of codeine a day, and over twice the recommended daily intake of acetominophen.
Enough of all this, I need to get my life back, so I have been tapering down. My problem is that I don't want to go cold turkey because I need to still take care of my kids, and not be too irritated that I cannot maintain control of myself around them (kids can be a handful etc.). I have been taking imodium and vitamins.
My question is, from anyone elses experience, is there a slow enough taper that I will have next to no withdrawal symptoms in terms of irritability? (Beyond having an a**hole for a husband that is...
) And how long would the physical symptoms of withdrawal last for?
This is what I have done so far:
June 19th - 200mg (codeine)
June 20th - 112mg
June 21st - 104mg
June 22nd - 80mg
June 23rd - 72mg
June 24th - 32mg
June 25th - 28mg
June 26th - 40mg (I was planning to do less but took 16mg as I woke up in the middle of the night with some bizarre "restless leg syndrome" type anxiety which scared the crap out of me... hence me here posting...)
I would greatly appreciate any similar experience anyone can share with me. I don't want to go to the Dr or my husband with this. At the worst case, if my husband is still playing me, I do not want to jepordize custody of my children should we go divorce route.
Thank you so much, thanks for listening.
L
I am a stay at home mom to two boys aged almost 2 and 3.5 years. We moved to a city where I have no friends or family for support. So I am 24/7 responsible an on-the-go with my boys.
Last fall I found out my husband was having an affair, he did not cut it off right away and it was a horrendous time. The up-side is my husband has somewhat stopped being an a**hole, at least enough that I can now seriously see how we can make this marriage work. We are in individual councelling and marriage councelling.
I am Canadian and have always taken the OTC Tylenol#1's 8mg codeine, 300 mg acetominophen and 15mg of caffeine, for sever menstrual cramps. This is no longer a problem as my endometriosis issues have been medically/surgically resolved. The BIG problem is that I started using them to maintain my mood and to sleep after I found out my husband's affair last fall.
I had initially gone to my doctor for help but he walked out the door saying and this IS a direct quote "cheaters always cheat"... thanks doc very helpful. Unfortunately I then started self medicating with the T#1's codeine. My usage went up gradually to between 200 and 250 mg of codeine a day, and over twice the recommended daily intake of acetominophen.
Enough of all this, I need to get my life back, so I have been tapering down. My problem is that I don't want to go cold turkey because I need to still take care of my kids, and not be too irritated that I cannot maintain control of myself around them (kids can be a handful etc.). I have been taking imodium and vitamins.
My question is, from anyone elses experience, is there a slow enough taper that I will have next to no withdrawal symptoms in terms of irritability? (Beyond having an a**hole for a husband that is...
) And how long would the physical symptoms of withdrawal last for? This is what I have done so far:
June 19th - 200mg (codeine)
June 20th - 112mg
June 21st - 104mg
June 22nd - 80mg
June 23rd - 72mg
June 24th - 32mg
June 25th - 28mg
June 26th - 40mg (I was planning to do less but took 16mg as I woke up in the middle of the night with some bizarre "restless leg syndrome" type anxiety which scared the crap out of me... hence me here posting...)
I would greatly appreciate any similar experience anyone can share with me. I don't want to go to the Dr or my husband with this. At the worst case, if my husband is still playing me, I do not want to jepordize custody of my children should we go divorce route.
Thank you so much, thanks for listening.
L
Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 2,258
First, welcome and so glad you are here! I am also a recovering pill addict and a mother of a one year old daughter. My husband is also a huge problem, but we can save that for another rainy day 
I am not someone that believs in tapers (sorry but I tried and failed at those for many years). I am a believer in just going cold turkey, fighting through those 5-7 days of being sick then moving forward. The tapering just prolongs the process (in my mind) and plays with your head mentally. However, if you can do it, you just need to take less and less and less until can quit..The fact that you are here is a huge step, you can do this if you put your mind to it. And to think that you also are dealing with your spouse and his affair etc, maybe you should see someone! If that is an option. Keep in touch.
