Hi Rosie-L

I am not a doctor

Codeine can be mildly addictive. You might find that you need to come off it very slowly. There is no reason why you have to take whole tablets - you can use a pill cutter which any chemist will sell. If 2 isn't quite enough then you could try 2 plus a quarter tablet, or 2 plus a half tablet, then wean yourself slowly down to 2, then 1 and 3/4, and so on downwards. 

Just in case anyone is wondering... To get 3/4 of a tablet, you cut one in half, then take one of the halves and cut that into two quarters. Take the half plus one of the quarters; keep the other quarter for the next dose.  You may find that your GP can assist you by specifying lower dose tablets as you manage to wean yourself off them. 

Sometimes when tablets are too small, you'll end up breaking them even with a pill cutter. If that happens, then rinse the cutter in a small amount of water to collect the fragments, pour the water into a glass and drink it!  Or throw it away and put it down to experience. 

You should always wash the cutter after use and allow it to dry. 

Thanks for help I think I will get one .  am going to contact the pharmacist attached to my surgury as well . Would you believe I have now got a hernia as well . I think thats enough I don't want anything else   xx

Hi Rosie,

I tried Clonidine without success, then my cancer nurse suggested Venlafaxine (a mild antidepressant), which she found sometimes helped with hot flushes. I found this a great help. If you are finding it hard to look after your mum, you might find that this would help your home situation too.

It’s not easy dealing with someone with dementia, even in the whole of your health. How are you finding the Clonidine?

Do you have any NHS help with you mum? My mother in law is 94 and has dementia and incontinence. The local nurses have been very helpful.

Kind regards,
jolamine xx

Thanks for the advice , I have been taking Clonidine for 10 days and felt no different , I will bear in mind the other drug . I think I am magnesium deficint and am feeling really spaced out and so fatighed . I had a blood test recently and have been told to ring the doctor the doctor on Monday to get the result . Thankfully I have a carer who comes in twice a day otherwise I don't think I could manage . There is a 6 month waiting list for a dementia assesment so I think we will have to go private instead . Thanks again for bothering to reply .xx