ive been taking co codamols 30/500 for over 5 years the last three years taking 2 four times a day , my doc told me to take them regularly as im alergic to asprin and anti infamatories , i have two town and buldging discs in my lower back , anyway i have suffered terible tummy problems weight gain and dependancy while taking them , always thinking about when i can take the next dose , not even in pain dont know if i was in pian i just took them bcos i was told to to keep my pain down , ive jsut had a stint in hospital for tummy problems , and i think these tablets have added to them problems without a doubt , i feel i dont need these pills for pain now more for addiction and habbit , anyway cut a long story short i came out of hospital yesterday i had taken none was ok day 2 today sever cramps , diareah , flu like symptoms , awfull pain shakes , anyway i taken paracetamol to ease the pain didnt touch it so i took 1 dihidracodine 30mg withing mins the cramps stopped , havent needed anything else so i think im over the worse of the withdrawals , i wont ever be taking them again , i feel like ive just taken the lining off my stomach , why oh why do the docs prescribe these pills so easily , i made my own choice to come off these pills i dont even take any more than prescribed amount but still i have never experienced pain and cramps like that in my life !!! anyone had the same problems ??
Codeine is any easy option for GP's to prescribe. They are a cheap and cost the NHS less than other painkillers. Some patients don't become addicted and can cope with long term use of codeine. You probably had tummy problems because you are susceptible to that sort of complaint but it was a wake up call. I think you should be commended for coping with it on your own. I regularly take codeine for arthritis in my shoulder and find my mood improves sometimes when I've take a dose. I know I must be careful
I was put on Codeine after my hip replacement and it made me terribly constipated.
I think I am experiencing withdrawl from 30/500 co-codamol, I was prescribed it 10 months ago, just taking 2 on a night, but the last 2 weeks i have had terrible stomach pains on taking them, so i stopped , now i am getting terrible night sweats and shivers including joint pain, i went back to taking them on a night for a couple of nights, and this all stopped. I don't need the tablets anymore for my back pain as a torn disc is now healed, but i'm feeling like i have persistant flu, and getting very littkle sleep!
lydia I know just how you feel. Codeine is so addictive and a problem to many people but combined with paracetamol then it can be lethal because of the possible damage to the liver. As I said in a previous post codeine is a cheap drug to prescribe. I take codeine, not cocodamol for rheumatoid arthritis. My GP prescribes the paracetamol separately but I rarely take that. I suppose you know the sensible solution. Go and speak to your doctor, explain the symptoms of withdrawal and hope he can help. Doctors but patients in this position in the first place. I am dreading the day my doctor or rheumatologist takes me off the codeine.
I was prescribed co codamols 30/500 a few months ago to treat a work related injury. My life has be ruined because of this as i am now addicted to them. I no longer have any pain but still ask for a repeat prescriptions. I don't take them in the daytime, only at night and this is all i can think of all day, when can i get my fix.
I used to kid myself that i would take them for one more night and definatly give up the next day but i knew this was a load of rubbish and would go to extreme lengths to carry on indulging.
I stopped taking them a week ago, deliberatly running out and not asking for a repeat prescription. The next day after not taking the drug i woke up with flu like symptoms and ached all over and had a pounding headache. I now realise that the kill is worse than the cure and will not be taking them again.
I did casulally ask the doctor who prescribed them if they were addictive and he stated that they were not. This makes me think if doctors actually know anything or is thre a more synsister agenda...who knows
It's so worrying when GP's are also in denial when it comes to Codeine addiction. There's no hope for the patients if doctors believe they can continue to prescribe it week in week out safely. It's cheap though and it keeps their prescribing costs down which in turn keeps the local health authority big wigs very happy!
Totally agree with what you're saying regarding your GP taking you of codeine!!! I'm stock piling the co-codamol !!! Its awful, but I don't want to come of it and darent tell my GP I don't need it!,!!
I've taken co-codamol 30/500mg since last June 2013. Initially it was given after I had my gall bladder out but I found that it worked better than the otc co-codamol 8/500mg for my back and so asked my GP if they would prescribe it for me. I have osteoporosis. I was taking 2 tabs as needed but it wasn't long until I realised that I needed to take it pre-emptively - to build the pain killing properties up as if I waited until I had the pain it was too late and nothing worked. So I started taking 2 tabs 4 times daily and that worked - for a while. Over the past few months though it was not working and so I finally went back to my GP last Thursday and explained and he has now prescribed Tramadol (2 tabs 4 times daily) and Paracetamol (2 tabs 4 times daily). All day Friday I was light headed and nauseous and decided that I wasn't going to take any more Tramadol as I couldn't cope with the side effects. Yesterday was even worse, shivering and shaking one minute, really hot the next, headachey, agitated and diarrohea every 20 minutes. It was only at 12.30am this morning that it clicked - withdrawal from the co-codamol. As I had no more co-codamol left, in desperation I decided to try the Tramadol again - this time I only took 1 tab. and fingers crossed it seems to be working - no nausea or light headedness.
I can't believe that I could get such back withdrawal symptoms from such a relatively short space of time of taking them. Nobody warns you how you will feel. Hope you are feeling better now.
im back on them 
i had so much back pain that i didnt have much choice but i have spoken to the doctor im in to have back surgery in dec he said once im over the worst i can go on a weaning program to get off them alltogether , but the same as b4 not sure i need to be taking them 4 times a day but i am , habbit is back again , i think about when i can take the next dose all day im sick of it , this drug should be a lot harder to get hold of its to easy to throw you a prescription and let you get on with it , good luck to you all i hope you manage to get yourself off them as i hope to do as soon as poss xxxxxxx
I feel for you!
