It contains codeine. The MHRA has issued a drug alert to health professionals. The different strength tablets can be identified by their markings. Packs, which contain 32 tablets, from the affected batch were first distributed on 30 December Never give aspirin to a child under the age of 16 unless their doctor prescribes it.
It can cause serious, even fatal, side effects. Like all medicines, co-codamol can cause side effects although not everyone gets them.
Most children have no side effects or only minor ones. Your child is more likely to have side effects if they take the higher strengths of co-codamol. Tell your doctor if these side effects bother your child or do not go away:. In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to co-codamol. They 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 the medicine packet. You can report any suspected side effect to the UK safety scheme. 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 your child is taking any other medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements. Co-codamol contains paracetamol and codeine. 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 you've bought co-codamol from a pharmacy, do not give it to your child for more than 3 days.
If their pain has not gone away after 3 days, talk to a pharmacist or doctor. If your doctor has prescribed co-codamol for your child, give it for as long as recommended. Yes, taking co-codamol regularly for long periods of time could make your child addicted to the codeine in it.
However, if they're taking it as a painkiller under medical supervision, it's very unlikely they will get addicted to it. Your child's dose will be reviewed to make sure they are only taking the amount they need to control their pain. Their treatment plan may include details of how and when they will stop taking co-codamol. If your child is addicted to co-codamol, they may find it difficult to stop taking it or feel they need to take it more often than necessary.
And if they stop taking co-codamol suddenly they may suffer from withdrawal symptoms. Talk to their doctor if you're worried about addiction. They can also help your child stop taking it safely and reduce withdrawal symptoms. It's not usually recommended for children to take co-codamol that's been bought from a pharmacy for longer than 3 days. If your child needs to take co-codamol for a long time their body can become tolerant to it.
That means they may need higher doses to control their pain. If your child has been taking co-codamol for a long time, you can prevent withdrawal symptoms by reducing their co-codamol gradually.
Your doctor can help you do this. Some painkillers work better than others for certain pains. For example, the best painkiller to ease a headache may not be the best one for backache. Before giving your child co-codamol, try paracetamol to see if that helps the pain.
Paracetamol can relieve most types of pain. Painkillers known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , such as ibuprofen , can reduce inflammation as well as pain. 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. 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.
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