Discussion
Over Christmas I managed to sustain a neck injury by riding my mountain bike underneath a bush shelter and not ducking. There was a helmet/bus shelter interface resulting in my neck taking quite a backward jolt - yes I know I'm a 'tard.
Anyway after lots of neck pain and headaches in the base if my skull I went to the hospital yesterday where they x-rayed me (nothing broken) and sent me home with a prescription for some Solpadol (30mg codeine phosphate / 500mg paracetamol).
Neck started hurting just before lunch so once I had eaten I necked two of the aforementioned pills. I then spent the best part of 45 minutes massively spaced out and pretty much incapable of doing very much.
Last time I felt like that it was 1995, it was dark and I was waving glow sticks around. It's not much good when I'm trying to work - let alone drive home.
Is this normal? Am I likely to get this every time I take any or is it a 'first dose' kind of thing?
Anyway after lots of neck pain and headaches in the base if my skull I went to the hospital yesterday where they x-rayed me (nothing broken) and sent me home with a prescription for some Solpadol (30mg codeine phosphate / 500mg paracetamol).
Neck started hurting just before lunch so once I had eaten I necked two of the aforementioned pills. I then spent the best part of 45 minutes massively spaced out and pretty much incapable of doing very much.
Last time I felt like that it was 1995, it was dark and I was waving glow sticks around. It's not much good when I'm trying to work - let alone drive home.
Is this normal? Am I likely to get this every time I take any or is it a 'first dose' kind of thing?
Some people respond more to opiates/opioids more than others. Some people aren't at all affected by them (from a sending you round the twist way) but others go completely doolally with them. 60mg of codeine is a reasonable dose, particularly if you have it 4 times per day and while there is some degree of tolerance developed it wouldn't be unrealistic to expect that this will be a continuing theme.
What you could do is have one solpadol tablet (with 30mg of codeine and 500mg of paracetamol) and one normal (500mg dose) paracetamol. The maximum adult daily dose of paracetamol is 4g (i.e. 8 x 500mg tablets). If you choose to follow this make sure you don't overdose on the paracetamol; it is a good and often undervalued painkiller but it works very well. Just make sure that you don't have too much in one 24 hour period!
What you could do is have one solpadol tablet (with 30mg of codeine and 500mg of paracetamol) and one normal (500mg dose) paracetamol. The maximum adult daily dose of paracetamol is 4g (i.e. 8 x 500mg tablets). If you choose to follow this make sure you don't overdose on the paracetamol; it is a good and often undervalued painkiller but it works very well. Just make sure that you don't have too much in one 24 hour period!
Ok - thanks chaps. Was pretty spaced out for about 2 hours - have been prescribed 2 tablets 4x per day but suspect that I won't be taking that many!
I was taking codeine when I suffered a pneumothorax and smashed ribs - probably at half the dose (30mg) and didn't get anything like that effect.
I was taking codeine when I suffered a pneumothorax and smashed ribs - probably at half the dose (30mg) and didn't get anything like that effect.
I have them for my back but only when it is really bad and I can only take them at night. They leave me off my head and not in a good way!! Don"t know how or why anyone would get addicted to them. I hate taking them unless the pain outweighs the hate!!
Apparently can become constipated on them but I don't think I've taken them long enough to suffer that!
Hope you recover soon.
Apparently can become constipated on them but I don't think I've taken them long enough to suffer that!
Hope you recover soon.
It's only just about worn off. Really wasn't pleasant.
I was taking codeine for smashed ribs some time ago and suffered no ill effects - I had some left over and on Christmas Day my neck was killing me so I took 60mg along with a naproxen tablet - I accompanied that with a trip to the pub whilst my goose was cooking and I was fine and dandy.
In my youth I may have also taken a number of tablets of unspecified content and origin - nothing has ever made me feel as ropey as these things did.
They are going in the cupboard for extreme emergencies - accidental amputation and the likes..
I was taking codeine for smashed ribs some time ago and suffered no ill effects - I had some left over and on Christmas Day my neck was killing me so I took 60mg along with a naproxen tablet - I accompanied that with a trip to the pub whilst my goose was cooking and I was fine and dandy.
In my youth I may have also taken a number of tablets of unspecified content and origin - nothing has ever made me feel as ropey as these things did.
They are going in the cupboard for extreme emergencies - accidental amputation and the likes..
