Using codeine to cope with problems and depression

I've been using codeine now for about 2 years (the most i've ever taken is 150mg and normally I take 120mg to have the best feelings) and I dont think im addicted because I can go for months and months without codeine and many times i dont even feel like taking it. I've been pretty depressed for about a year now because of no reason at all (probably some chemical imbalance in my brain) and sometimes i have problems with friends or with school. Few weeks ago i had a huge headache and i took 2 nurofen plus (you can buy them over the counter here just for 5 euros per 150mg) and these two nurofen plus pills have 25mg of codein and 400mg of ibuprofen together. I noticed that while on that small amount of codeine my depression was gone for the whole day and all my problems seemed to vanish and i was happy for once in a long time. Now its been few weeks and i've felt so horribly depressed and i had a fight with my friend so i took 25mg and everything felt alright...then the next day i felt horrible still so i took another 25mg and i didnt really notice any tolerance rise so.. So basically my question is that is this a bad habit to use that small amount of codeine to escape problems/depression (I know you shouldnt escape these things but after a while you feel that you need some break from depression and feeling bad...) Because its not like I am taking heroin or any other strong opiate but just taking maybe the weakest opiate there is and a really small amount of it. I dont feel like taking a bigger dose and i dont feel like taking it everyday (maybe once in few weeks)...Should I be worried about this or?

 

Taking it occasionally is probably ok. Codeine is addictive, though. You should try some antidepressants. This sounds like an addiction problem waiting to happen.

 

codeine isnt a depressant anyway. alcohol is a depressant.
to dope sick: 'why dont you grow up and stop trying to give it the big one to so many people who are older and have more experience of life than you do? hmmmm? you are after all what, 13?
you will also find that codeine isn't classed as a depressant in the same way as alcohol is so hence...LOL

 

quit thinking your depressed and your brain will quit makin u think that
jsut go out and DGAF

 

Honey, that may (or may not) be an early sign of dependence or addiction. You may not have full blown withdrawal (the runs, the shakes, sweating, terrible anxiety ect) but being depressed when you don't take an opiate and immediately feeling better when you take it is an early sign of dependence on that drug.


Listen to Photogra1, he knows what he is talking about. See a doctor for proper treatment for your depression.

And Codeine is CERTAINLY a depressant. It is an opiate narcotic, which is in the depressant family. (The word "Narcotic" comes from the Greek word (and god) "Narkos" which means "sleep.") And in certian people, opiate narcotics can cause depression.

Neonate, please get some help for your depression. Self treating with the wrong drug won't help you.

 

Thanks for the replys everyone....I would love to get some help for this from a professional but...its not that easy for a teenager to go and get help like that. I would have to talk to my parents and my parents would just take me to some drug clinic where they would treat me like a heroin junkie and i dont want that. It would also just increase the troubles in my life and i would become more depressed...I can go without codeine for a really long time (actually I could quit right now and never even go back to that stuff) but I dont think im getting addicted to it that much...I've been thinking that maybe my brain just doesnt get enough endorphines and when I take codeine it fills my brain with the endorphine feeling and thus makes me "normal" because my friends and everyone tell me that im strange because normally I just stare in front and dont move and then I feel bad and feel like crawling into a little ball and just lying and moving a little (like moving back and forth) and all this comes just for no reason at all...I have been thinking many times that it might be because of codeine because when I take codeine (even as little as 10mg) I feel normal and happy and I can talk normally and act the same way as everyone else my age without going into this weird state where i dont wanna talk or move. Could this be a sign that im addicted to codeine? I dont feel addicted to codeine mentally but could it be that im physically addicted to codeine and that only when I take codeine I can feel normal? The longest i've ever been without codeine would be about 8 months and during that time I didnt even think about codeine...If I really am addicted to codeine what would be the treatment? Its not like a heroin addiction (not as bad I hope)...Or could it just be that im depressed and none of this is because of codeine withdrawal?

 

Honey, you ARE depressed! You don't need to mention the codiene to your parents, tell them what you just told us about the way you feel. This IS depression. Good parents want to help their child. It is NOT nearly as bad as heroin addiction, and you may well NOT be addicted.

BUT you are depressed. Leave out the codeine and talk to your mom or dad. You can get help for the depression and there are good medications and therapies which an help your brain chemicals get back to normal.

Love,

Maggie

 

Well I guess its better that its depression than codeine addiction... There are some good days when I feel normal (some rare times I even feel happy) but I think depression and this stuff is just a trend thing that seems to be going around..I've met many kids my age that are "depressed" and have got medication and go see a psychiatrist and I've always looked at those kids and thought "that is not going to happen to me" but I guess its just for the best to get help and medication...I think its just the world we live in that gets people depressed and feel bad...we should really change our direction because so many people are suffering. (Well people have been suffering for eternity but more people are getting depressed nowadays and its just not good)

Well..thanks for all the replys and help


Neonate

 

Im in the same position, and i would take anti-depressants willingly if i knew they wouldnt make me more depressed like iv seen before in people i know. Codeine actually seems to work for me because I only take it about three times a month and it hasnt increased at all over the three years that iv been taken it. Is it really that bad?

 

First off, you people who say "just think happy and don't give a fuck and you won't be depressed!" are fucking morons. Straight up. I take lexapro and pristiq on a daily basis, depression is a disease, sometimes hereditary. It is certainly not a "trend". Teenagers most certainly almost always have that teenage angst, growing up is tough. But if your depressed and sad every single day of your life, like I used to be, you need to be on an SSRI. This is a mostly non-addictive drug that over time balances the chemical imbalanced in your brain and some people can stop taking them within 6 months to a year but some people will be on them for life. Some people also take benzos or things like lithium to handle major depression, or manic depression. Take my advice, I live it. I know exactly what I am talking about. Clinic or a regular doctor, go see him or her immediately and I promise you man, you will find the light in your life again and enjoy your life so much more. Again, This is a disease, not something you can control just by thinking a certain way. Trust me on that one. Anyone who tells you different does not have depression or anxiety and are mistaking sadness for depression. You can overcome sadness, not clinical depression. Period.

 

And to answer loveandhate, you should take them. The only way they make you more depressed is if your dosage is to high. I have experienced this also. You work hand in hand with your doctor to figure out just the right dosage that your brain needs to be balanced, and when you do it works exactly like it's supposed to. Trust me, the reason those people you see are more depressed is because they are on the wrong dosage and refuse to tell their doctor. Which is stupid as shit. Again, I know first hand. I live it and have every day of my life and so do my parents.

 

Man i've been depressed too, and its shit :/ **virtual hug**
You sound like you need to be more carefree or something, im not sure tho im no professional..