Pass the Solpadeine on the left hand side!

Esoteric_

One of my old managers had a problem with the joints in his knee and couldn't afford (in his words) medical treatment for it. He used to send me out on my breaks every single day to buy him a big pack of Nurofen Plus, as the chemist wouldn't sell him anymore.

After about 3 weeks of me buying a 24 pack every single day, they stopped selling them to me, too. Now when I genuinely need one (which is once in a blue moon), I have to get my sister to go get them for me. :pac:

KKkitty

saintsaltynuts wrote: »

Bollix!Took two Solphadine an hour ago for an earache and its actually gettin worse!

Could be an ear infection though. That's one of the most painful things ever.

kowloon

LyndaMcL wrote: »

One of my old managers had a problem with the joints in his knee and couldn't afford (in his words) medical treatment for it. He used to send me out on my breaks every single day to buy him a big pack of Nurofen Plus, as the chemist wouldn't sell him anymore.

After about 3 weeks of me buying a 24 pack every single day, they stopped selling them to me, too. Now when I genuinely need one (which is once in a blue moon), I have to get my sister to go get them for me. :pac:

24 a day must do some serious damage. The paracetamol in a quarter of that dose is considered the maximum. Not sure how much of a safety margin there is though.

Esoteric_

kowloon wrote: »

24 a day must do some serious damage. The paracetamol in a quarter of that dose is considered the maximum. Not sure how much of a safety margin there is though.

I'd imagine he was destroying his organs taking it, but it wasn't for me to tell him what to do. I'd try to give him paracetamol instead if I had some with me but he always wanted nurofen plus.

Nodin

Sorcha16 wrote: »

The casual attitude to substance abuse on this thread is shocking. Just because you aren't shoving a needle through your arm doesn't mean you don't have a problem

Yep, theres all kinds of highs....
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NDhHq2KZsCs/TTF_3TqxLuI/AAAAAAAAAXE/8Lx2LbUiIPs/s1600/high%2Bhorse.jpg

Calibos

When the Pharmacy OTC lecture rules came in, I was fairly up in arms about them. A few weeks previous I had a Wisdom Tooth out and got dry socket which is pretty feckin painful. I ran out of the prescribed difene pretty quick and the pharmacist himself suggested to double dose on the codeine by taking 2 Nurofen+ followed 2 hours later by 2 Solphedine followed 2 hours later by 2 Nurofen+ etc. ie. getting the benefit of both paracetamol and Ibuprofen pain relief but without breaking dosage limits while at the same time getting 60mg of codeine into me in a 4 hour period.

I did this for 10 days till the dry socket healed. I knew about withdrawl headaches. Sure enough on day 11 I got a whopper of a headache but knew that all I should take was ordinary Nurofen or paracetemol. Headache eased enough to sleep that night. Right as rain the next day.

So on the one hand I felt that the addictive potential was overhyped, that this limitation to a 12 pack of N+ and advice not to take it for more than 3 days was a joke. If your pain is such that you need the max daily dose then 12 tablets is just over 1 days worth FFS. I couldn't take them longer than 3 days if a tried with a 12 pack :rolleyes: I'd been double dosing on the Codeine for 10 days FFS. No craving just a withdrawl headache.

However.......

I did recall my mood was generally lifted after popping a N+. Just a little bit more than could be solely attributed to the mental relief of being relieved of physical pain. After I gave up asking for N+ and started buying buplex I quickly found that indeed, they worked just as well on my aches and pains as N+ had

I had to admit that even if I was not prone to addiction as quickly as others it didn't mean everyone else was as lucky. I now support the restrictions....as long as I can get some for Wisdom teeth extractions

Sorcha16

Nodin wrote: »

Yep, theres all kinds of highs....
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NDhHq2KZsCs/TTF_3TqxLuI/AAAAAAAAAXE/8Lx2LbUiIPs/s1600/high%2Bhorse.jpg

Whereas your lazy response is funny for the easily amused, it does nothing to detract from the reality of my point

kowloon

Calibos wrote: »

When the Pharmacy OTC lecture rules came in, I was fairly up in arms about them. A few weeks previous I had a Wisdom Tooth out and got dry socket which is pretty feckin painful. I ran out of the prescribed difene pretty quick and the pharmacist himself suggested to double dose on the codeine by taking 2 Nurofen+ followed 2 hours later by 2 Solphedine followed 2 hours later by 2 Nurofen+ etc. ie. getting the benefit of both paracetamol and Ibuprofen pain relief but without breaking dosage limits while at the same time getting 60mg of codeine into me in a 4 hour period.

