wildflower70

Hi SR friends,

I am almost 3 months sober and doing great, no desire to drink or have any kind of "buzz."

Unfortunately I am really sick with a sinus infection and bronchitis, and my doc has prescribed cough syrup with codeine due to the severity of my infection.

Any thoughts on taking prescribed pain relievers, if there taken exactly as prescribed.

I am happy for the relief in my chest, but have heard some in recovery say they don't use ANY strong pain relievers.....ever.

Thanks in advance for your input. Happy Sober Friday

SoberLeigh

Hi, wildflower.

I try to avoid narcotics (although I have never had an issue with them) but there are certainly times when they are necessary.

A severe bronchial infection is nothing to take likely and if the codeine helps the cough and provides some much needed rest and sleep, it could, if taken as prescribed, be very beneficial to the resolution of your illness.

Be on the alert while taking them for signs of dependence. Is there anyone in your home who could monitor your intake?

Hope that you recover quickly, wildflower.

Dee74

Hi wildflower

My usual advice depends on how much your Dr knows about your struggle - if they know all about your past and you trust their judgement there's no reason not to follow their directions....

but if you have any doubt it's best to go back and see them rather than asking for advice here.

I've used codeine for several years now for times when nothing else will deal with my pain - it doesn't get me high it just acts on my pain.

Its a low dose, I never take anything near even the minimum recommended daily dose and I've made a commitment to my Drs and myself that if anything changes on the desire front I'll be straight down to see them...

That's not a recommendation for anyone else to use codeine - just my personal experience.

I hope you feel better soon

D

MindfulMan

I'd be more concerned if narcotics were my DOC. Personally I don't like opioids, so small amounts for respiratory issues wouldn't be a concern for me. Whenever I've taken them for pain I can't wait for the pain to go away so I can stop taking them. Everybody's different though.

I agree that you should let your doc know that you're a recovering drug/alcohol users. He/she should know this anyway, if they don't already.

I don't think ANY psychoactive drug in early sobriety is ideal, but if you monitor it and are taking a low dose and not for very long, hopefully you should be able to manage it IF you are not an opioid addict. Also codeine, particularly in the amounts in cough syrup, isn't all that "strong." Just be sure you stick to the prescribed amount.

That would be my take for myself anyway.

wildflower70

Thanks guys,

I went to a new doc because mine has retired, and my past history with alcohol wasn't discussed.

Just to clarify, I wasn't asking because I am concerned about my usage or it leading back to booze....been there, seen that picture show, not buying another ticket!

I was just looking for thoughts on what people do in recovery when pain pills are an obvious choice....surgery, severe illness, childbirth...

Thanks!

Dee74

I have a long lost of things I do before I get to the codeine - exercise helps, pain surfing (like urge surfing) helps and so do OTC NSAIDs.

If your Dr is oblivious to your past, then I think you have to take that into account.

Never had a codeine cough mixture, just pills..
I've gotten good results from non narcotic OTC cough mixtures - just sayin.

whatever you decide stay vigilant
D

PeacefulWater12

I was an alcohol user not drug user but am very careful not to take any drug that my reawaken my addiction which is currently sleeping and I want it to remain that way.

This arose following dental surgery for me, the painkiller I was offered was opiate based so I just mildly said that they didnt agree with my body and could I have a different one.

On similar theme, I avoid alcohol in foods too. I love my sober life so don't want to rock the boat.

For me even if the actual opiate or wine in a sauce doesn't affect me, my mind steps in and will play tricks on me. No thanks!

Snowydelrico

I’d ask if there was a non addictive alternative.
But that just me.

Forward12

I've been on heavy doses of norco a few times after surgeries and found them to be much needed as I was in terrible pain. Once the pain let down, I stopped taking them and felt no need to continue using them.
Problems happen when people abuse medications, not when they are taken as prescribed for a legitimate medical reason.

DontRemember

Personally I've never had a drug 'problem'..I've done ALL of them,but booze is my DOC..I take xanax for anxiety and did take some Norco for pain(as prescribed ...most times less),but chose to not have anxiety over pain..anyways..stick to the script if you want. I know some AA folks from my now occasional meeting,that 'see' that as "not sober"..I don't do my sobriety that way,as everyone has their own path with it. I wish I didn't have anxiety and pain,but..I do? type thing..

axeman5971

Folks should be careful saying “oh, i only had an alcohol problem.” I have met enough folks in recovery that traded that in for an opiate problem. It’s not going to be everyone, but the same reward systems are involved.

Stride34

you've probabl;y made your choice by now but do what you feel is right..;.most doctors don't really have a deep understanding about addiction

jhonnyspa

Taking codeine would not worry me, if I had pain, you see codeine, morphine, and diamorphine they all come from the opium plant and as you know morphine is used as a pain reliever by doctors, It is scientifically proven that if the pain receptors in the brain are triggered when you have pain it is ok to take such medicine, the problem comes when you have no pain and take codeine-opium it triggers the receptors in the brain that sense pain when there is no pain and this causes the brain to change to needing the drug and here we now have a addction.

SoberLeigh

How are you doing today, wildflower?

Dee74

Threads like this work best when we stick to personal experience.

Many peoples problems with codeine start with genuine pain.

With long term use in some case the body may even start to manufacture pain signals....it's not a simple issue.

I recommend again that anyone taking meds with the possibility of addiction be honest with their Dr about their past, like I was.

Codeine was the last stop on a long list of things I tried. Luckily for me it worked out....

I don't think it's ever 'OK' to take these kind of meds without rigourous due dilligence from yourself and your Dr.

D

Gottalife

A lot of cough medications contain significant proportions of alcohol. That would be my first concern.

FreeOwl

Personally.... I'd stay away from things like codeine except for truly extreme pain.

While it might be 'nice' to fade away from your cough and infection - truth is it's not a life-threatening condition and probably, if you're honest with yourself, isn't truly all that terrible.

We need to learn to manage our lives in sobriety and that includes facing the 'realities' of day-to-day life without turning to substances.

A bad sinus infection and bronchitis really stinks. But it'll pass.

You have to make your own choices, but I found that when I used medication for things that could probably have been tolerated - it led me back to and perpetuated some bad habits that got in the way of my sobriety.

So, I reserve pain medication for only the truly PAINFUL situation...

Maybe you could try a few days of over-the-counter cough meds (they make alcohol free ones, too) and melatonin to help you with sleep....

wildflower70

Good news!

I am finally feeling better and had a good follow up with my doc.

Turns out, the medicine I was prescribed did not have codeine in it, nevertheless, it did make me tired.

Thanks for your input guys, and I do think we need to be careful about taking meds with additives that could be addictive.

Have a beautiful sober weekend!

WF

DontRemember

I'll add that I also had my script of xanax switched to Zoloft last week to try it for my anxiety. I've still got plenty of the xanax if this doesn't work,but when I was talking to my doc about my not-drinking(15'ish months),she mentioned this,so I figured 'why not?' If it works...great! If not, I'll go back to my occasional .5mg Xan..