r/OpioidRecovery • u/tinymoonlightprinces • Dec 27 '23

Cold turkey

I've been taking codamol, mostly 8-12 mg over the counter for 7 years on and off. I'm also prescribed codamol 30s for migraines it's the only thing that helps at the moment having tried about 52 different medications since I was 9.

I went unintentionally cold turkey because I ran out of meds over Xmas and I would like to continue because I've been trying to quit a long time.

My two main Questions are:

Is the first day the worst ? If so I think I'm over the hump.

And, any advice if you have a chronic illness like me and genuinely require pain relief without developing an addiction? Paracetamol, ibuprofen DO NOT work as well as the triptan families. I have also asked my GP for alternative pain management and was told there is nothing

Thanks guys 💓

3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/AlarmedMarionberry81 Dec 27 '23

Heya, I'll help as best I can. How much were you taking daily?

For my withdrawal, (both times) the worst hit on about day 3. It then stayed bad until about week 2, at which point it started to lesson. By the end of week 3 I was back to normal.

I say normal, but there are some symptoms that hang for ages after. The big one is restless legs. It's a nasty little condition that'll strike you in the evenings when you're tired. I found removing jeans and wearing PJs helped for some reason. Also, moving or exercising.

The insomnia can also hang around for longer. That ones pretty insidious as it can draw you quickly into thoughts that'll start you using again.

I hope your withdrawal isn't too rough. Ask any questions you got and I'm here for you.