Chloe Montgomery, a 36-year-old mother of two from near Glasgow, has revealed her 20-year secret addiction to co-codamol, which began in her teenage years for migraines. She became dependent on the prescription painkillers, taking eight to 10 tablets daily to function, experiencing a "fuzzy" feeling and rebound headaches when the medication wore off. Her family was unaware of the extent of her addiction, believing she could stop if she chose. In February 2026, a national shortage of co-codamol 30mg/500mg tablets, expected to last until summer, forced Ms. Montgomery to go cold turkey on March 18th. Despite experiencing "horrific" withdrawal symptoms including night sweats, shaking, and headaches, she hopes this forced cessation will end her addiction, having previously been unable to quit even after a perforated bowel incident.