I am not someone that believs in tapers (sorry but I tried and failed at those for many years). I am a believer in just going cold turkey, fighting through those 5-7 days of being sick then moving forward. The tapering just prolongs the process (in my mind) and plays with your head mentally. However, if you can do it, you just need to take less and less and less until can quit..The fact that you are here is a huge step, you can do this if you put your mind to it. And to think that you also are dealing with your spouse and his affair etc, maybe you should see someone! If that is an option. Keep in touch.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,442
Hi Lucy - welcome
Time and again here, threads have shown me the responsible thing to do is codeine is to taper under a doctors supervision.
I realise you had a bad experience with your last Dr but not all Drs are like that - I encourage you to look for a new Dr and get some professional advice.
D
Time and again here, threads have shown me the responsible thing to do is codeine is to taper under a doctors supervision.
I realise you had a bad experience with your last Dr but not all Drs are like that - I encourage you to look for a new Dr and get some professional advice.
D
Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: parkersburg, wv
Posts: 178
Welcome-I used opiates and various other pills for decades. I have three children (5,7 and 9)-I can tell you that cold turkey was the only way I could quit. You are sick for a few days, then fatique for about a month. Every month though it gets a little bit better. I am at month 7 and have energy to work, work out and take care of my kids. I never thought that would happen!-It can be done. My husband is deceased, so I understand what it's like taking care of kids 24/7. Do it while they are little-It's so much harder to hide your withdrawl when they start getting a little older.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Georgia
Posts: 242
Lucy - Welcome to SR!
You can read my old posts about my struggle with codeine for years and entry into recovery 18 months ago. Like you, I am married to a challenging spouse, have emotional pain and found the pills to be a lifesaver at first, and then the devil is disguise.
I will tell you that tapering did work for me. Seems it does not for most. I had a plan very similar to yours. I had quit cold turkey (and tapered) many times before from codeine and years before, from other opiate pills, but was determined this time. Also, I was receiving my supply via mail from the UK, 30 mg pills, taking up to 12 a day, so I could not just go to the store as you can and buy the pills OTC. When mine were gone, they were gone. Luckily, the website also shut down during my taper and my source was permanently gone. By the grace of God, I never got into any legal trouble importing these pills and did have a physical last year and am grateful for no liver damage.
Regarding w/d symptoms, you will still have some even with a taper. Not as bad as cold turkey, but still there, at least for 3 to 5 days for physical (restless legs, no appetite, insomnia, diarreha, nervousness, lethargy). Good sleep will be the last to return. Took me honesty several months to get that back, but I was a very long time user off and on. Sneezing spells lasted long for me as well. Energy and mood take several months as well to return to where you want it.
It is worth it, though. You need to do this now and not wait years as I did.
Keep posting and staying the course. You can do it.
You can read my old posts about my struggle with codeine for years and entry into recovery 18 months ago. Like you, I am married to a challenging spouse, have emotional pain and found the pills to be a lifesaver at first, and then the devil is disguise.
I will tell you that tapering did work for me. Seems it does not for most. I had a plan very similar to yours. I had quit cold turkey (and tapered) many times before from codeine and years before, from other opiate pills, but was determined this time. Also, I was receiving my supply via mail from the UK, 30 mg pills, taking up to 12 a day, so I could not just go to the store as you can and buy the pills OTC. When mine were gone, they were gone. Luckily, the website also shut down during my taper and my source was permanently gone. By the grace of God, I never got into any legal trouble importing these pills and did have a physical last year and am grateful for no liver damage.
Regarding w/d symptoms, you will still have some even with a taper. Not as bad as cold turkey, but still there, at least for 3 to 5 days for physical (restless legs, no appetite, insomnia, diarreha, nervousness, lethargy). Good sleep will be the last to return. Took me honesty several months to get that back, but I was a very long time user off and on. Sneezing spells lasted long for me as well. Energy and mood take several months as well to return to where you want it.
It is worth it, though. You need to do this now and not wait years as I did.
