Codamol

[fruitsalad]

I know Codamol have paracetamol in them but is it mostly paracetamol or codeine? just wondering, as you cannot get just the paracetamol for love not money

[woofgang]

https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/10450/smpc

[bednobs]

they are not mainly anything - they are 500mg of parats in every tabet, ad depending on the strength 8. 25 or 30 mg of codiene. You can only get the 8 over the counter

[MargoTester]

500mg paractemol30 mg codeine

[pixie374]

Cocodamol is stronger. Without a prescription, you can get 8/500... which is normal strength paracetamol, with codeine added.

[bednobs]

fat fingers - mine should read 8, 15 or 30mg

[sunny-dave]

The only OTC co-codamol is 8/500 (a standard 500mg dose of paracetamol with 8mg of codeine added)

The good news :

1. Co-codamol is a better pain killer than paracetamol - the codeine does that

2. It does all the other things that paracetamol does - including fever reduction

The bad news :

1. It's addictive (that's the codeine) - do not take for more than three days

2. It will probably give you constipation (that's the codeine)

3. Opioid drugs (like codeine) tend to suppress breathing capacity - not by much in this dose and not normally an issue - but if you have Covid-19 you don't want to be doing that

[pixie374]

I would suggest, fs, that is the person you are thinking about is prone to constipation at all, that they start on movicol at the same time as any codeine.

[pixie374]

Actually, Dave, opioids, in small doses, actually ease breathing. It is the higher doses where they suppress it.

[sunny-dave]

If I'm on the co-codamol for my back pain, I tend to mainline liquorice allsorts, pixie - more fun than laxatives :)

[pixie374]

Excellent choice:-) xx

[sunny-dave]

A moot point, Pixie - they make breathing feel easier, but can reduce effective capacity.

At two times 8mg three times a day it's probably 'no big deal' anyway.

[Peter Pedant]

the answers here are mostly right
I think two formulations are available over the counter

and that is because incredibly codeine is not a prescip only drug

I must say I have been using it in order to get to sleep altho the hallucaination for me can be terrifying.

the dose of codeine is small - the normal dose is 1mg/kg
100mg for a bit fella
so the concentration in codamol is small
and so is safe

(yeah yeah I am sure someone has tried to poison themselves and succeeded)

[allenlondon]

Lactulose is an excellent antidote to constipation, and has little or no side effects.

[pixie374]

Lactolose is a softener rather than a laxative x you may well be right, Dave, but many people with severe breathing problems are prescribed low morphine, in order to help them breathe better.
I was genuinely shocked when one paramedic turned up to someone with difficulty breathing, who really didn't seem to understand why he was on morphine... it does suppress it though, in bigger doses.

[Cloverjo]

There was loads of paracetamol in Asda yesterday. I wanted ibuprofen but there was none of that.