Co-codamol - anyone else surprised such a potentially dangerous drug is available over the counter?

And ?
What did you say your problem was ?

I am prescribed Kapake which is 30mg Codeine Phosphate and 500mg Paracetamol as it’s the only one l can tolerate. I only take half a tablet as and when needed.
I was once prescribed Co-Codemol and took one and nearly collapsed in my greenhouse. I refused to take them. I had to beg my doctor for Kapake!
I am not addicted to them and would never take lbuprofen, they are lethal things!

I have been told to take co codamol with ibuprofen as well .:frowning:

Kapake is the same as Co Codamol .
Co-codamol is a pain killing drug and is also known by its brand names Kapake, Solpadol or Tylex. It is a combination of two drugs – paracetamol and codeine. Doctors often prescribe it to relieve pain after surgery
30 mgms is a lot of codeine compared to 8 in a Co Codamol .

What you’re told to do and what you do do Muddy are two different things .
I’m guessing the ibuprofen is to relieve inflammation .
Me ? I wouldn’t take it unless I was forced to and I am in a lot of pain throughout all my joints .

Yes, l know that! Zuleika, but l cannot tolerate the ones the doctor wants to prescribe, l can only tolerate Kapake.
Maybe, the basic ones the doctor prescribes contain some ingredients that Kapake doesn’t contain?

I am not aware that I was the question under discussion, however, due to mult-tasking at the time I appreciate my posts may have been short and blunt.
However, my point was that your pills would have zero street value as being suggested by other posters. Not quite suitable for making “purple dank” are they?

I assume only that they were prescribed for Chronic rather than short term pain and there is the problem. Firstly do you really get any benefit from taking the tablet? And secondly will the tablet become a phycological crutch on your part and from my reading of your experience after two days I get the feeling that it might.
Next step will be prescription for “Macrogol” and so such things go on.

When I broke my wrist I took CoCodamol for about a month, to relieve the pain that occurred in the early stages & it really helped! Once the wrist was set in plaster and started to feel more comfortable I went on to Paracetamol & Ibuprofen…all of these were given by my doctor!
The CoCodamol did cause sleepiness, but that was great when the pain was too bad to allow sleep & having taken them for 4 weeks there was no sign of addiction.

All the risks of drugs, that are printed on the leaflets, are unlikely to occur. They are just there to warn you so you can seek advice if they do occur. All medical drugs carry a risk, so it is your own choice whether you take them.
When I had cancer I had Chemo therapy…which involved putting poisonous chemicals into my body, but if i had refused them I probably wouldn’t be here today, to tell you about them!

I accept your non apology if that is the best you can do and will tell you need to work on your patronising manner .
Your assumption is quite wrong .
This is not for chronic pain at all
.I have damaged my hand it has become badly infected due to being exposed to a toxic substance and is very painful .
The dressings have to be changed it’s now an open wound and they have told me to take these pills to relive the pain .
I have been lucky in my life to have enjoyed good health so am unfamiliar with this drug - the reason I asked on the forum
I am also unfamiliar with the amounts drug addicts take or in what strengths .
Being sound of mind I am not likely to overdose on paracetamol or anything else for that matter and I don t need any crutches physical or otherwise thank you -your psychiatric skills need a brush up too.
I merely wanted to know what I was taking .
The medical profession all too often are reluctant to expound on medication to the lay person .
An arrogance we could well do without.

I was given this in hospital after my extremely painful op 5 years ago. It had to be signed off by two nurses before giving to me, and only then after all pain relief had failed. They initially refused to let me go home with a supply but backed down when I threatened to report them to PALs for not managing my pain. At all! The drug is addictive, I was given to understand. I didn’t take many as I WAS scared of getting addicted, and eventually took any remaining tablets to the pharmacy for disposal, when I had a drug clear out (other prescription ones that I had failed to take and which had accumulated).

