Forgetting to breathe after a codeine experience

[Idioteque]

SWIM has had a problem when doing anything more than 150mg of codeine, in that when he goes to bed, just before he is about to sleep he forgets to breathe and has to take in a breath and has a brief moment of panic, thus preventing him sleeping, sometimes for hours afterwards. SWIM has stopped taking codeine for now, but is wondering if anyone else has had this experience or what it could indicate? As far as SWIM is aware he is quite healthy.

[darkglobe]

It's all part and parcel of a high(ish) dose of Codeine.

SWIM has experienced the same thing. I have to admit though, the tingling sensation immediately after forgetting to breathe is rather funky.

[boylizard]

Try getting Swiys hands on an albuterol inhaler - worked for SWIM

[darkglobe]

Boylizard, is that an asthma treatment?

If so then whatever you do, don't combine it with Codeine.

[Nature Boy]

SWIM has experienced this problem also. His solution was to apply some vapour rub to his chest and lay sideways in bed. It seemed to work quite effectively.

[boylizard]

Boylizard, is that an asthma treatment?

If so then whatever you do, don't combine it with Codeine.

yes, it is, but it is a steroid inhaler - really tweaks you uncomfortablly if you puff it too many times :(

[Nicaine]

Probably more of an anxiety problem than actual breathing problems due to respiratory depression. The latter is generally accompanied by unconsciousness, when it's serious enough to actually worry about.

Fwiw, SWIM cannot sleep for hours after doing opiates (or kratom) either... similar anxiety issues. SWIY could maybe just stop taking the stuff so close to bedtime.

[Tortoise]

SWIM has had a problem when doing anything more than 150mg of codeine, in that when he goes to bed, just before he is about to sleep he forgets to breathe and has to take in a breath and has a brief moment of panic, thus preventing him sleeping, sometimes for hours afterwards. SWIM has stopped taking codeine for now, but is wondering if anyone else has had this experience or what it could indicate? As far as SWIM is aware he is quite healthy.

Hey man, Pope John Paul the second had that problem when he used codeine recreationally too. It's called sleep apnoea. There are 2 varieties of sleep apnoea; obstructive (which is where the respiritory pathway is blocked physically, which is what obese people get) and central (which is where the messages to breath are reduced). Obviously, codeine causes the central variety. John Paul avoids taking codeine at night now because it scared him a little bit too. This is one of the reasons you shouldn't mix it with other downers. If you're too out of it, you may not realise you've stopped breathing!<p>Strangely enough, this problem doesn't occur to him if he doses in the morning and then goes back to sleep. Don't know why. Bottom line is, if it worries you, try to avoid it at night. Choose your times wisely!

[darkglobe]

Ouch. I always knew the papacy was riddled with corruption.

That's some fine info there, Tortoise. It's true that if you avoid dosing on Codeine at night (where you are more likely to be relaxed) you will probably stay more alert and be more aware of your breathing.

This is random, but it's the same with hypnosis CD's. Listen to them at night and you will probably fall asleep, wasting your time, but listen to in the morning you may become successfully hypnostised and succumb to suggestions. SWIM only mentioned this because he frequentlyt combines hypnosis CD's with Codeine (to achieve a relaxed state thus making hypnotism easier).

~Dark

[Nagognog2]

John Paul just was dreaming he was about to cum in an altar boy and stopped breathing. You know how it is when you have a sex-dream? You never get off when you want to. Besides - it's expensive to wash those Holy Sheets.

All jokes aside, narcotics do depress respiration. And if you have a sleep apnea condition that has gone undiagnosed - narcotics could bring it to light. Many times sleep apnea is nothing to worry about. But only a doctor can verify this.

Make an appointment. There is an outside chance that codeine has saved SWIM's life.

[Lehendakari]

SWIM has had a problem when doing anything more than 150mg of codeine, in that when he goes to bed, just before he is about to sleep he forgets to breathe and has to take in a breath and has a brief moment of panic, thus preventing him sleeping, sometimes for hours afterwards. SWIM has stopped taking codeine for now, but is wondering if anyone else has had this experience or what it could indicate? As far as SWIM is aware he is quite healthy.

The same thing happens to SWIM, but he thinks it's related to sleep paralisis. SWIM has had plenty of sleep paralisys in the past, and he still does once in a while. When he does opiates sleep paralysis occurs many times before he finally falls asleep.



SWIM has experienced the same thing. I have to admit though, the tingling sensation immediately after forgetting to breathe is rather funky..

That's exactly how sleep paralysis feels to SWIM a tingling sensation, a buzzing noise, and then he can't move and doesn't breath. In a few seconds he takes a deep breath and wakes up. He never panicked, not even the first time this happened to him when he was a kid.

[darkglobe]

Erm... SWIM posted above with no personal experience, but remembers a night where he ingested alcohol (I believe it was 70cl of Vodka @ 37.5% over 3 hours) and took 2 30mg Codeine 500mg Paracetamol (acetaminophen).

My memory was triggered by the mention of the tingling sensation. Sometimes, aside from the night where SWIM took the above combo, he finds himself waking up, tingling and with a dry mouth.

