can codeine help with vicodin withdrawl

[jay549]

I have taken norco for many years for back issues, and cannot pick up a refill til Monday. (pharmacy staff on vacation). I do have some tylenol 3's, with this help with withdrawl?

[ymouszanon]

Please note :  Disclaimer : my following comment are declarations based on my opinion and my own subjective experience .  It is not suggested or declarative advice .  If you incorrectly take my comment that way ,  you are liable and I am not liable .  I am not a chemist, scientist, doctor or other such like professional .  Do your own research .  thank you .

While tylenol 3 -- i.e. acetaminophen and codeine -- is not as mood elevating as vicodin ,  it does alleviate pain .  However a significant percentage of people do not have the natural , inside your natural biology , digestive enzyme to make codeine work to alleviate pain .  I have found buying over the counter general digestive enzymes and probiotic supplements make tylenol 2, 3 or 4 work to alleviate pain well .  Codeine is technically an opiate which means it is a derivative of the opioid poppy .  Opioids are synthetic and were created in a chemical laboratory .

Since these recent , starting about 3 years ago , cdc guidelines which have the force of dea and fda law ,  most doctors are understandably afraid to continue prescriptions .  However from what I gather pain specialists will still prescribe tylenol 3 , because tylenol is in still in schedule 3 drug class which includes many types of medications most of which are not for pain relief .   Since opioids like vicodin and oxycodone have been bumped up to schedule 2 and even into schedule one(all drugs that are illegal even though some of which taken correctly are not addictive nor harmful) pain specialist doctors are transferring opioid prescriptions to tylenol 2,3 or 4 .  My family doctor who prescribed me vicodin(i.e. hydrocodone) or Norco .  Norco has less tylenol in it which is a good thing because we all know now after 40 some years that tylenol(acetaminophen) taken long term is the cause of the rise in liver, kidney and other visceral organ diseases .

To all these hypocrites in the cdc, dea and fda,  long acting oxycodone and hydrocodone are mood altering and a detriment to your health .  An old retired doctor when in practice before he retired would accept the mood altering effect of opioids as a benefit .

The misuse of opioids is due to socio-economic pressures , and also due to addicts who think they are amateur chemists who break it down into liquid form and inject it  .  Actually alcohol is more harmful than opioids when opioids are taken correctly and in moderation .  It is cruel and immoral to punish pain patients and users who use opioids in moderation .  This dea, cde, fda broad brush, draconian approach is driving cut off opioids pain patients to the illegal market where you never know if you are getting a safe analog(similar or home made)  real or fake opioids, and desperate enough to take black tar heroin which is very dangerous . And the illegal market is so expensive it will ruin you financially and can easily turn you to selling your body and the like . This should be a social and legal outrage that and increase in pain patients cut off opioids are committing suicide for pain relief .

[ymouszanon]

Norco, a brand of hydrocodone with a safer low dose of tylenol, IS NOT AN OPIATE.  Norco is an opioid which is synthetic opiate.  Codiene is an opiate which is an extract from the opium poppy.  In my experience codeine's effects are much different than norco.  In my experience codeine will make me very depressed and hence agitated.  Norco kills pain without that horrible heavy feeling. And even though codeine is from the opium poppy, it is very weak, not even close to morphine.

[namnam46]

Hi jay,

I want to welcome you to the Pain Management Forum and let you know that we are VERY glad that you found this forum!! I need to let you know that there are NO Doctros on this Forum ONLY CP - Chronic Pain - Patients that help each other with our own experiences and expertise that we have gained through our own CP Issues.

I read your other post and saw that you use a small Pharmacy so therefore you probably don't have any possibility of them having more than one location that you could use. I'm assuming that you have a  PM - Pain Management - Doctor. IF you do then I'm also going to assume that you have to have UA tests. It's better for you to stick with the Doctor's meds and NOT take something that you aren't supposed to take. IF you have an appointment this coming week then you would be in a lot of trouble should they spring a UA test on you. It could cost you your PM - Pain Management - Doctor if you were to fail it. I don't want that to happen to you with your sever back pain.

I saw where you are taking 7 to 10 a day.  Did your Doctor prescribe that many or has your pain escalated and you are having to increase because of that?

Since you need that many for your back, you might consider asking to have something stronger as it seems that your pain is probably out of control.  After you've been on the same pain medication for several years, I would imagine that you are immune to them now and getting little if any relief from them anymore.  That happens to all of us at sometime in our fight to conquer our CP - Chronic Pain.

I hope that you will talk with your Doctor and get something that will help you and give you the pain relief that you deserve.  

Please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.

I wish you the VERY Best of Luck........Sherry

[atonicat]

Codeine is an opiate so technically it will keep you from going into withdrawal because you're body is still getting some form of opiate.