Hi guy's soooooooo this might be a bit far fetched, me over thinking things, denial or whatever. I have been taking cocodamol for around 4 years probably between 2-6 a day 30/500 and been reading up on withdrawal symptoms - achy muscles,head aches, bad belly, lack of sleep..... What if my body is just going through withdrawel every day and I'm thinking its Fibro?
All opinions welcome! Call me stupid whatever. Am I completely off track? Iv never thought about addiction. I was taking cocodamol for wrist pain as I had a massive tumor growing but doctors thought it was ganglion. So this was a year before all my other problems started.
Hope this doesn't open a can of worms. Has anybody ever thought this? X thanks,
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Keeleybee
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I think you are probably spot on. I often try to miss the odd day to rest my body.
Have to be very careful though because I am currently having a flare and have a swelling at the base of my spine.
Went to GP as my usual meds weren't relieving the pain and he asked if I had missed a dose. I said I hadn't because I didn't think I had - but when I counted my meds on return home I had missed one anti inflammatory the week before.
I know work didn't help because of the silly shifts I have been doing but I can't believed he asked that and he was absolutely right xx
hi their keeleybee just to let you know i've been taking cocodamols the same strength and dose now for 14 years and i've never suffered any withdrawals but i taking mine because i've got osteoarthritis, for a damaged right shoulder bad hips and knees i'm not sure with you have fibromyalgia i now this is not what you wanted to hear but this is me we are not have same illness but hope this helps if not then sorry for wasting you time and send my deep apologies take care bigalan
I know thar overtime feeling very well indeed. Is there any mindless TV program - BB perhaps - to offer any distraction.
I am supposed to be completing an assignment but I can't get comfortable with the pain - literally in my butt right now.
Can't blumin focus grrrrr
My butt, my leg and the whole base of my spine are on fire - painful sitting, standing, walking, lying down - no blummin relief whatsoever at the moment - look like I have ants in my pants haha xxx
Oh I feel your pain hun, exactly were my pain always is, don't matter how you sit/lay it kills. I stick a hot water bottle on my butt hahahahahaha burnt bum is the new sexy trust me
Hi are you taking them everyday as I have also osteoarthritis of the hip back knee and take 8 tablets a day for pain as if I didn't take them pain would be really bad I do know if I don't take them at the right time a couple of hours later I start to hurt again still get pain when Im in bed in my hip but can live with that and that's with the co-codamol
I have been taking cocodamol 30/500 for about 3 years now and my dose varies from 2 to 8 per day depending on pain or if I have a migraine. I don't feel the need to take them - it really does depend on how my body is. My GP has convinced my that I am not addicted and the doses I take are not harmful. The way I look at it is - I can cope with the pain during the day but not at night and I don;t see the point in tossing and turning more than usual just because I don't want to take the pills. I can't take anything stronger like tramadol or morphine as the drugs don't suit me (same with anti inflammatories of any kind) so I am not going to beat myself up about it.
Yes, in an ideal world I would prefer not to have to take them but I prefer to have some quality of life.
Hi Jane, I'm exactly the same as yourself.... So my brain went into over drive andwas thinking so I go 24 hour's without codine does my body go into withdrawel or is it the fibro pains? See like yourself try to manage through the day but come night time it's horrid. X
I only take Co-codamol if really agitated with pain because it mainly knocks me for six. Funnily enough its takes a while before I start to feel spaced out, between 1-2 hours. I guess I'm sensitive to opiates. Can't imagine what I'd be like if I took regularly?
Keely cocodomol are not really strong enough for Fibromyalgia ... Plus they make you constipated I would advise Lycra , Notriptline and loranzapam But it's your choice xxx
They work for me for fibro pain. Well, for a while anyway..... And no constipation. You can counter act that any way. No mention of lyrica from my GP? X
I sincerely hope that you are feeling as well as you possibly can be today? What an interesting question and thread that you have created! I would have thought that you could be right?
My Neurologist, whom I see for my migraines, doesn't want me taking Cocodamol as he says they increase headaches and do not really work for migraines. So he prescribes me Sumatriptan, but again says he does not want me taking too many as these can also create headaches.
I then have a conversation with my GP who assures me that all pain medication can be addictive in the sense that it causes pain if you either take too many or stop taking them. It is a lose / lose situation. I want to genuinely wish you all the best of luck.
Lordy Ken....that's a real case of damned if I do damned if I don't! What a depressing scenario this paints for us all....here's this tablet...It should ease your pain but then again if we get the dose wrong it could increase your pain. Oh and by the way by taking this medicine you may have addiction problems so be prepared for more hell if you try to come off it! What a hellish situation we live in. As you say lose/lose! Lol.
Hi I take cocodomol an if I take mor than 4 tablets in a 8 hours I am completely spaced out. I have them on repeat now I didn't want to take them as was told they are addictive but they help with bowel issues as well and GP told me that she was sure I would get addictive as I was to aware of the side affects the first box they gave me last me 6 months , but now I get them every 2/3 when I try only to take one during the day if I can get away with it ,and only up the dose I the evening. But if the migraines kick in then it's as required or my stomach.
