# Does anyone take codeine phospahte?



## cw_2009 (Apr 10, 2005)

Hi was wondering if anyone takes codeine phosphate and imodium for ibs d?


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## Shawna-one (Jan 30, 2011)

cw_2009 said:


> Hi was wondering if anyone takes codeine phosphate and imodium for ibs d?


I am taking a pill with codeine and tylenol mixture. I'm not sure what codeine phosphate is, because I'm not familiar with the many codeine products out there. I don't take Immodium -it doesn't help me and seems to cause some stomach problems in addition to my IBS. I have GERD so that may be an interaction with the GERD med., I don't know. Having taken GERD PPI meds for years, I know they interfere with a lot of my other medications. I take Pepto Bismol because it soothes my tummy, and helps to slow down my bowel motility so that I mustn't go so often. If I'm in social situations like eating out, shopping, doctor appointments - then I take the codeine-tylenol pill. I have the generic for Lortab. If I'm just at home Pepto-Bismol helps immensely unless I have a virus.


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## cw_2009 (Apr 10, 2005)

i disagree if my ibs was fine i wouldnt take codeine phosphate ever again.. I dont think doctors are too kine to give codeine phosphate on prescription.


Lancschic said:


> The fill in doctor gave it me it defo bunged me up more but i still went off the codeine phosphate. My doctor said its not good long term people can get withdrawls etc.


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## Shawna-one (Jan 30, 2011)

I don't take them everyday. I'm retired, so I only take them on occasions that are upsetting for me, or to be able to go out to a restaurant occasionally. Maybe a couple hours of shopping. My doctor gave me 60 last year in July, and I still have some left, so I'm certainly not addicted to them. However I notice that 5 mg. is not helping as much as it did. I asked my doctor if I may get used to them and need a higher dosage, and he said that could happen. I'm not an addictive personality type, and if I can make 60 tablets last a year that proves it. That is 6 tablets per month, and I used quite a few when I went to physical therapy, because I had to be in there for 3 hours, and had to double up on them the days I went to PT. If one doesn't get relief from "standard" so called, like antispasmodics, constipating agents like Immodium, Lomotil, and the others, most doctors will prescribe pain relief for those of us who have a lot of pain.


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## Shawna-one (Jan 30, 2011)

my husband was given some 7.5mg Lortab after a cyst removal surgery, and he wouldn't take it anymore. He said it was too constipating for him. I just laughed, because it doesn't constipate me at all. My bowel movement the next morning is a little more solid. Maybe a smaller dose would help? My doctor originally prescribed one ever 5 to 6 hours for pain. But I only use them for when I need to go out and don't want to rush home to the bathroom. The med. just stops my colon spasms and I can't feel the pain and pushing and wanting to expel a BM for about 3 hours. Or if I have a severe colon attack where I cramp really bad, as bad or worse than childbirth pain. Those attacks I may cramp for at least an hour before the diarrhea happens, and those are usually triggered by certain foods some times, and sometimes I don't know what triggers them off. Right now I'm just in the stage where I have to go immediately with not much cramping. I can barely make it to my own bathroom, much less look for one out at the mall. I know where they are, but may not make it there. This stuff is sort of hard to explain. I'm taking a new prescription med. for another issue and I think it is interfering with my GERD med., and also making my colon spams worse.


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## Shawna-one (Jan 30, 2011)

]I will need to look up the medicine and see what the name brand is, must not be Lortab. No doctor I know would give that high a dosage of Lortab (hydrocodone) to anyone. When I took oxycodone for shingles, I wouldn't take the 4 each day for pain, I only took one at night, and one in the morning. The doctor prescribed 4 of those a day for me, but it is terribly constipating, so I bore the shingles pain during the day with some help from acetaminophen, and got by with as little oxycodone as I could, or it would have been IBS with constipation. I can take a lot of most pain, but can't take the stress of constant diarrhea.


