Codeine and Dizziness: What Users Say

• Hom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 22, 2016

For Pain "I am an early 60's male with chronic neck pain as a result of too many skiing accidents over many years. Normal painkillers like Aspirin or Naprosan wouldn't even touch the pain, however, I found Paracetamol/Codeine 500mg/30mg worked wonders. I take 1 tablet at first, and if the pain is too intense, I increase to 2 tablets. Because of stomach upsets and slight dizziness, I limit myself to 4 tablets daily. Talking to my GP about the situation and the fact that I did not want to stay long-term on the Paracetamol/Codeine, he suggested acupuncture, which I started to have 2 times a week (10 very sharp but small needles) over a period of 6 weeks, and as a result, I have only had 1 of my tablets for the last fortnight, which is a wonderful turnaround for me."

• Ead...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 10, 2017

For Pain "I have been taking codeine for 15 years+ with diazepam and Tylenol. I can no longer take anti-inflammatories too, unfortunately. I have a huge tolerance, regularly taking 240-300 mg a day (8-10 tablets). On pain-free days, I need to take 1 tablet about every 12 hours or withdrawal starts after about 18. That is a bit like having a dose of flu for a few days, combined with severe diarrhea in my case. During rare pain-free periods, it isn't worth weaning myself off completely because the pain is never away long. Everyone is different; 60 mg gives me 2 hours max. relief. No constipation, dizziness, or nausea-the latter often experienced briefly on first use (including posters here)-dose problems too big. Constipation is common and worse than the pain, I'm told, so go easy."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 24, 2013

For Pain "Had 4 wisdom teeth taken out this morning at 8:30 a.m. My dentist prescribed some codeine for the pain. Having never taken codeine before, and the label reading to take 1 or 2 pills for pain, I decided to take 2 around 12:30 p.m. WOW, these things take all of the pain away, alright, however, for about 1 - 2 hours, they made me very drowsy, out of it, and I couldn't look at anything with a screen without it being blurry or me feeling dizzy. I was literally glued to my seat. Thought I was going to throw up at one point too. Should probably only be used for chronic, unbearable pain, otherwise, it is not worth the side effects. Still feeling a little woozy now at 10:00 p.m. Will stick to the softer stuff because it seems like I am really sensitive to it."

• Ric...
• April 17, 2013

For Pain "Short-lived but effective painkiller. I tend to get more dizzy and lightheaded from it than hydrocodone, but the painkilling effects are similar. I rarely took the recommended dose on the bottle because it affected me so much. 1/2 a pill seemed sufficient. Takes only about 30 minutes to start taking effect."

• Anonymous
• November 29, 2009

For Pain "I was prescribed codeine when my wisdom teeth were taken out. This should only be used for extreme and chronic pain. It made me feel completely out of it. I was dizzy and felt like I had a brick on my chest the entire time while I was using it."

• dam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 16, 2013

For Pain "After morphine, this would probably be the best pain reliever I know of. I have never had any dizziness, blurred vision, or sleepiness, but that's probably just me. Fantastic for wisdom teeth also."

• Anonymous
• December 21, 2009

For Pain "Had Panadeine Forte for a tooth abscess pain. Made me dizzy, lightheaded, sweaty, anxious, and vomited."

• Tam...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 6, 2018

For Pain "Moderate pain reliever. Causes dizziness and sleepiness and also worsens my mood. I get more irritable when I take it."