Was doing the same myself but with free doctors visits in the UK I ended up being given plain codeine to go with the antibiotics. Much easier on the stomach too. At home I tend not to go to the doctor because of the cost. Ultimately I end up buying so much branded stuff that over time it costs more than the doctors visit and generic codeine.

nice_very

I have not taken a tablet of any kind in a good few years, hope Im not a feast or famine guy on that topic!!!

Skerries

Difene I only use as an anti-inflammatory and Solpadeine for the pain as Difene is useless for it
I only use it as i need it but keep a healthy supply on hand
never got the highs that people talk of, maybe a scaggy buzz that isn't nice from old packs

bbam

I worked with a chap who was addicted to solpadene. It was very sad, it got to the stage he was taking solpadene during the shift as he was tired. He would constantly have a few of the large 24 boxes in his drawer and bought in 5 different chemists.
I broached the subject once but he but my head off so I let it be.
I often saw him take 4 in a half glass of water, it looked like a glass of white soup it was so thick.
I don't work there now but before I left he was in medication as his blood pressure was through the roof.

I was shocked and until then didn't realise how addictive they are.

partyatmygaff

LyndaMcL wrote: »

One of my old managers had a problem with the joints in his knee and couldn't afford (in his words) medical treatment for it. He used to send me out on my breaks every single day to buy him a big pack of Nurofen Plus, as the chemist wouldn't sell him anymore.

After about 3 weeks of me buying a 24 pack every single day, they stopped selling them to me, too. Now when I genuinely need one (which is once in a blue moon), I have to get my sister to go get them for me. :pac:

He may well have been using it to synthesise another more potent drug like morphine and heroin.

Teyla Emmagan

anhedonia wrote: »

Personally dont like codeine, has a nasty histamine reaction itchiness to it.

Fentanyl is a much cleaner opiate.

Thanks for the tip.

Took a couple if difene without reading the box a while ago (one at a time apparently). God, it nearly killed me. Thought I would end up going in to a & e for an emergency enema begging to get every last bit of it taken out of my poor bowels. Was wrung out like a dish cloth by the time it passed out of me. Horrible stuff.

smash

Nurofen+ ftw

snubbleste

I prefer naproxen

suicide_circus

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Thanks for the tip.

Took a couple if difene without reading the box a while ago (one at a time apparently). God, it nearly killed me. Thought I would end up going in to a & e for an emergency enema begging to get every last bit of it taken out of my poor bowels. Was wrung out like a dish cloth by the time it passed out of me. Horrible stuff.

I went to the gp for back pain and he gave me difene. Turns out the back pain was in fact referred pain from a gastrointestinal issue. Needless to say the problem was made much worse and i was in absolute bits. Almost sh1t out my entire colon. I would never take difene again under an circumstances.

Nodin

suicide_circus wrote: »

I went to the gp for back pain and he gave me difene. Turns out the back pain was in fact referred pain from a gastrointestinal issue. Needless to say the problem was made much worse and i was in absolute bits. Almost sh1t out my entire colon. I would never take difene again under an circumstances.

...other than constipation, of course.

suicide_circus

partyatmygaff wrote: »

He may well have been using it to synthesise another more potent drug like morphine and heroin.

wut?

I've heard of using cold water extraction to separate the codine from the ibuprofen but making heroin out of Nurofen + is a new one on me.

Nodin

suicide_circus wrote: »

wut?

I've heard of using cold water extraction to separate the codine from the ibuprofen but making heroin out of Nurofen + is a new one on me.

This I never understood. If theres x amount of codeine in a tablet, whats the point of extracting it? Just take the poxy tablet....

suicide_circus

Nodin wrote: »

This I never understood. If theres x amount of codeine in a tablet, whats the point of extracting it? Just take the poxy tablet....

