How long shall I trial codeine before giving up on it?

[Raimi]

Hi all RLers,

I started codeine beginning of April. First 8mg slowly to 30mg, which made me sick but I got 6hrs without RL and slept. Down to 16mg, back to 30mg without side effects this time. The trouble is I only get 1 good night on the increased dose before the RL is back as usual.

I am hoping a higher dose will work properly and stay effective. My question is what is a high dose of codeine? At what dose do I stop trialling it? How long do I try it for before giving up on it.

So far cannabis edibles (on and off due to tolerance) has been better than codeine. I tried Pregabalin for 6 mths before codeine so it has been a long time with poor sleep. I didn't want to combine the drug 'trials' with cannabis use as it could confound the results and lead me to believe the drug is working when it may not be. No point being on something that doesn't work! Apparently developing tolerance may be genetic and older slim people (that's me) develop tolerance quicker than 'bigger' people .

As for the codiene, I hope someone may have some thoughts that help to answer my question. Wishing you all a better night.

[SueJohnson]

30 mg is a low dose. 60 to 180 mg is the usual effective daily dose, As you know it is short acting. It is also is a weaker opioid than others. If it continues to not work at higher doses you might want to switch to buprenorphine.

[Rayme in reply to SueJohnson]

Thanks so much for the reply Sue. That gives me a better idea of what to aim for. Appreciate your help!

[Nightwalker6]

I believe they recommend 40 mg of codeine as the starting effective dose for RLS. You might need something stronger as Sue has suggested.

[Rayme in reply to Nightwalker6]

thank you, Nightwalker, for your help. So I haven't even got to the effective starting dose yet. I think you and Sue are right thouthough. I'll continue as doctor wants me to get to 60mg maximum dose but I feel already that it won't be enough for my severe RL. My sleep doctor advised my GP that methadone can be an option.