Only take painkillers containing codeine for a maximum of three days — if you still have pain, see your GP. Any medicine can be dangerous if you take too much of it.
If you take too much paracetamol, it can cause serious liver damage, which can be life-threatening. Sometimes, there are no symptoms until a day or so afterwards. Taking too much aspirin can cause you to hyperventilate breathe abnormally quickly as well as hearing problems, and you may sweat a lot.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs can interact with several other medicines, including medicines to lower blood pressure, treat depression and reduce blood clotting e. Together, they can make you very drowsy and affect your breathing. You can give paracetamol or ibuprofen to children over the age of three months to help ease pain and discomfort or lower a fever. You can also alternate between giving paracetamol and ibuprofen.
Always read the patient information leaflet that comes with the medicine, and if you have any questions, ask your pharmacist for advice. You can buy paracetamol and ibuprofen as syrups and dissolvable powders, which are easier for children to take than tablets. Not everyone can take over-the-counter OTC painkillers. Some groups of people need to take special care when taking the main OTC painkillers — for example, people taking anticoagulant medicines such as warfarin.
Other instances where you need to take special care are listed below. Ask your pharmacist or GP for more information.
Those who need to take special care: People with liver problems, although most people can still take it — ask your doctor if you can. This type of paracetamol contains a lot of salt, which can increase your blood pressure. Painkiller: Aspirin. Those who need to take special care: People with a bleeding condition such as haemophilia, and anyone who has or had a peptic ulcer. Painkiller: Ibuprofen.
Those who need to take special care: People with heart, kidney or liver problems. Anyone who has or had a peptic ulcer. Some people with high blood pressure. Some people with asthma , hay fever or hives may find that taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs makes the condition worse. Painkiller: Codeine co-codamol. Those who need to take special care: Older people and those with breathing problems or kidney or liver problems.
People with inflammatory bowel conditions, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. You might get indigestion or heartburn, have diarrhoea or feel sick. Opioid painkillers such as codeine can cause constipation, and you might feel sick after taking it. Some people who take opioid painkillers may become dependent on them. This section doesn't include every possible side-effect of OTC painkillers. You can find out more by reading the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine.
Bupa's medicines checklist PDF opens in a new window 0. Paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen can all ease mild-to-moderate pain. NSAIDs also come as gels and creams to rub onto your skin. Aspirin can affect your stomach and cause side-effects such as heartburn and diarrhoea. Research shows that paracetamol works no better than a dummy medicine placebo for lower back pain, so other medicines are likely to work better for this.
Yes, you can take paracetamol and ibuprofen together if the recommended amount of either medicine on its own isn't controlling your pain. Start by taking either paracetamol or ibuprofen every few hours as described on the information that comes with your medicine.
With children, you can alternate paracetamol and ibuprofen. You can also get more information from the patient information leaflet that comes in the medicine packet. The most paracetamol an adult should take is milligrams mg to 1,mg every four to six hours. The maximum amount to take is much less for children and depends on how old they are. Although paracetamol is a safe medicine if you take it correctly, it can cause serious health problems if you take too much.
It can damage your liver and kidneys, and it can be fatal. Taking too much can be easily done, as many different products contain paracetamol, particularly cold and flu medicines. Always read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine and ask your pharmacist if you have any questions. If you think you or your child may have taken too much paracetamol, on one occasion or over a few days, get medical help straightaway.
Our short survey takes just a few minutes to complete and helps us to keep improving our health information. The drug is available in three strengths, each of these contain mg of paracetamol. The lowest strength can be bought in your local pharmacy; however a GP will need to prescribe the higher strength to you.
Taking too much co codamol can be harmful so it is important that you take the right dosage and do not increase your dose. It can also be addictive so it is important that is only taken for three days, or as suggested by your doctor or pharmacist. For dosage information always read the packaging and included patient leaflet, one of our expert pharmacists or your doctor will also be able to offer advice. Taking paracetamol and ibuprofen together is safe to do if you are over the age of However children should not be given these medicines together unless you have been told to do so by a healthcare practitioner.
You can take ibuprofen and paracetamol at the same time or space them apart, although ibuprofen is best taken with food or after you have eaten.
Your pharmacist will also be able to offer advice, and help you make sure that you are not exceeding the recommended daily doses. It is safe to take co-codamol with ibuprofen and aspirin, as long as you read the labels before taking these painkillers. However you should not take co-codamol with paracetamol, as it already contains a dose of paracetamol.
