Kiga please dont feel bad that you have not replyed to a post hun there are many many reasons why people dont respond to a thread such as this one. Many people once in recovery cant read the struggles of others it just reminds them of thier own plight, others see negative posts as triggers, some relapse and feel they have let people down, some are just happy to be in a good place and no longer visit, lots more resons too, then there is people like me lol i could talk the legs off a donkey in fact im sure i did once lol. 🙂 jaxxxx
Hi Jackie and Kiga,
Sorry I didn't get back to you both sooner. Thank you for your replies.
I am not feeling terribly well at the moment, so haven't started any kind of reduction plan yet. I suffer from a condition called menieres, which affects my balance and hearing. Unfortunately, I am having a particularly bad time of it at the moment. As you can imagine, it makes my job very difficult, especially as I am a music teacher. I hope I don't sound moany, but I do need to let things settle down a bit so that I have the strength to tackle the solp problem.
Thanks again for your replies, and I shall post again soon, hopefully with some more positive news.
Chris 🙂
Hiya Chris you sure are having a rough time at the moment but things will improve for you. I just want you to know im here for you. jaxxxx
Yes, I understand that it's very hard to begin to tackle any serious problem when you're feeling overwhelmed and stressed, Chris. I hope you'll get some balance back in your life very soon.
This is what happened to me.
I was on Solpadiene for approx 12 years, I would hide them inside my shoes at home so my wife could not find them, I would go to different chemists to buy them, for a while I was getting pains in my stomach ,nothing to bad but one night I got a stabbing pain that stopped me in my tracks,it only lasted a minute. I knew it was Solps that was causing it, I went to Doctors ,they said everything was okay so I kept on taking them, one night I went to toilet for a poo, it came out jet black in colour,I knew something was wrong however during that night about 3am I felt sick and went to toilet to be sick I was terrified as it was just blood thet was coming up.Next day I went to Doctors and he organised an endoscopy for me ,in the meantime he gave me Omeprazole to take and it seemed okay, I lost about a stone in weight in Approx 3 weeks, during the endoscopy (I was awake) the sister found that the problem was a bleeding ulcer caused by too many painkillers. I have not touched them since, The thing is when I was taking them I felt great but deep down you know you have a problem,I was on about 4tablets a day sometimes six. Even watching them dissolve made me feel better, Please try and stop them because they will do you harm.:(
Hi everyone, and a particular thank you to Super Ally and Youngy for their stories which helped kick me into action!
At last I have something positive to contribute. You may remember that I said I needed to cut out alcohol before I could quit the solps., well I haven't had any alcohol for nearly two weeks now. At first I had a few terrible migraines, probably because I stopped so suddenly. But now I feel much better and ready to start tackling the solps. It is nice to feel that I am more in control at last! 🙂
More soon
Chris*
Hiya Chris well done you, one down one to go as they say hun. jaxxx:grouphug:
You should be very proud of yourself ....walk with your head high on the positive days and the negative ones too. Life sometimes can be a mystery but its completly baffling when you take mind altering substances.
MERRY CHRISTMAS. jaxxx
my story
Hi All
I am not only brand new to this site but this is my first time in a discussion forum. I have spent most of today reading through many of the posts in this thread and was overwhelmed by the honesty of people writing about their journey and encouraged by the responses that people were giving in support. After going away from the laptop for a few hours and thinking long and hard I decided to try and write myself and speak out about something I have been hiding for a while now.
I, like others here have a dependency on solpadol. Originally prescribed to me approx 5 years ago for an ongoing long term back problem. 30/500 strength I have been taking 8 a day with the odd period where I was taking dihydracodeine instead. I am in my early 30's, very active, and on the face of it one of those people who everyone thinks is "strong and confident".
The truth is I have a good life, great hubby, good job etc however , if im truthful, for probably the past 2 years I have not needed the solpadol for my back but continued to take it because it made me feel relaxed, helped me sleep etc. I just kept pretending my back was hurting. Really I was kidding myself that I needed them. I have had these on a repeat prescription for a long time and at no point has the doctor called me in over the past 18 months to check how I am and whether I still need them. At one point about 6 months ago the pharmacist challenged me and I started to sweat a little and made up a story about "regular reviews" etc.. from that point I started stockpiling them (where I could) Its not actually that easy so I could still have some if it got stopped. It was probably at this point I started to think "dependency" however I still carried on convincing myself it was not a problem.
Well... I found out I am pregnant last week............ I started to research codeine and pregnancy and there was a 50/50 split to people saying whether they should be taken or not. In my heart I knew the answer and what I had to do.