SWIM actually never heard of the term sleep paralysis, or sleep apnea before.
He gets the exact feeling as described above: " a buzzing noise, and then he can't move and doesn't breath. In a few seconds he takes a deep breath and wakes up".
Well actually... SWIM doesn't know about that deep breath before waking up as SWIM tends not to know what he is doing while asleep lol (think of it as a non-paedophilic version of the aforementioned pope's wet dreams).

Could somebody explain sleep apnea, it's effects and differences to sleep paralysis? I'm going to have to cover my off-topic ass, here, so could somebody please link it with regards to Codeine use?

[Tortoise]

Sleep apnoea (see my post above) and sleep paralysis are quite different. I've experienced both. Sleep paralysis most typically happens in the morning and it's fuckin freaky and can be absolutely terrifying if you don't know what it is - even if you do know.

Basically, when you sleep, your brain switches off your body so that when you play tennis in your dream, you don't flail your limbs around in bed. Occasionally, you may mentally awaken from sleep but your body is still in the off position for some reason and you simply cannot move for up to 30 seconds, like your body is totally paralyzed and unresponsive to your mind! It's almost like the dream wants to suck you back in. Oddly though, the experience is often linked to a feeling of the most evil presence imaginable lurking in your bedroom. It is the most truly disturbing thing I have ever experienced...

Sleep paralysis is triggered by a number of factors including irregular sleep patterns, sleeping on your back, sleeping in an unfamiliar location and various drugs including (you guessed it) opiates, thus codeine.

Wikipedia have excellent information on sleep paralysis. I hope you never experience it...

[darkglobe]

Thanks for the info. Methinks Wiki is the way to go...

:)

[Lehendakari]

Sleep apnoea (see my post above) and sleep paralysis are quite different. I've experienced both. Sleep paralysis most typically happens in the morning and it's fuckin freaky and can be absolutely terrifying if you don't know what it is - even if you do know.

Basically, when you sleep, your brain switches off your body so that when you play tennis in your dream, you don't flail your limbs around in bed. Occasionally, you may mentally awaken from sleep but your body is still in the off position for some reason and you simply cannot move for up to 30 seconds, like your body is totally paralyzed and unresponsive to your mind! It's almost like the dream wants to suck you back in. Oddly though, the experience is often linked to a feeling of the most evil presence imaginable lurking in your bedroom. It is the most truly disturbing thing I have ever experienced...

Sleep paralysis is triggered by a number of factors including irregular sleep patterns, sleeping on your back, sleeping in an unfamiliar location and various drugs including (you guessed it) opiates, thus codeine.

Wikipedia have excellent information on sleep paralysis. I hope you never experience it...


Actually the evil entity is quite common, but I never experienced it. I just try to open my eyes and sometimes I can see my bedroom, sometimes when I try to move my hands, I feel them separate from my body, which freaks me out, moreso when they appear not to fit well when they come back. When I wake up I always doubt that what I saw was real or not. For me it never last more than 10 seconds. I like it a lot and always want to try to separate completely from my body, but when I try I wake. I can only separate my hands.

[darkglobe]

Anybody with DXM/Ketamine experience able to compare this feeling to the mind/body separation effect of those drugs? SWIM has experienced it with DXM, but knows Ketamine can have similar effects.

Oddly this is intrguing.

[Tortoise]

Swim says that it feels nothing like DXM and he has no experience with ketamine. I forgot to mention also that hallucinations are very common with sleep paralysis too.

[Nagognog2]

That would follow in that one is awake in a dream-state in their own body. Tibetan Monks have spent years to reach such a state at will.

[Lehendakari]

Anybody with DXM/Ketamine experience able to compare this feeling to the mind/body separation effect of those drugs? SWIM has experienced it with DXM, but knows Ketamine can have similar effects.

Oddly this is intrguing.

The good thing about it is that you are 100% lucid and rational while on this state, there is no crazy thinking, sometimes I talk to myself and say: "here we go again." i think this is why I never panicked, because I'm 100% aware of what's going on. I also can hear the tv when it's on and the sounds are real, no hallucinations.

[darkglobe]

You just think they're real.... lol.

Okies thanks for the description. I still would rather not experience it!

~Dark

[leigh1981]

SWIM stopped breathing once before that I can remember. Swims boyfriend at the time was awake and noticed swim all of the sudden stop breathing for an extended period of time. Kinda creeped swim out but hasn't slowed swim one bit. swim has been using codeine since age of 13 and now in mid 20's (poor swims liver i know - but cheaper than coke and doesn't hurt the nose so bad) Swim just decided not to sleep on codeine - keeps swim wide awake anyway lol. Enjoy.

[darkglobe]

That would follow in that one is awake in a dream-state in their own body. Tibetan Monks have spent years to reach such a state at will.

Have just been reading about Sleep Paralysis on www.lucidnet.co.uk [Non-Commercial Site].

They have a wide range of sleep info, actually. SWIM was experimenting with Codeine, DXM, brainwave entrainment and lucid dreaming techniques last night. He experienced a lucid dream, complete with the ability to pull himself out of his body.

It's an extremely terrifying experience, though, is sleep paralysis. Your body's fucked off to sleep and your mind is left thinking "where the fuck did my body go?" and SWIM's was thinking "Okaaay... I'm suddenly in the galapagos islands..." (SWIM has always wanted to go there).

Necessary Warning: Mixing Codeine with other respiratory depressants is wrong, and all ye who try it shall die a horrible, painful death.

~Dark