Dihydrocodeine addiction

Dihydrocodeine can be a life-changing painkiller, but it can also cause a life-threatening addiction. While dihydrocodeine is only available on prescription in the UK, there are still many people who find themselves addicted to the drug and face a whole host of potential dangers. By explaining how dihydrocodeine addiction develops and how it can be treated, this page is intended to help anyone who is struggling to begin the tough but critical process of healing.

What is dihydrocodeine?

Dihydrocodeine is a powerful painkiller and cough medicine synthesised from codeine. Like other opioids, dihydrocodeine helps by numbing pain by affecting your opioid receptors. Doctors often give it to people after surgery or for cancer pain because these can cause severe pain that weaker opioids cannot manage. It is also sometimes used for very bad coughs and for people who are having trouble breathing.

Unfortunately, dihydrocodeine’s effects also mean that it can be abused by people who want to get high or use it without a prescription. When you take dihydrocodeine in large amounts, it can make you feel very relaxed and carefree and can help you deal with stress and emotional pain. Taking dihydrocodeine like this is very risky because it increases the risk of dihydrocodeine side effects like dizziness, nausea, overdose and addiction.

What is dihydrocodeine addiction?

Dihydrocodeine addiction is a type of opioid addiction that makes you take the drug again and again, even if it is harming you. You can become addicted to dihydrocodeine in lots of different ways, including through a prescription and when you are misusing it to get high or self-medicate.

What often happens is that when you take dihydrocodeine over a long period, it stops working so effectively. You then need to up your doses, which means you always have high concentrations of dihydrocodeine in your system. This actually changes the way your brain works, and it starts relying on dihydrocodeine to perform the natural chemical balancing functions of the brain.

If you stop taking dihydrocodeine or try to use less, there is a sudden chemical imbalance, and your brain will take some time to remember how to fix it. While the brain is catching up, you will experience dihydrocodeine withdrawal with symptoms like anxiety, sweating and nausea. This is called physical dependence.

When dihydrocodeine addiction really takes hold, this physical dependence is joined by an emotional one. This means you reach a point where you need to take dihydrocodeine because if you don’t, you feel unable to cope with whatever challenges you have in your life. It is a state where giving up becomes not only physically strenuous but mentally and emotionally, too.

The signs of dihydrocodeine addiction

One common thread in prescription opioid addiction is that many people don’t realise they are becoming addicted. You may have been prescribed dihydrocodeine for genuine pain, and this can make you feel like you need it, regardless of adverse effects. To help you see if your use has crossed the line, here are some of the most common signs of dihydrocodeine addiction:

• Building a tolerance to dihydrocodeine so you need bigger doses than before
• Ignoring your prescription guidelines or taking dihydrocodeine without a prescription
• Going through dihydrocodeine withdrawal when you quit or reduce doses
• Lying to people around you about dihydrocodeine
• Thinking about using dihydrocodeine or how you can get more all the time
• Getting dihydrocodeine in illegal ways, like buying it from drug dealers or going to more than one doctor for a prescription
• Acting in an out-of-character way, such as stealing money to buy dihydrocodeine
• Recognising that you are having problems but refusing to stop or being unable to cut down

These may not all apply to you, but if you recognise any of these dihydrocodeine addiction signs, you should seek professional help.

Who is most likely to become addicted to dihydrocodeine?

One thing that we now understand is that not everyone who takes dihydrocodeine will develop an addiction. This is because different people react differently to its effects and are more or less likely to become dependent on it. There are various reasons for this, but some of the major addictive risk factors include:

How your brain works

Dihydrocodeine acts like endorphins and other natural chemicals produced by the brain to relieve pain. As all our brains are different, some people’s brains start to rely on dihydrocodeine quicker than others, making them more likely to become addicted.

Your genes and upbringing

We all inherit certain things from our parents, whether that’s height or eye colour. A higher risk of addiction can also be inherited, which is why substance abuse issues, including with dihydrocodeine, often run in families. These risks can be further heightened if you were surrounded by drug use when you were growing up.

Mental or emotional pain

If you start to use dihydrocodeine to manage stress, depression, anxiety or trauma, this is a dangerous road. You can soon find yourself completely reliant on dihydrocodeine, and stopping it can cause all the problems to come back even worse. This can make giving up very scary.

Chronic physical pain

The chances of becoming addicted to dihydrocodeine go up the longer you use it. If you have chronic pain and take dihydrocodeine for months or years to cope, you are far more likely to develop an addiction.

Dihydrocodeine addiction and complications

Dihydrocodeine is a very powerful drug, so dihydrocodeine abuse and addiction can lead to serious complications. Some of the most dangerous include:

Dihydrocodeine overdose

Taking too much dihydrocodeine or mixing it with other substances can cause you to overdose which is incredibly dangerous. Symptoms of dihydrocodeine overdose include loss of consciousness, confusion and restricted breathing. This can be a life-threatening situation so you need to get help immediately if it happens.

Organ damage

Using dihydrocodeine for a long time can cause a lot of damage to your liver and kidneys and can result in various serious health issues.

Mental health problems

Addiction to dihydrocodeine can make existing anxiety and depression worse, create new mental health problems, cause wild mood swings and make it hard to think straight.

Relationship problems

Dihydrocodeine addiction can really hurt your relationships with family and friends. You might start spending less time with them, lie about your drug use or even steal from them to fund your addiction. This can lead to fights and mistrust and leave you completely alone without support.

School and work issues

Being addicted to dihydrocodeine can make it hard to focus at school or work. You might miss deadlines, fail tests or get in trouble for your behaviour, which can lead to bad grades, getting fired or other serious consequences.

Legal problems

In the UK, dihydrocodeine is a Class-B controlled substance. This means it’s illegal to have it without a prescription or to sell it. If you’re caught with dihydrocodeine illegally, you could face serious legal trouble, including fines and time in prison.

Does Banbury Lodge offer treatment for dihydrocodeine?

Banbury Lodge offers a three-stage dihydrocodeine addiction treatment programme. First, you will go through opioid detox, which is when you slowly reduce your dihydrocodeine doses, and our medical team helps you through withdrawal.

Once you are clear of the drug, you will then begin therapy and counselling as part of our opioid rehab treatment programme. This will give you a new understanding of how you became addicted to dihydrocodeine.

Once your time at Banbury Lodge is finished, you will then begin our aftercare programme, which will help you settle into your new life and put everything you learned during rehab to effective use.

Get help for dihydrocodeine addiction today

As you can see, dihydrocodeine addiction is a dangerous condition but it is also a treatable one. If you have had enough of dihydrocodeine controlling your life and threatening your future, reach out to Banbury Lodge today. Our expert teams will help you break the physical dependency, work through the causes of your addiction and build a dihydrocodeine-free life step by step.

Frequently Asked Questions