DOSE:

repeated

oral

Codeine

(daily)

BODY WEIGHT:

150 lb

Codeine Withdrawal

I live in a country where codeine cough syrup and Panadeine are available over the counter without a prescription. I have always ranked codeine among my favorite drug highs because of the pleasant euphoria that it induces.

My preferred method of delivery is through a codeine linctus compound called Actifed Co. In recent months, I have gradually increased the frequency of my codeine sessions. At first, I could walk away with a slight buzz after ingesting only 50 or 60 mg of codeine. As my tolerance increased, so did the minimum dose. I eventually reached the 240 mg level (basically an entire bottle at one sitting).

Realizing that this was getting out of hand, I decided to cut back altogether. Had the normal amount on Monday afternoon, but went cold turkey on Tuesday. By 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning, my body was racked with painful physical symptoms: explosive diarrhea, fever, chills, aches, and coughing. For the past forty-eight hours, the symptoms have continued unabated. I've managed to drag myself into work, but just tell people that I have a mild case of the flu.

After doing some research, I realized that tapering is better than going cold turkey. Tonight, I took about 80% of the dose that I took last night, which was 80% of the dose I took the previous evening. By the end of the weekend, I will switch to a handful of panadeine tablets (no more than 2 or 3). With luck, it will all be over within ten days.

What a nightmare. I still think that codeine is a terrific substance, but feel foolish about letting myself get addicted. In the words of the immortal cliche, 'I never thought it could happen to me.'

Exp Year: 2002	ExpID: 14209
Gender: Female
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jan 25, 2018	Views: 2,034
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Codeine (14) : Health Problems (27), Addiction & Habituation (10), Not Applicable (38)