What is codeine withdrawal?
Codeine is an opioid drug commonly used for mild to moderate pain relief. While it is less addictive than substances such as heroin and fentanyl, its recent glamorization in popular culture has led many young people to use it recreationally.
When a user begins taking codeine, their body may start to develop a tolerance to the drug, whereby they feel that they must continue to increase their dosage to experience its full effects. As this tolerance begins to take place, the user is likely to develop physical dependence Especially when they try to stop taking codeine after long-term use. When the patient attempts to discontinue use, they will likely experience a host of uncomfortable and painful symptoms known as withdrawal.
Withdrawal from opiates is often the key driver of drug abuse/addiction. Many users choose to continue use to avoid the negative effects that they will face during drug detox.
Codeine withdrawal facts
- Codeine is the most common opiate with millions of users in the United States.
- Slang terms for codeine include Cody, Captain Cody, Little C, and Schoolboy.
- Homemade codeine drinks have street names such as lean, purple drank, sizzurp, or Texas tea
Codeine withdrawal symptoms
While the severity and extent of codeine withdrawal symptoms one experiences largely come down to the individual, there are some common symptoms that most people can expect to face. Common symptoms include:
- Flu-like symptoms such as fever, sweating, runny nose, dehydration, body aches, and headache.
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Stomach pain and stomach cramps.
- Muscle aches, muscle spasms, and muscle cramps.
- Changes in blood pressure and.
- Loss of appetite
- Respiratory depression.
- Onset or exacerbation of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, eating disorder, or bipolar disorder.
- Mood swings, indifference, and inability to concentrate.
- Insomnia or changes in sleeping patterns.
- Severe drug cravings.
If you, a loved one, or someone you know is struggling with the effects of codeine addiction, contact ANR Clinic
Codeine detox – withdrawal & recovery timeline
How a person responds to codeine and the severity of withdrawal that they experience can be influenced by many factors. Largely, it is dependent on the individual themselves. Factors include: the physical make-up of the patient (such as height, body weight, and fitness level), whether they have any pre-existing conditions such as mental health issues or heart disease, and the extent of their codeine dependence/addiction.
Days 0-4
Unlike most other opiate withdrawal symptoms, which take 24 hours to present themselves, codeine can take as few as 6 hours. During this period, the patient can expect to experience withdrawal symptoms such as muscle pain, restless legs, headaches, sweating, diarrhea, and insomnia.
Days 5-7
This is where the most severe physical symptoms (known as acute withdrawal symptoms) take hold. During this time, the patient can experience depression, nausea, numbness, anxiety, apathy, and drug cravings.
Days 8+
While, at this point, most physical symptoms of codeine withdrawal will begin to subside, the patient can be left with a myriad of psychological symptoms that are often harder to deal with. They can be left feeling guilty of the actions they undertook while on codeine, or during withdrawal. Symptoms include apathy, depression, anxiety, irritability, and insomnia. The combination of these effects is often what causes people to relapse, so they must be given adequate support during this time.
Post-acute withdrawal syndrome
Although the period someone will experience withdrawal will be a little over a week in most cases, some outliers can experience post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). PAWS can last weeks, months, or even years, and causes a variety of symptoms. Symptoms include attention deficit, sleeping problems, indifference, lethargy, mood swings, and mental illness such as depression or bipolar disorder. Post-acute withdrawal symptoms can be physical, however, this is far less common. PAWS can eventually be overcome as patients learn to deal with the psychological symptoms, but it is best to attempt this with the help of professionals who can provide medical advice under clinical care and supervision.
Rapid Detox for Opioid Addiction
Codeine rapid detox is an anesthesia-assisted medical treatment that quickly clears out codeine from the body. Typically, advanced rapid detox under sedation induces codeine withdrawal with the use of opioid antagonists (for example, naloxone). Thanks to general anesthesia, rapid detox helps reduce the severity of codeine withdrawal symptoms.
However, rapid detox only diminishes the symptoms of addiction but doesn’t restore your endorphin-receptor system. Therefore, despite its expensive cost, rapid detox isn’t a permanent solution to overcoming codeine addiction, and it isn’t uncommon for people to relapse shortly after receiving the treatment. Sadly, some of these instances result in overdose or even death.
ANR Opioid Treatment – Treating Codeine Dependency with ANR
Accelerated Neuro-Regulation (ANR) is a state-of-the-art opioid dependency treatment that restores the endorphin-receptor balance in patients.
Unlike codeine rapid detox, ANR targets the roots of addiction by focusing on the physiological mechanism behind dependency rather than counteracting the effects of withdrawal itself.
As such, ANR can help you recover from codeine dependency in just a few days without further withdrawal symptoms, cravings, or fear of relapse.
Our team of highly qualified medical professionals includes anesthesiologists, critical care nurses, cardiologists, and more. This, coupled with the fact that every treatment is customized to each patient, allows us to safely treat patients with various health conditions, such as heart disease and kidney issues.
ANR Clinic has helped thousands of people around the world beat codeine dependency. You can find our centers in:
- DeSoto Memorial Hospital, Arcadia, Florida
- ANR Europe Thun, Switzerland
- New Vision University Hospital, Tbilisi, Georgia
To start your recovery journey with ANR Clinic today, contact us to schedule a free consultation!
FAQ
Codeine is a prescription opioid medication that, with use over an extended period of time, can lead to opioid withdrawal syndrome, opioid dependence, and drug withdrawal. Codeine addiction is a serious form of opioid withdrawal syndrome and can create the risk of overdose. If you see someone experiencing an overdose, contact emergency medical services immediately.
A doctor may prescribe the drug to treat acute and chronic pain, both mild and moderate.
In most cases, a user will experience symptoms of withdrawal within1-2 days of their last dose of codeine. The most severe withdrawal symptoms will usually occur after the last dose.
Typically, opioid withdrawal symptoms will last little more than a week. However, some people can experience post-acute withdrawal syndrome which can last weeks, months, or even years. The length of withdrawal can often depend on the individual themselves and the nature of their drug use, but it can also be influenced by the method of treatment they use. The recovery period lasts only a few days at an ANR treatment center.
Mixing alcohol and opioid pain relievers or other addictive drugs can be extremely dangerous. Not only can mixing drugs and alcohol cause alcohol addiction and co-occurring substance use disorders, but it can also increase the severity of withdrawal symptoms and have dire effects on a person’s mental and physical health, causing physical issues such as liver failure/damage, respiratory depression, and in some cases, death.
At the ANR Clinic, we offer an opioid addiction treatment program. is an extremely effective treatment that treats addiction by restoring the endorphin-receptor balance to regular levels. It is a much faster treatment for opioid and codeine addiction than other programs such as inpatient rehab, residential treatment programs, intensive outpatient programs, and even medically assisted treatments using medicine like methadone.
There are many signs that you can look out for to help identify opioid use disorder and addiction to codeine, such as behavioral changes, dilated pupils, and poor appetite. See here to learn more about the signs of codeine addiction and substance abuse.
Yesodeine is a prescription drug that is illegal to acquire or take without a prescription from a doctor.
Codeine abuse is known to have negative effects on mental health or pre-existing mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