Smashed ribs / pneumothorax + codeine = fine
Hurt neck + codeine = fine
Hurt neck + Solpadol =
I have been taking Imipramine recently as an a-typical painkiller for an acute tension headache. The literature with the Solpadol didn't say anything about not taking with a tricyclic antidepressant (imipramine's primary use) but a trawl of the web suggests they shouldn't be mixed.
But surely if it was that combination I would have had the same effect when I took the done of codeine?
Either way I think I'll suffer the neck pain instead
Hurt neck + codeine = fine
Hurt neck + Solpadol =
I have been taking Imipramine recently as an a-typical painkiller for an acute tension headache. The literature with the Solpadol didn't say anything about not taking with a tricyclic antidepressant (imipramine's primary use) but a trawl of the web suggests they shouldn't be mixed.
But surely if it was that combination I would have had the same effect when I took the done of codeine?
Either way I think I'll suffer the neck pain instead
Mr Gearchange said:
Is this normal? Am I likely to get this every time I take any or is it a 'first dose' kind of thing?
Yes, it's a normal response when first using opiates. But the problem will likely go away quickly, and the analgesic properties will remain. Though they will diminish over time if you keep using them.You may find some digestion problems and constipation, but drink plenty of fluids and watch fibre intake and it shouldn't be a major issue. Also look forward to some light-headedness, sweating and "come-down" (as the effect of the drug diminishes). There are many different potential side-effects and not everyone gets all of them.
You should only be taking them short-term, because there is a risk of dependence. In the UK there are a lot of people taking prescription pain killers that the doctor didn't top prescribing, the patient cannot stop taking (because they are dependent) and which the Health Service is ill-equipped to get them off.
when I was on sopadol for quite a while, I never got the 'dependance' side of it, i either took it when I had a good bit of pain, or didnt when it didnt hurt, and I took it for a good 4 weeks to begin with, but I stopped as easy as I started. dont take them anymore as I dont need them, only have a couple aspirin/paracetemol as a when it hurts.
the only side affect I had was the constipation but that abated after about 2-3 weeks.
but i did get a bit spaced out on it, well, more a buzz that spacey feeling.
the only side affect I had was the constipation but that abated after about 2-3 weeks.
but i did get a bit spaced out on it, well, more a buzz that spacey feeling.
Slink said:
when I was on sopadol for quite a while, I never got the 'dependance' side of it, i either took it when I had a good bit of pain, or didnt when it didnt hurt, and I took it for a good 4 weeks to begin with, but I stopped as easy as I started. dont take them anymore as I dont need them, only have a couple aspirin/paracetemol as a when it hurts.
the only side affect I had was the constipation but that abated after about 2-3 weeks.
but i did get a bit spaced out on it, well, more a buzz that spacey feeling.
Everyone is different with regard to both dependency and sensitivity to withdrawal. the only side affect I had was the constipation but that abated after about 2-3 weeks.
but i did get a bit spaced out on it, well, more a buzz that spacey feeling.
But generally, the longer you've been taking them the longer it will take to get off them. In extreme cases, where the patient has been taking opioids over a number of years, specialist help is required which will involve substituting the opioid analgesic with something like buprenorphine and then tapering that off, followed by lofexidine to reduce the withdrawal symptoms. Even then, patients will often take a couple of years to feel normal again and sleep disturbance, which is one of the more significant side-effects of opioid withdrawal, can last a good deal longer. Some ex opioid users report that their sleep patterns remain disturbed after ten years or more.
Opioid-based analgesics are readily available over the counter and GPs have been known to hand them out like sweeties. But the long-term use, turning into abuse, is something of a hidden problem. One of our recent Prime Ministers was reported to be dependent upon them, I believe.
Turns out that it wasn't the tablets that made me feel terrible - but the onset of a virus. Just so happened that it hit me 30 minutes after taking the tablets so I manage to add 2+2 and come up with 5.
Whilst I'm pretty unhappy to have been floored with a virus that makes me feel like cack - at least my neck is now better and I have 100 high powered pain killers in reserve for the next time I fall off my bike!
That notwithstanding having done a bit of digging on the net about these types of drugs it's shocking to see the level of addiction and dependency out there - and even mor shocking that GP's keep handing them out.
Whilst I'm pretty unhappy to have been floored with a virus that makes me feel like cack - at least my neck is now better and I have 100 high powered pain killers in reserve for the next time I fall off my bike!
That notwithstanding having done a bit of digging on the net about these types of drugs it's shocking to see the level of addiction and dependency out there - and even mor shocking that GP's keep handing them out.
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