Hi keeleybee. I don't take cocoa mol so can't comment on its addictive nature, or not.
I did a pain management programme a few years ago, and part of that was the best way to take painkillers. You are given painkillers because you are in pain. Under "normal" circumstances you take a painkiller to get rid of a headache, toothache etc until it's no needed any more. Let's say toothache. You wouldn't put up with the pain until you couldn't bear it any more would you? You then see a dentist who looks at your tooth and fixes it and your pain is gone. End of story.
You have hellish pain all the time, worse in a flareup. In order to control the pain, instead of it controlling you, you have to take your painkillers at regular times, so that the pain stays at a tolerable level. Or at least that's the theory. For example. I take Tramadol, which has to be taken with paracetamol to work properly, 4 times a day. At 6 and 12. In general it keeps things bearable. I still get pain that flares up in places despite the meds.
Have a chat with your pharmacist or doctor about it. I don't see the point in suffering if I can take something to help. I used to be "principled" and "stoic" and only take my meds when the pain got too much. I won't be that silly again. Causes so much tension between me and my mum too. She thinks I shouldn't take pills at all. But that's an issue for another time ha ha.
In my humble opinion you are simply suffering from the pain for which the codeine is prescribed.
I took two 30/500 4x a day for 14 years, once told Dr they weren't working so I was going to stop them. The pain soon kicked in, after 24 hours I had to go back to the drugs again, I couldn't live with that pain.
This year shingles flared up again for which I was put on Gabapentin and decided that I would change over from opiates. With my Dr's agreement I gradually increased one while reducing the other. It was agony as gabapentin caused diarrhea initially so all of my meds were going straight down the toilet, I had forgotten how bad fibro pain without meds was.
Now, with 2,700mg of gabapentin I'm slightly better than with the codeine. We're all different and individual, this is my experience, I hope it's helpful
I tried to come off amitriptyline pain was Horrendous.... I'd be interested to see how I would cope with no codine and go up another 10mg of amitriptyline as I find the amitriptyline is what really works for me. X
On the very low dose, twice, years apart and for a few months each time (to allow adjustment) I had awful hallucinations, waking dreams and night terrors.
Wow. Nasty! I wouldn't take them either then. Must have been hellish 🐸
Dr Sarah Jarvis on Radio 2 a while back was discussing this very point. People who take prescribed pain relief on a regular basis do become addicted to them. The withdrawals symptoms are nearly as bad as the ailment they were helping. It was very interesting to hear other people taking about their symptoms when they were coming off their medication.
My own GP has told me to take co-codamol for two or three days five at most then try stopping them again until it gets to the point I need them. That in mind I try not to take them unless I am in need then take them for a few days and stop for as long as I can......3 weeks now and counting. Unfortunately the pain does not take a holiday but it is manageable during the day and Amitriptyline at night helps me sleep.
Good to hear what your gp said. Mine just throws tablets at me. I'm really considering not having cocodamol and trying to just have the amitriptyline I currently take 40mg .
I am only on 20mg but I do think I need it increased as my nights are getting very restless again
My GP gave me another tablet which the name escapes me, Hydro something or other, anyway, again I was given it with strict instructions that is could cause addiction too. As my GP says you have to weigh up the costs and quality of life. If taking the tablet helps and you can function an since there is no actual cure for fibro, maybe being addicted is something we have to come to terms with. The good thing is if you are taking them everyday you will never have the withdrawal symptoms, bad thing is you have to take them everyday
I take cocodamol but try not to have them more than three days in a row. They are the only painkiller that works for my migraines. I do have a friend who has had to stop them due to becoming addicted. She was actually getting rebound headaches even while taking the pills, and had to come off them completely.
Hope you can find an alternative treatment that helps the pain. Best wishes MariLiz
I don't care if you like my view or not ask some one ELSE WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW AND GET OF MY CASE
I no that dan Loranzapam is a sedative it just helps you sleep but it's not for every one Sleep is important Dan my rumotoligest told me last week You got to do what best for you good luck
Hi Dan, you could well be right. I have not really heeded my Neurologists words as my migraines are very intense and so I still take what I feel I need to take to halt them Sumatriptan wise. The same applies to my Fibro with Cocodamol, and to a lesser degree, my arthritis (as I cannot take NSAIDs as I am asthmatic).
Take care
Ken
Your getting desperate ........DAN
Don't forget to get your sweets tomorrow good night enjoy your bottle
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all opinions and advise wanted and needed tonight! Mind is working over time x 
Does anybody take viatamin d and find that it has helped with constipation?
Pip renewal? Has anyone had this yet? 
How do you cope with the pain?
newly diagnosed and very confused!
From PMR to Rheumatoid Arthritis to Fibromyalgia 