Because you want all the lovely codine but not the accompanying tummy damaging ibuprofen or liver damaging paracetamol! The cold water extraction separates the codine from the the other pain killers and the rest of the ingredients in the pills. This is usually done with a whole pack of Nurofen plus or solpadene, usually for recreational purposes.

giant_midget

Solpadeine are great for hangovers ! That's all use them for to be honest.

petes

Nurofen+, Tylex and Difeine!! Not all at the same time mind!!

seven_eleven

Never had it, I just presume is paracetamol or something? Which just makes the pain go away for me, nothing special.

You know what kinda annoys me? The way the majority of people dont know the difference between Paracetamol and Aspirin.

flutterflye

seven_eleven wrote: »

Never had it, I just presume is paracetamol or something? Which just makes the pain go away for me, nothing special.

You know what kinda annoys me? The way the majority of people dont know the difference between Paracetamol and Aspirin.

But you don't know the difference between paracetamol and solpodeine!

Teyla Emmagan

suicide_circus wrote: »

I went to the gp for back pain and he gave me difene. Turns out the back pain was in fact referred pain from a gastrointestinal issue. Needless to say the problem was made much worse and i was in absolute bits. Almost sh1t out my entire colon. I would never take difene again under an circumstances.

I know, they say it's 'hard on the stomach', not that it will nearly perforate your bowel for you.

Nodin wrote: »

...other than constipation, of course.

I would drink a litre bottle of castor oil first.

giant_midget

suicide_circus wrote: »

I went to the gp for back pain and he gave me difene. Turns out the back pain was in fact referred pain from a gastrointestinal issue. Needless to say the problem was made much worse and i was in absolute bits. Almost sh1t out my entire colon. I would never take difene again under an circumstances.

That would be a ecumenical matter! :pac:

angeline

Personally I don't find much use for solpadeine. I get bad migraines and no otc pill would go near them. I need Zomig and ponstan. Then when I was in a crash I was on cataflam three times a day which worked very well. Now, I also have a box of tylex and there is about 30 mg of codeine in them!!

Cee-Jay-Cee

No problem buying it in NI. A box of 24 lasts me about a year so hardly an addiction plus it tastes vile. I take it before going to bed if I've had a bellyful of beer and it staves off a headache the next morning. Couldn't take it on an empty stomach as it makes me sick.

another question

I was only having this converstion with 2 people I know yesterday who have a 'problem' with the Big S. Now the girl I know went into a chemist and apparently she said they know her from coming in and out but they usually just give her the lecture and she leaves with a box but on Sat last she went in and they said no! Not unless she had a prescription - she then said 'are they prescription only now' and the man behind the counter said 'no but we are not giving them to regular customers who keep coming in for them without a prescription'. She said she was mortified and left. Now she is contemplating going to her doctor to ask for a prescription but is afraid she won't get it. The other person suggested to just be honest with the doc but I somewhat don't think thats going to work! Her original problem was migraine and that was 10 years ago, she takes 2-3 soluble tabs a day - not a huge amount but enough to make her panic if she doesn't have any.

seven_eleven

flutterflye wrote: »

But you don't know the difference between paracetamol and solpodeine!

no! NO! NOOOO!!!

flutterflye

seven_eleven wrote: »

no! NO! NOOOO!!!

Calm down there mate.
Here, have some codeine.

suicide_circus

another question wrote: »

I was only having this converstion with 2 people I know yesterday who have a 'problem' with the Big S. Now the girl I know went into a chemist and apparently she said they know her from coming in and out but they usually just give her the lecture and she leaves with a box but on Sat last she went in and they said no! Not unless she had a prescription - she then said 'are they prescription only now' and the man behind the counter said 'no but we are not giving them to regular customers who keep coming in for them without a prescription'. She said she was mortified and left. Now she is contemplating going to her doctor to ask for a prescription but is afraid she won't get it. The other person suggested to just be honest with the doc but I somewhat don't think thats going to work! Her original problem was migraine and that was 10 years ago, she takes 2-3 soluble tabs a day - not a huge amount but enough to make her panic if she doesn't have any.