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

I now take 60mg 4 times a day from originally taking 30mg once a day 18months ago and they are becoming much less effective again.I was taking 20 plus a day before my diagnosis around 20 years ago too and most medications seem to wear off with me over time.Im not addicted but i do have a high tolerance of them.Unfortunately here in the uk there are very few drugs available for ibs treatment and ive been through pretty much all of them over the years.


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## cw_2009 (Apr 10, 2005)

60mg.. was the doctor happy to prescribe this amount?


jmc09 said:


> I now take 60mg 4 times a day from originally taking 30mg once a day 18months ago and they are becoming much less effective again.I was taking 20 plus a day before my diagnosis around 20 years ago too and most medications seem to wear off with me over time.Im not addicted but i do have a high tolerance of them.Unfortunately here in the uk there are very few drugs available for ibs treatment and ive been through pretty much all of them over the years.


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

cw_2009 said:


> 60mg.. was the doctor happy to prescribe this amount?


Its 2x30mg tablets four times a day and my GP hasnt got a clue about ibs but my consultant at Wythenshawe Hospital says its a case of taking whatever is needed to get through. He realises I'm a sensible and clued up person so has no qualms about me and how I take my medication.I'm just waiting for yet another drug trial in a few months to see if it helps me.


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## cw_2009 (Apr 10, 2005)

What drug trial is this??


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

I'm a patient of Prof Whorwell at Wythenshawe hospital and the Department is the South Manchester Functional Bowel Centre.The centre is part of the University of Manchester and patients can enrol in any drug trials that occur and we can test out possible treatments before they hit the market.I have tried Ondansetron and Mesalazine as treatment options without any success.There is another one coming up soon.If you are interested in participating contact them here http://ibs-care.org/research.htmlI reckon the next trial maybe for MuDelta,which has been reported in the news feed forum on here.


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## fongo (Dec 15, 2011)

i use codiene if i have to go to anywhere that needs me to be "bunged up"it does work very well on your gerd as an antispasmodic, thus slowing things down with the benefit of what can only be described as near to normal (i hate that word) stools with time inbetween stools, oh happy days.however the downside to using these meds (codiene) is the highly addictive qualities and through regular use, tollerence to the drug.so if you do use this then use it sparingly and have plenty of breaks inbetween.i believe the new trials mentioned above use a compound that has codiene like qualities with less of the downside of actually doing codiene.so heres hoping for a decent breakthrough with this incidious condition.i hope i helped


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## munster (Jul 5, 2012)

jmc09 said:


> Its 2x30mg tablets four times a day and my GP hasnt got a clue about ibs but my consultant at Wythenshawe Hospital says its a case of taking whatever is needed to get through. He realises I'm a sensible and clued up person so has no qualms about me and how I take my medication.I'm just waiting for yet another drug trial in a few months to see if it helps me.


I only live 30mins away from Manchester I had a phone consultation with my GP about what meds I can get to sto me going loo 4-8 times a day.She gave me a prescription for Codeine Phosphate 60mg 4 times a day. I already have Tramadol on repeat perscription (post gallbladder removal pains) LOL.


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

Munster,give the ibs centre a call and you may be able to get on the upcoming trial.I am certain the codeine will help,mix them with loperamide/imodium if you need to and look for another option as long term codeine use is not ideal.


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## Gill58 (Sep 19, 2006)

cw_2009 said:


> Hi was wondering if anyone takes codeine phosphate and imodium for ibs d?


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## Gill58 (Sep 19, 2006)

I took codeine phosphate (about 3X 30 mgs per day) for around 30 years with no addiction problems. But when we moved to the US and then to France, I was not able to get them, so I have been on 2 Immodium (more when needed!) daily since then.The codeine phosphate really worked well for me and when I had to stop taking them, there were no 'withdrawal' problems at all. Hope this helps!


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

I think 'addiction' is not the right description based on my years of codeine usage.I would use the word 'tolerance' instead.Ive found that for you to get the relief necessary you have to steadily increase the dose until it either stops working or the effects of that high dose are worse than the symptoms it helps stop in the first place.


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