I spoke to the midwife on Saturday and she reasurred me that there was nothing to worry about at this point, I realised when I was whispering down the phone to her about my problem and asking her not to mention it in front of my husband I realised I was in a position that I never imagined myself to be in. By then I had already gone c/t (hey Im down with the abbreviations). From the day i found out about the baby (9 days ago) I went from 8 a day to 2 per day for about 4 days and then thought I just got to stop.
Today is the end of day 4 totally solp free for me. Boy do I feel rough. I have had sweats followed by shivers, sneezing, dodgy stomach,cant sleep, feeling sick (although may be pregnancy) and the famous restless legs. I am determined to see it through, although the temptation to take some to get some decent sleep is tough.
I also decided to tell my husband, which I did last night and he was brilliant. It was like a weight had lifted from me. I thought I cannot tell a person I don't know and not tell him. Although I found it very difficult to say to him and was really nervous he was great.
After what seems like a long post (sorry!!) I think what I want to say to everyone is. reading through everyones journeys and seeing the improvements people have made and how positive and good they feel has really made this much easier for me. The understanding shown has given me the confidence to speak out (something I don't usually do) about an area I feel is a weakness to me. I know I shouldn't view it that way but that's how it feels to me.
I am determined to see this through, I wish I had discovered this forum a few days ago but better late than never. As I sit here now, I've got shivers and achy legs, however I do feel a little better than yesterday. I think day 2/3 have been the worst. I feel rough in the mornings but as I am off work until tuesday its ok. Tuesday will be day 6 and Im hoping to have turned a corner by then. Plus Im looking forward to working to take my mind off it.
I'll report in again soon. Thanks for listening. 🙂
Hi IronWoman and welcome to the forums. 🙂
For your first post on the forums, you seem to have got the hang of it just fine.
I can't possibly know what it's like for you and what you're going through, but just know that there are plenty of supportive people here who will listen and give any advice they can.
Stick at it, you're doing great, and let us know how you're getting on.
All Love and Reiki Hugs
Welcome IRONWOMEN (very apt at the moment i must say lol), may i wish you a happy new year and what a new year it is going to be for you, a big congratulations to you both on your up- coming event. You sure sound positive and thats great you have reconised you have a problem and dealt with it. I agree with you that any checks etc are not done from a lot of GPs but having said that addiction is what it is and im sure that if i were challenged by my GP (when solpediene were on script) then i might of just Dr shopped. I hope your day at work went well. 🙂 jaxxx
A Happy new year to you Energylz x
Day 6
Hi Energylz and wackyjacky. Thankyou for your kind and supportive words.
I have had a rough couple of days to be honest. Last night I had the worst nights sleep yet. Resulting in me feeling pretty horrific all day. Its five nights in a row without sleep now, I thought things might be getting better. I still cant seem to regulate my body temp, got shivers and sweats.
Still no solps and end of day 6 though 🙂 however I did call my doctor today and explained to him how I am feeling. He started off my saying I should do some "tapering" with the solps. I was horrified. I said to him there was no way I was going to take any solps after 6 days free. We had a chat about the pregnancy and stuff and he said he was concerned about the no sleep thing. The doc has prescribed me some really low dose (2mg) diazepam to help me sleep. He has given me a weeks worth. He did try to talk me into having a few more days of work so I can rest instead of the diazepam etc but It's my first day back today and its a hectic week. Plus I can't hack sitting around the house on my own all day thinking about how crap I feel.
I feel quite low at the minute and am struggling, I am so tired and dreading going to work if tonights sleep is the same. I am in 2 minds about the diazepam, when I read things on this site people seem to think they are "cheating" and you are only replacing one thing for another. Seriously though I cannot continue with no sleep and so I might try one tonight and see what happens. Still undecided.
Its helping to write the words out in black and white so to speak. Any thoughts anyone?
Thanks for listening.
If it were me i would consider the time off work if it were possible, i do agree that keeping busy is a good aid, exercise is a great way to omit toxins faster as is baths. As for the sleeping aid its your choice if you think it would help you temp then try it but im sure your aware that they too have thier own problems. Im sorry your suffering right now hun but things will get better you were right not to (once gone c/t) gone backwards although it is a better way to quit. Give yourself a huge pat on the back and be proud of where you are now. (((hugs)))) jaxxx
Although I haven't had your experiences with solpadeine, Ironwoman and Jax, I do have some knowledge of substance addiction and I know lack of sleep can be alarmingly weakening in many ways. I would advise taking the low-dose diazepam for at least one night - the anxiety caused by fretting about lack of sleep can make things seem so much worse, and once your body gets used to being "normal" again, you won't need sleep aids.
I wish you the very best of luck Ironwoman - you've achieved a lot in such a short time. Congratulations on your pregnancy as well :)!
Kiga x