Taking these medications together could put you at risk of a paracetamol overdose. It is safe to take aspirin with paracetamol. Ibuprofen and paracetamol work differently to ease pain, they are also recommended for different types of pain. For example if you have a headache then you should use paracetamol, whereas if you have arthritis ibuprofen will be better.
You can use ibuprofen gel with ibuprofen tablets; however the gel is best for when you are experiencing pain in small areas on the body. If you regularly take ibuprofen to relive pain you may not notice any extra benefit from using gel alongside. The maximum dose of co-codamol for adults and young people aged 16 years and over is 8 tablets in 24 hours. If your doctor has prescribed co-codamol for you, take it as you've been advised. If you've bought co-codamol from a pharmacy, do not use it for more than 3 days.
If you still have pain, talk to your pharmacist or doctor. If you have been taking co-codamol for more than a few weeks do not stop taking it without speaking to your doctor first. If you take 1 or 2 extra tablets of co-codamol by accident on a single occasion, it's unlikely to be harmful. If this happens, wait at least 24 hours before you take any more.
Go to If you need to go to hospital, take the co-codamol packet or leaflet inside it plus any remaining medicine with you. It's safe to take co-codamol with ibuprofen and aspirin. Do not take co-codamol with paracetamol , or other medicines that contain paracetamol. Co-codamol already contains paracetamol so you could be at risk of paracetamol overdose. Medicines that have paracetamol in them include painkillers like Tramacet and co-dydramol , migraine remedies, and some cough and cold remedies Lemsip and Night Nurse.
Before taking co-codamol with any other medicines, check the label to see whether they contain paracetamol. Like all medicines, co-codamol can cause side effects although not everyone gets them. Many people have no side effects or only minor ones. You're more likely to have side effects if you take the higher strengths of co-codamol.
In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to co-codamol. You could be having a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital. These are not all the side effects of co-codamol. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet. You can report any suspected side effect to the UK safety scheme. While co-codamol can be taken in pregnancy, other painkillers may be more suitable.
Co-codamol contains paracetamol and codeine. Paracetamol is safe to take in pregnancy, however codeine can affect your baby, particularly towards the end of pregnancy. Your baby may get used to having codeine and may have withdrawal symptoms when they're born. There is a slightly higher risk of your baby having breathing problems.
These are usually temporary, but your baby may need extra monitoring. For these reasons, co-codamol is not generally recommended. However, if you have pain that requires stronger pain relief than paracetamol, talk to your doctor. They might prescribe co-codamol if they think this is the best option for you.
Small amounts of the codeine in co-codamol get into breast milk and can cause breathing problems in your baby. If you are taking co-codamol and want to breastfeed, discuss this with your doctor first. They can advise you on other pain relief options. Some medicines affect the way co-codamol works. Equally co-codamol can stop some medicines working as well as they should. It's not possible to say whether complementary medicines and herbal remedies are safe to take with co-codamol.
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 pharmacist or doctor if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements. These 2 painkillers work in different ways to relieve pain. Paracetamol seems to work by blocking "chemical messengers" in the brain that tell us we have pain.
It also reduces a high temperature by affecting the chemical messengers in an area of your brain that controls body temperature. Codeine belongs to a group of medicines called opiates. It affects pain receptors in the central nervous system and the brain to block pain signals to the rest of the body.
When codeine blocks the pain receptors, there are other unwanted effects — for example slow and shallow breathing. It can also slow down digestion, which is why codeine can cause constipation.
Co-codamol takes up to 1 hour to work. It keeps on working for about 5 hours. If your pain has not gone away, talk to your pharmacist or doctor. Depending on why you're taking it, you may need to take it for a few days or weeks at most.
For example, if you're in pain after an injury or operation. You may need to take it for longer if you have a long-term condition such as back pain. Talk to your doctor if you're not sure how long you need to take co-codamol for. It's possible to become addicted to co-codamol. For this reason, your dose will be reviewed to make sure you are only taking the amount you need to control your pain.
Your treatment plan may include details of how and when you will stop taking co-codamol. 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. If you have been taking co-codamol for a long time, you can prevent withdrawal symptoms by reducing your dose gradually.
Speak to your doctor if you are worried about tolerance, hyperalgesia or becoming addicted.
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