Your friend and her junkie antics are the reason the rest of us get the third degree any time we try to buy decent otc pain meds. Why the hell does she keep going back to the same pharmy? Rookie mistake.

partyatmygaff

suicide_circus wrote: »

wut?

I've heard of using cold water extraction to separate the codine from the ibuprofen but making heroin out of Nurofen + is a new one on me.

Morphine
Codeine
Heroin

They're almost identical molecules. The only thing that needs to be done to convert codeine to morphine for instance is a simple demethylation. That CH3 (Labelled "Me" for Methyl) group that's drawn there in the top left is removed and replaced with a H.

To convert morphine to heroin, you just diacetylate it by adding two acetyl groups instead of the hydrogens (Drawn in the top left and bottom left).

For someone with a bit of experience in chemistry (Or a guide...) and some standard household items, it's definitely possible. Yields and purity won't be any good unless they're experienced, have the proper equipment and understand what they're doing but for most people addicted to opiates looking for a fix that probably won't hugely concern them.

Lollers

I suffered a back/neck injury in a car acccident when I was a kid, had no pain for years but now it seems to have come back to haunt me with the nerves trapped between a disk. Waiting for an op, so hopefully it will be sorted soon enough. I'm allergic to ibprofen which is in Nuforen Plus, so I'm on prescribed Tramadol at the moment which is a synthetic form of codeine but has 3 times a higher codeine/tramadol dosage in 1 tablet compared to Nuforen Plus, I'm prescribed 8 a day, which is 400mg. All I can say about it's effects, hmmm well it certainly gives you a different perspective of life

o1s1n

Was in London over the weekend. Went into a local boots and up to the counter -

'Can I have some...some...Solpadeine Plus'

'Some what?'

'Err...Solpadeine Plus?'

'Sure, tablet or pill?'

:eek::eek::eek:

Needless to say, we went back in the next day and bought another box of 32!

mathepac

anhedonia wrote: »

... Fentanyl is a much cleaner opiate.

Opioid

anhedonia

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Morphine
Codeine
Heroin

They're almost identical molecules. The only thing that needs to be done to convert codeine to morphine for instance is a simple demethylation. That CH3 (Labelled "Me" for Methyl) group that's drawn there in the top left is removed and replaced with a H.

To convert morphine to heroin, you just diacetylate it by adding two acetyl groups instead of the hydrogens (Drawn in the top left and bottom left).

For someone with a bit of experience in chemistry (Or a guide...) and some standard household items, it's definitely possible. Yields and purity won't be any good unless they're experienced, have the proper equipment and understand what they're doing but for most people addicted to opiates looking for a fix that probably won't hugely concern them.

And where will you source the acetic anhydride to convert from morphine to Heroin ?

Its a listed precursor.

anhedonia

Lollers wrote: »

I'm on prescribed Tramadol at the moment which is a synthetic form of codeine but has 3 times a higher codeine/tramadol dosage in 1 tablet compared to Nuforen Plus, I'm prescribed 8 a day, which is 400mg. All I can say about it's effects, hmmm well it certainly gives you a different perspective of life

Tramadol isnt codeine exactly, its an opioid in it's own right, so its not correct to say that 50mgs of tramadol has 3 times the codeine from a neurofen plus tablet.
Comparing different opiates/opioids is usually done via a comparison with the equivalent oral morphine dose, but its still very subjective.

Thats a nice little dependency you got going on there, withdrawal will be no walk in the park, brain-zaps spring to mind.

Piliger

suicide_circus wrote: »

I went to the gp for back pain and he gave me difene. Turns out the back pain was in fact referred pain from a gastrointestinal issue. Needless to say the problem was made much worse and i was in absolute bits. Almost sh1t out my entire colon. I would never take difene again under an circumstances.

I had to take it for more than a year about 18 months ago. I was lucky to be able to tolerate it fine. Unfortunately the GP mis prescribed it and it masked real joint damage and caused me to lose the use of my left index finger and therefore of playing guitar after 35 years of playing weekly in gigs, as well as golf.

I don't want to appear like I am dragging this off topic or violating any rules .... but this re emphasises to me yet again why we need to be VERY CAUTIOUS about how we use GPs.

