He's on 8-10 a day, and I'm a little worried.
Help appreciated.
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How dangerous is solpadine?Rate this:
 
Published Mon 30 Jul 2007,
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6 Comments
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He's on 8-10 a day, and I'm a little worried.
Help appreciated.
armitage_shanks
6 Comments
I don't know an easy way to approach this, sorry.
*depends which solpadeine he's taking
http://www.solpadeine.co.uk/solpadeine-faq.html
.Just now I went looking for that site and found there are tons of them.
I did not find sites dealing with Solpadeine addiction. Apparently there are varied formulations: paracetamol and caffeine, but not codeine, but others with paracetamol and codeine (Solpadeine Max).
I also found the following:
"WARNING:
# Codeine can cause drowsiness, although at the dose contained in this medicine this is very unlikely. However, if you do find this medicine makes you feel sleepy or dizzy you should not drive or operate machinery and avoid alcoholic drink.
# Do not take this medicine with any other products that contain paracetamol. Many over-the-counter painkillers and cold and flu remedies contain paracetamol. It is important to check the ingredients of any medicines you buy without a prescription before taking them in combination with this medicine. Seek further advice from your pharmacist.
# An overdose of paracetamol is dangerous and capable of causing serious damage to the liver and kidneys. You should never exceed the dose stated in the information leaflet supplied with this medicine. Immediate medical advice should be sought in the event of an overdose with this medicine, even if you feel well, because of the risk of delayed, serious liver damage.
# Alcohol increases the risk of liver damage that can occur if an overdose of paracetamol is taken. The hazards of paracetamol overdose are greater in persistant heavy drinkers and in people with alcoholic liver disease.
# If this medicine is taken regularly for long periods of time, the body can become tolerant to it and it may become less effective at relieving pain. With prolonged use, the body may also become dependent on the codeine. As a result, when you then stop taking the medicine you may get withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness and irritability. Do not take this medicine for longer than three days without consulting your doctor. If you find you need to use this medicine all the time you should consult your doctor for advice.
# Taking a painkiller for headaches too often or for too long can make them worse. "
I don't know your friend's situation, but my guess is that his solpadeine habit began innocently enough to treat real physical pain, but then a kind of physical or psychological dependence on the drug has built up. Let's say the issue was migraine headaches, which neurologists have traced back to not only genetic predisposition but stress, nutrition, and emotional repression. The most severe migraines, neurologists say, are probably linked to emotional pain that cannot find its expression through the normal channels, and so it manifests itself as head-breaking, gut-wrenching, excruciating, debilitating pain and suffering in the patient's body. Often patients will become hooked on OTC drug treatment, when the cure may have a more psychological mind-body component.
OTC addiction is difficult but treatable. There are withdrawal symptoms that should be supervised by a doctor, and in many cases patients try to wean themselves to lower doses over a matter of days or weeks. In some cases, switching to another painkiller that does not contain codeine might be prescribed. The safest and healthiest bet is to see a good GP about the pain symptoms that have led to the OTC dependence and find out if there are alternative therapies and medical treatments for the source of the pain or stress.
If your friend is self-medicating for emotional difficulties and there is no physical pain evident, that is a different situation. Especially as it might be a much more difficult subject to address with your friend. You can speak to him, discussing your concern that he is relying or a lot of codeine to manage things right now, and see if he has any plans to cut down. There is professional help out there if needed.
There are Stages of Change of Addiction, starting with a precontemplation phase, when a person has no plans to quit a substance. The best one can do in the beginning is to educate the person about what kind of damage the drug can do to his body, his life, and his relationships. If the person is ready, he then moves into contemplation phase when he starts to actually consider quitting and accepting help. That's followed by preparation, planning how to quit and starting on the path, sometimes entering a program. Then action and maintenance. It can be helpful to decide what "stage" your friend is in. The conversation will be slightly different if he has tried to cut back and found it too tough versus if he is feeling okay about taking 10 tablets a day and says he can stop whenever he wants.
Hope this info helps a bit.
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