How much co codamol is safe

Speak to your doctor if you are worried about tolerance, hyperalgesia or becoming addicted. If you're addicted to co-codamol, you may find it difficult to stop taking it or feel you need to take it more often than necessary. And if you stop taking co-codamol suddenly you may suffer from withdrawal symptoms.

Talk to your doctor if you're worried about addiction. They can also help you stop taking it safely and reduce withdrawal symptoms. You're not recommended to take co-codamol for longer than 3 days if you buy it from a pharmacy. You're able to take co-codamol for longer if your doctor prescribes it for you.

If you take co-codamol for a long time your body can become tolerant to it. That means you need higher doses to control your pain. For this reason your doctor will usually review your treatment regularly. If you've been taking co-codamol for a long time and need to stop taking it, you can prevent withdrawal symptoms by reducing your dose gradually. Your doctor can help you do this. Yes, there are other painkillers you can try. Some painkillers work better than others for certain types of pain.

For example, the best painkiller to ease your headache may not be the best one for your backache. Before taking co-codamol, try taking paracetamol to see if that helps your pain.

Paracetamol can relieve most types of pain. Painkillers known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , such as ibuprofen and naproxen , can reduce inflammation as well as pain. These are good for joint, back and muscular pain.

This includes people with stomach ulcers or severe heart, kidney or liver problems. It's best to stop drinking alcohol during the first few days of treatment until you see how co-codamol affects you.

Drinking alcohol while you're taking co-codamol can make you feel more sleepy. It can also increase the risk of serious side effects. If you feel sleepy with co-codamol, stop drinking alcohol while you're taking it.

Do not drive a car or ride a bike or use tools or machinery if co-codamol makes you sleepy, gives you blurred vision or makes you feel dizzy, clumsy or unable to concentrate or make decisions.

This may be more likely when you first start taking co-codamol but could happen at any time — for example when starting another medicine. It's an offence to drive a car if your ability to drive safely is affected. It's your responsibility to decide if it's safe to drive. If you're in any doubt, do not drive. Even if your ability to drive is not affected, the police have the right to request a saliva sample to check how much co-codamol is in your body. UK has more information on the law on drugs and driving.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you're unsure whether it's safe for you to drive while taking co-codamol. Apart from avoiding alcohol, you can eat and drink normally while taking co-codamol. Co-codamol does not affect any type of contraception, including the combined pill or emergency contraception.

However, if co-codamol makes you vomit for more than 24 hours, your contraceptive pills may not protect you from pregnancy. Look on the pill packet to find out what to do.

Read more about what to do if you're on the pill and you're being sick or have diarrhoea. If you're taking co-codamol for a maximum of 3 days and at normal doses, there's no clear evidence that it can reduce fertility in either men or women.

However, if you take high doses of co-codamol for a long time, there's a very small risk it can temporarily reduce fertility in men and women. It can cause a health problem called hypogonadism.

Hypogonadism is where the body does not make enough sex hormones. This can make it more difficult for you to conceive. If you're worried about taking co-codamol for longer than 3 days, and how this may affect your fertility, talk to your doctor. If you take recreational drugs, such as cannabis, cocaine and heroin, while you're taking co-codamol, you're more likely to get the serious side effects of the codeine in co-codamol.

These include breathing difficulties, heart problems, fits and even going into a coma. Some recreational drugs, such as cannabis, also increase common codeine side effects such as sleepiness and dizziness. Taking heroin while you're on prescribed co-codamol is particularly dangerous. You're more likely to get all the side effects of the codeine in co-codamol, including addiction.

Page last reviewed: 3 September Next review due: 3 September Co-codamol for adults On this page About co-codamol for adults Key facts Who can and cannot take co-codamol How and when to take co-codamol Taking co-codamol with other painkillers Side effects How to cope with side effects of co-codamol Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions about co-codamol.

About co-codamol for adults Co-codamol is a mixture of 2 different painkillers — paracetamol and codeine. This medicine comes as tablets and capsules. Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today? Co-codamol tablets and capsules come in 3 strengths. You can buy the lowest strength co-codamol from pharmacies but the higher strengths are only available on prescription. The most common side effects of co-codamol are constipation and feeling sick nausea or sleepy.

Taking too much co-codamol can be harmful. Do not be tempted to increase the dose or take a double dose if your pain is very bad. It's possible to become addicted to the codeine in co-codamol, but your doctor will explain how to reduce the risks of becoming addicted. If you need to take co-codamol for more than a few weeks, your treatment plan may include details of how and when to stop taking this medicine.

Tell your doctor before starting the medicine if you: have lung problems or breathing difficulties have a head injury have adrenal gland problems have a condition that causes fits or seizures regularly drink more than the maximum recommended amount of alcohol 14 units a week are trying to get pregnant, are already pregnant or are breastfeeding have liver problems — you may need to take a lower dose are under 18 years old and have had your tonsils or adenoids removed because of a sleep problem called obstructive sleep apnoea.