I am 50+ and after many years of experience of a few GP's in Dublin, I now never use them for anything except cold and flu and other minor ailments. I get them to move me on STRAIGHT to a consultant for anything more complex. Too many mistakes, errors, lack of medical knowledge. And my best friend is married to one and has the exact same view.
The only exception I make is where a GP has a speciality, which is getting more common now. Otherwise I advise everyone to do the same.

flutterflye

anhedonia wrote: »

Tramadol isnt codeine exactly, its an opioid in it's own right, so its not correct to say that 50mgs of tramadol has 3 times the codeine from a neurofen plus tablet.
Comparing different opiates/opioids is usually done via a comparison with the equivalent oral morphine dose, but its still very subjective.

Thats a nice little dependency you got going on there, withdrawal will be no walk in the park, brain-zaps spring to mind.

I was prescribed 8 tylex a day once for 10 days, and once for 14.
All I got when I stopped taking them was a headache for a day.
Not too bad.

Lollers

anhedonia wrote: »

Thats a nice little dependency you got going on there, withdrawal will be no walk in the park, brain-zaps spring to mind.

It's not a dependency it's medication I'm taking to help deal with the excruciating attacks of pain I get particularly at night. Tramadol increases the risk of seizure the higher the dosage goes, so while I can take 400mg a day I rarely go above 150mg, as I said in my post I'm waiting for an operation at the moment, that hopefully with sort it out and I won't have any need for them.

And you don't have to tell me about addiction and withdrawals, my mother is a nurse and has been with working with addicts for over 15 years, I've heard some real horror stories.

segaBOY

HardLuckWoman wrote: »

Oh I love solpadeine. I get migraines the odd time. But there was a time I was getting them weekly and the pharmacist had the cheek to tell me I was getting headaches from the solpadeine. Eh no, I dont get headaches, I get migraines and I felt like getting sick on his counter. Its the only thing that knocks me out quickly which I need with a migraine.

Cheek of the pharmacist trying to look out for your health. :rolleyes:

csi vegas

jfallon wrote: »

Seriously though that Solpadeine is some good Sh*t!

:rolleyes: pffft...Solpa Sinus is where it's at

anhedonia

Lollers wrote: »

It's not a dependency it's medication I'm taking to help deal with the excruciating attacks of pain I get particularly at night. Tramadol increases the risk of seizure the higher the dosage goes, so while I can take 400mg a day I rarely go above 150mg, as I said in my post I'm waiting for an operation at the moment, that hopefully with sort it out and I won't have any need for them.

And you don't have to tell me about addiction and withdrawals, my mother is a nurse and has been with working with addicts for over 15 years, I've heard some real horror stories.

Yes it is a dependency. If you've been taking tramadol daily for longer than a few weeks you will experience withdrawal symptoms upon abrupt cessation. Therefore you are physically dependent on that medication.

Thats not to say you've been abusing your medication in any way, many patients are physically dependent on prescribed opiates/opioids. When discontinuing these meds your doctor will taper your dosage gradually so as to lessen any unpleasant WD symptoms.

What I found particularly interesting about tramadol WDs though, is that due to the SSRI/SNRI properties of tramadol you may experience brain-zaps which are electric-shock-like sensations throughout the body. It can feel like your brain is doing a reboot.

segaBOY

anhedonia wrote: »

Yes it is a dependency. If you've been taking tramadol daily for longer than a few weeks you will experience withdrawal symptoms upon abrupt cessation. Therefore you are physically dependent on that medication.

Thats not to say you've been abusing your medication in any way, many patients are physically dependent on prescribed opiates/opioids. When discontinuing these meds your doctor will taper your dosage gradually so as to lessen any unpleasant WD symptoms.

What I found particularly interesting about tramadol WDs though, is that due to the SSRI/SNRI properties of tramadol you may experience brain-zaps which are electric-shock-like sensations throughout the body. It can feel like your brain is doing a reboot.

Like all medicines there is a risk-v-benefit scenario. You make a valid point with regard withdrawal, for example from time to time when I stop drinking coffee I get headaches. However, the poster requires these medications to avoid extreme levels of pain which is something which must be borne in mind first and foremost. Tramadol is by far not the most addictive opioid nor is it the strongest and I would imagine that with correct counselling from the patient's doctor and pharmacist (s)he will be able to wean off the medication as appropriate.