Depending how much pain I am in I take 2 - 10 co codamol a day, I can’t take ibuprofen orally as I am allergic but I seem to be able to tolerate ibuprofen gel on my skin. I have taken it for well over 20 years now and don’t find it addictive. When ever I can stop taking it I can do so really easily. Tramadol however was a nightmare to get off, even taking it a short time I got into real trouble with it. I get my co codomol on prescription as I buy a prepayment card annually so it’s cheaper for me to do so but I am assured if I ever can’t get a prescription the stuff over the counter is just as good.

I tried codydramol for a short time but that left me scared to drive as I couldn’t concentrate on anything at all. Coming off it didn’t cause a problem other than the pain I had came back quickly.

I find taking co codomol on time as prescribed is much better than taking it if I find myself in pain. If I wait to feel pain it’s too late to take the medication, it seems to build up and work better taken every 4 hours.

I hope your pain is not long term Muddy and you get better really quickly.

I’ll give an opinion on your last paragraph first Muddy. It is an over the counter medication because the codeine content is not a high dosage. Taken as it is meant to be taken it is not dangerous. The 8mg codeine/500mg paracetamol per tablet is otc not because of NHS cutbacks, but because it is not a high dosage. You should not take the co-codamol in conjunction with extra paracetamol as that could make the overall paracetamol dosage too high (because there is already 500mg in the co-codamol) and paracetamol is dangerous if overdosed. You should be OK if taking Ibuprofen with the co-codamol (as long as it is the correct dosage.

Co-codamol is a very widely used drug and if the dosage is prescribed to be over 8mg codeine then it would have to be by prescription. The codeine can become addictive if used for an extended period, but 3 days should do no harm. It can make a person a bit sleepy, but then a lot of otc cold medicines do the same (edited to add - although they are different medicines).

Personally I prefer to take paracetamol and/or morphine derived medication as separate tablets. I take Tramadol which is only available on prescription (again a morphine derived medicine) and if I need it I take a paracetamol or an ibuprofen tablet.

You do not say what you are taking the pain killers for Muddy, but if it is only short-term you should be OK with the 8mg codeine - IMO. If you find your pain does not get better after a few days and you think you maybe starting to need longer term relief, my advice would be to go to your doctor for more “tailored” advice/prescription. I hope you feel better soon.

Thank you Julie .:slight_smile:
I am learning so much form this thread .

Not really a problem then, just short term and not really a “hard facts, hard choices” problem on your part at all.

I have taken Co-Dydromol since 1974, while working taking ten a day, in total over 100,000 pills. And here I still am, alive and surviving and not addicted.

Thank you for explaining this Aerolor.:slight_smile:

I don’t recall saying anything about hard choices Davey
As my old English teacher ( who was Scottish ) used to say …read and digest.
Perhaps you need a visit to Specsavers !

My Doctor prescribed them for me many years ago for my Back Pain Sciatica, which did help a lot, but the sickness I had was terrible.

Muddy, I suffer with severe back pains which occur frequently. I’ve been prescribed with co-codomol 30/500 for many years now. When I first started taking them it was 2 tablets 4 x a day.

I took the first dose (2 tabs) and within ten mins felt nauseous and dizzy. From then on I took just 1 tablet in the morning, which didn’t affect me symptonwise but helped the pain, and 1 tablet at night before going to bed. I’ve managed on that dosage ever since without problems and learnt to take then only when my pain was excessive. I take them for a week to 10 days only, them replace them with paracetamol, so no problem with being addicted to them.

Also make sure you don’t take them on an empty stomach as that will make you feel rotten.

Muddy, I am not medically trained, but that doesn’t sound right to me.
If it were me, I would ring my pharmacist without delay, and double check that is safe to do so.
BTW, be prepared for the co-codamol to make you constipated to add to your troubles.

Are all these meds, and antibiotics as well, still not doing anything to improve the wound itself?
I worry about numbing the pain but camouflaging the wound underneath still not healing.

Its what most GPs suggest mups take two ibuprofen alternating with two co codomol. I was told to do that but found I was allergic so as I said I use the gel.