I think we all know Know that we are addicts and that drug companies have a lot to answer for, for not making these side effects clear. I’m not going to take these vile tablets anymore, but still crave them, but god willing I think now I am over the worst effects of withdrawal. It’s pathetic that if you tell your doctor that you are addicted to painkillers then the doc will no longer supply them. Take pity on poor Michael Jackson.
But doctors also have to take responsibility. They are the ones who prescribe the drugs in the first place and then as in my case put them on repeat prescription. Mine care reviewed annually but because I have rheumatoid arthritis no questions are asked.
Hi Andaco,
Just to provide a small warning which you may wish to heed or may not. I've just come out of hospital due to the withdrawels caused by Tramadol. Trust me, I went the exact route as you, starting with co-codamol, stopped all pain killers for two weeks and had nasty withdrawels from the co-codamol, the runs, nausia, restless legs and trouble sleeping, but this pales in comparison to tramadol withdrawel!!
Tramadol became a controlled substance in june in the UK and has basically stopped being prescribed in the US due to its side effects and withdrawels. Trust me, do one search of google on 'tramadol withdrawel' and you will see what i mean. People who have been addicted to heroin have stated they found it harder to withdraw from than that! Tramadol plays with the seretonin and other neuro transmitters in your brain as well as the opiate receptors, despite being classed as a synthetic opiate.
When I withdrew from Tramadol I turned suicidal (never ever have I experienced that before) undescribable deppression (you will hear that alot from people withdrawing from tramadol) I had restless legs, vision problems, had a seizure (tramadol induced) and developed a stutter. I have spent 3 weeks in the neurology department in hospital and am getting better, still struggling with this incredible deppression, never known anything like this and hope it clears soon!
Please read around tramadol withdrawel online and don't just take my word for it. If you feel its benefits outweigh the risks for you then please continue to take it. However after my experience and the countless others available to see online I promised myself I would highlight this to others where I could, I would not wish what I've been through on my most reveered of enemies!
The stuff it poison and it's being realised hence being controlled strictly of late by governments around the world.
I hope this helps.
Take care 
Oh and one other thing...the insomnia. Coming off tramadol I managed to not sleep for 16 days straight, despite the doctors giving benzodiazepines in hospital to try and knock me out. I thought I was going insane, didn't see how it was possible to not sleep for that long as I'm one of those people who hits the pillow and i'm asleep usually. Here is a thread from here on tramadol withdrawel too......
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/coming-off-tramadol-175502
please be very careful taking Tramadol- you will be told they are not addictive- B....l....t - i have been addicted to both codeine and tramadol and gone cold turkey with both- the codiene was terrible the Tramadol was the worst experience of my life- check out the forums on this site and others dedicated to people trying to get off tramadol- they are bad news- please think twice before you start taking them again-
This sounds utterly horrific !!!, you poor thing !!!!..I was offered trmadol at one point, but refused it, I got offered Diclofenac instead, which I took, that put me in hospital overnight (on my birthday) with suspected heart problems !!, for over 8 hours i was suffering increasingly escalating chest pains which started at 9am and finally i gave in and went to A&E at 5pm where i was admitted...horendous stuff, should be banned, and is soin many countries !!!!..I hope you are fully recovered now 
I've been clean of Co-codomol for about a week now and although the flu-like symptoms and muscle ache are subsiding i'm experiencing loss of appetite, stomach pains and butterflies in my stomach. This is acompanied by slight depression and a lethargic feeling. Has anyone else experienced these symptons and can tell me how much longer i have to put up with them.
Hi cliffdogg,
I was wondering if you could offer me some advice- my mum takes co-codamol and she takes 10 a day when shes only meant to take 8. She also takes Neurofen Plus with these, which also has codiene in it, she knows she isn't allowed to take them together but she does anyway. Last christmas she had a codiene withdrawal and she became very restless, emotional and angry. I have no idea what to do, she says she is not being "bullied" into making an appointment at the doctors. She also takes codiene linctus. What kind of support did you receieve? Can I offer my mum some support? I'm so scared for her. Also, 5 months ago she took an accidental overdose and I;m so scared she will do it again, although this time she may not recover.
Thank you for reading this, any advice will be great
Hi there bronte-rose, what strength co-codomol is your mother taking, and is it for a pre existing condition? Unfortunately if its the 8/500mg strength this can be bought over the counter,and subsequently more difficult to control, 30/500mg needs to be prescribed by a doctor. Its very very difficult, as you my have read, i think most of us here have/had a dependancy of some shape or form to codeine !! Going cold turkey is terrible!!, I tried for 1 week and the side effects were extreme to say the least..stopping smoking was easier !!!...it's the paracetamol side of co-codomol that is the danger, no matter what strength the codeine is, the paracetamol is always 500mg to prevent overdose as your only supposed to take 8 a day (on the packet) i know some doctors will say you can take more (my mothers did). Its really difficult to see someone addicted to ANY substance, I don't know what i would do if it was my family member, but on the otherside of the coin i KNOW I'm addicted to it, but don't feel like its doing me any harm, so maybe yr mum feels the same and its the rest of the family with an issue, not themselves. Hope someone can help further, and take care xx
Hello bronte-rose. I do feel for you as you obviously are so worried about your mum. I regularly take codeine (without the paracetamol) prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis but I know I can't cope without it. When I picked up a prescription recently I saw a notice offering support for anyone addicted to codeine. I don't know whether that is offered in your area. It's worth checking and if so you could ring them for some advice on how you could help your mum. It I'd the paracetamol that can be lethal and the effect on the liver can creep up on you and suddenly you can find there is damage. I hope you can get some support very soon for your mum.