Keep posting and staying the course. You can do it.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: British Columbia
Posts: 3
Thank you all so much for such supportive and helpful responses, they really had a huge impact on reducing my anxiety level yesterday, and the sincereity and strength of your stories have given me a much needed boost in the strength, determination and integrity department.
The restless leg thing really scared me, I hated not having "control" of myself, especially due to my own hand. I realized after calming down a bit that I had skipped my nightly bathtime soak, which I have intentionally been doing to relieve the muscle soreness.
I managed to get away with only 20 mg yesterday, so I think I'm going to see if I can stabilize at 20 to 28 mg for a few days before reducing more. (Need to get the house tidied back a bit!.. it's a toy disaster in every room) The pills I have are 8mg and I bite them in half and keep track of it on a spreadsheet I did up on my phone.
Thank you again ever so much, I will update you in a few days (or immediately if I need help! ) it's just really hard for me to get time at the computer to actually type something meaningful.
& Thanks for listening all
L
The restless leg thing really scared me, I hated not having "control" of myself, especially due to my own hand. I realized after calming down a bit that I had skipped my nightly bathtime soak, which I have intentionally been doing to relieve the muscle soreness.
I managed to get away with only 20 mg yesterday, so I think I'm going to see if I can stabilize at 20 to 28 mg for a few days before reducing more. (Need to get the house tidied back a bit!.. it's a toy disaster in every room) The pills I have are 8mg and I bite them in half and keep track of it on a spreadsheet I did up on my phone.
Thank you again ever so much, I will update you in a few days (or immediately if I need help!
) it's just really hard for me to get time at the computer to actually type something meaningful. & Thanks for listening
allL
Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 39
Congratulations going from 200mg down to 40mg quite impressive.
I found tapering pretty easy TBH and certantly better than hitting cold turkey as we know the more you've took the more you crave and your body will of needed more.
I didn't take half as much as many people but I went from 12 to 10 and so on all the way down to 1 & half at night for the restless legs.
At this point during the day my body knew it didn't crave N+ anymore as tapering has got as low as 1 at this point again taken just for the RLS.
Now once tapering is controlled my body is now completly giving me no cravings whatsoever apart from the other night which didn't last that long.
My advice is to carry on tapering all the way until you finally reach that stage where you only need 1 or 2 a day and at this point the cravings are almost gone and the horrible cold turkey is not half as bad.
Good luck your doing great.
I found tapering pretty easy TBH and certantly better than hitting cold turkey as we know the more you've took the more you crave and your body will of needed more.
I didn't take half as much as many people but I went from 12 to 10 and so on all the way down to 1 & half at night for the restless legs.
At this point during the day my body knew it didn't crave N+ anymore as tapering has got as low as 1 at this point again taken just for the RLS.
Now once tapering is controlled my body is now completly giving me no cravings whatsoever apart from the other night which didn't last that long.
My advice is to carry on tapering all the way until you finally reach that stage where you only need 1 or 2 a day and at this point the cravings are almost gone and the horrible cold turkey is not half as bad.
Good luck your doing great.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: British Columbia
Posts: 3
Heya Folks,
Just wanted to pop back in and let you know how I'm doing.
I tapered down to 2mg on July 6th took ZERO! on July 7th and haven't taken any yet.
I was really worried about how I would feel without it but ironically I have more energy and my life is more manageable now that my brain is not in a haze.
I apologise for not posting sooned, I ended up relying on a forum board called codiene free for support during my taper (username Lucy2012 and same thread title) But wanted to let you know that your generous sharing greatly contributed to my sticking with the taper down to zero.
Thanks so much again,
Take care,
L
Just wanted to pop back in and let you know how I'm doing.
I tapered down to 2mg on July 6th took ZERO!
on July 7th and haven't taken any yet. I was really worried about how I would feel without it but ironically I have more energy and my life is more manageable now that my brain is not in a haze.
I apologise for not posting sooned, I ended up relying on a forum board called codiene free for support during my taper (username Lucy2012 and same thread title) But wanted to let you know that your generous sharing greatly contributed to my sticking with the taper down to zero.
Thanks so much again,
Take care,
L
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