The symptoms described in your post are side-effects. All drugs have these, but not everyone gets them. If these type of effects are observed your doctor or pharmacist should be consulted as appropriate. Side-effects come in many different shapes or forms, be it from taking paracetamol or the contraceptive pill. It is not a one size fits all type thing. See professional advice if concerned, don't rely on the internet.

partyatmygaff

anhedonia wrote: »

And where will you source the acetic anhydride to convert from morphine to Heroin ?

Its a listed precursor.

You'd be quite surprised what pops up on the likes of EBay from time to time. Granted, there's no guarantee that they're pure but I don't think that's a massive concern for an addict/dealer working in their kitchen.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Acetic-Anhydride-200ml-/280990478407?pt=UK_BOI_Medical_Lab_Equipment_Lab_Supplies_ET&hash=item416c567047
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250ml-Acetyl-Chloride-LR-/110965151718?pt=UK_BOI_Medical_Lab_Equipment_Lab_Supplies_ET&hash=item19d609d7e6

anhedonia

segaBOY wrote: »

Like all medicines there is a risk-v-benefit scenario. You make a valid point with regard withdrawal, for example from time to time when I stop drinking coffee I get headaches. However, the poster requires these medications to avoid extreme levels of pain which is something which must be borne in mind first and foremost. Tramadol is by far not the most addictive opioid and I would imagine that with correct counselling from the patient's doctor and pharmacist (s)he will be able to wean off the medication as appropriate.

The symptoms described in your post are side-effects. All drugs have these, but not everyone gets them. If these type of effects are observed your doctor or pharmacist should be consulted as appropriate. Side-effects come in many different shapes or forms, be it from taking paracetamol or the contraceptive pill. It is not a one size fits all type thing. See professional advice if concerned, don't rely on the internet.

Yep agreed.

I was just making the point that your body doesnt recognize the difference between doctor-prescribed opioids and illicit opiates. Once physically habituated there will be withdrawal symptoms when discontinued. There is no free lunch with opiates, everyone must pay the piper, doctor-prescribed or not.

Lollers

anhedonia wrote: »

Yes it is a dependency. If you've been taking tramadol daily for longer than a few weeks you will experience withdrawal symptoms upon abrupt cessation. Therefore you are physically dependent on that medication.

Thats not to say you've been abusing your medication in any way, many patients are physically dependent on prescribed opiates/opioids. When discontinuing these meds your doctor will taper your dosage gradually so as to lessen any unpleasant WD symptoms.

What I found particularly interesting about tramadol WDs though, is that due to the SSRI/SNRI properties of tramadol you may experience brain-zaps which are electric-shock-like sensations throughout the body. It can feel like your brain is doing a reboot.

Anything that effects the CNS will cause withdrawals if it's stopped abruptly caffeine being a prime example. A safe tapering off plan with opiate based meds is the way all docs go. It's not something that worries me.


Interesting enough I experienced the brain-zaps as I was starting my medication, trying to get the dosage right obviously the higher the dose the worse the side effects. Quite unpleasant at first but they soon wore off. Ah well, at least I know what I'm in for when I finishing off on them.

Edit: you beat me to it segaBOY coffee was the first thing I though of too

mathepac

Anyone ceasing the use of the drugs mentioned above needs to do so in the context of a medically supervised regieme within a supported and supportive environment, IMHO. While guidelines for cessation exist, each consumer / client needs assessing on a case-by-case basis in order to guard against the withdrawal effects already mentioned. Examples of graduated reductions for withdrawal syndrome avoidance for other drugs are Prof Heather Ashton's excellent guideline document for benzo withdrawal and the WHO guidelines for "recreational" drug withdrawal, including those drugs we know are non-addictive :rolleyes:

It will of course come as a huge relief to us all to hear that modern (or even more traditional) analgesiacs don't have withdrawal effects. The drug salesmen now subscribe to this new notion of "discontinuation syndrome", a new illness which if it occurs is of course the patient's fault.

blue note

Could you overdose on the stuff? How many would it take to od?