You can take co-codamol with or without food. Different co-codamol strengths Co-codamol tablets and capsules come in 3 different strengths. As of 5 November , all codeine-containing medicines will be available on prescription only and can no longer be bought from your pharmacy without a prescription. Be careful when driving or using tools until you know how this medicine affects you.

Do not drink alcohol. Tell your doctor if troublesome. Eat a diet rich in fibre and drink plenty of water. Read more about how to ease and prevent constipation. Tell your doctor immediately or phone Healthline If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to remember your medicine.

If you need to take codeine for a long time your body can become tolerant to it. This isn't usually a problem but you could get unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it suddenly. If you want to stop taking codeine, talk to your doctor first. Your dose can be reduced gradually so you don't get unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

If you stop taking it suddenly it can cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms such as:. If you have been taking codeine for more than a few weeks do not stop taking it without speaking to your doctor first. It's important not to take more than your prescribed dose, even if you think it's not enough to relieve your pain. Speak to your doctor first, if you think you need a different dose.

If you've taken an accidental overdose you may feel very sleepy, sick or dizzy. You may also find it difficult to breathe. In serious cases you can become unconscious and may need emergency treatment in hospital.

The amount of codeine that can lead to an overdose varies from person to person. Take the codeine box or leaflet inside the packet plus any remaining medicine with you. If you've been prescribed codeine, it's particularly important that you:.

It's safe to take codeine with paracetamol , ibuprofen or aspirin aspirin is suitable for most people aged 16 years and over. Some painkillers that you can buy without a prescription from pharmacies contain codeine. They include co-codamol , ibuprofen and codeine such as Nurofen Plus and Solpadeine.

Do not take painkillers that you buy with codeine in alongside prescribed codeine. You'll be more likely to get side effects. Like all medicines, codeine can cause side effects in some people - but many people have no side effects or only minor ones. The higher the dose of codeine the more chance that you will get side effects. Common side effects happen in more than 1 in people. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if the side effects bother you or don't go away:.

Serious side effects happen in less than 1 in people. Call a doctor straight away if you:. In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to codeine. These are not all the side effects of codeine. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicine packet. In early pregnancy, it's been linked to problems in the unborn baby. If you take codeine at the end of pregnancy there's a risk that your newborn baby may get withdrawal symptoms or be born addicted to codeine.

However, it's important to treat pain in pregnancy. For some pregnant women with severe pain, codeine might be the best option. Your doctor is the best person to help you decide what's right for you and your baby.

Codeine isn't usually recommended if you're breastfeeding. Small amounts of codeine pass into breast milk and can cause breathing problems in the baby. Speak to your doctor as they may be able to recommend a different painkiller. Some medicines and codeine interfere with each other and increase the chances of you having side effects. It's not possible to say that complementary medicines and herbal remedies are safe to take with codeine.

They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines. They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. It works in the central nervous system and the brain to block pain signals to the rest of the body.

It also reduces the anxiety and stress caused by pain. When codeine blocks the pain, there are other unwanted effects - for example slow or shallow breathing. It also slows down digestion, which is why codeine can cause constipation. A codeine injection into a vein gives the quickest pain relief. It works almost straight away. Codeine tablets, liquid and cough syrup all work in 30 to 60 minutes, but they wear off after a few hours. Yes, codeine is addictive.

For this reason, your dose will be reviewed to make sure you are only taking the amount you need to control your pain, or diarrhoea.

Your treatment plan may include details of how and when you will stop taking codeine. If you need to take it for a long time your body can become tolerant to it. That means you need higher doses to control your pain over time. Some people can become more sensitive to pain hyperalgesia. If this happens, your doctor will reduce your dose gradually to help these symptoms.

Speak to your doctor if you are worried about tolerance, hyperalgesia or becoming addicted. If you're addicted to codeine, you may want to take it more often or feel agitated if you delay taking a dose for any reason. And if you stop taking codeine suddenly you may suffer from withdrawal symptoms.

Drinking alcohol while you're on codeine may make you feel more sleepy or increase the risk of serious side effects. It's best to stop drinking alcohol during the first few days of treatment until you see how codeine affects you. If you feel sleepy with codeine, stop drinking alcohol while you're taking it. Children aged 12 to 18 years can take codeine for pain or diarrhoea - but only if other medicines haven't worked.

Use the lowest dose that works for no more than 3 days. If they still have symptoms after 3 days see a doctor. Codeine shouldn't be given to children aged 12 to 18 years if they have breathing problems or if they have had their tonsils or adenoids removed because of obstructive sleep apnoea.

If you're taking codeine for a short time and at normal doses, there's no firm evidence that it can reduce fertility.