What is paracetamol used for? Paracetamol is a common household medicine that is taken to treat pain, such as: headaches toothache period pains colds sore throats Paracetamol can also be used to reduce a fever and bring down high temperatures.
What dose can I take? What is ibuprofen good for? How long does it take to work? How does it work? How much can I take? What is co-codamol used for? It is used to treat pains and aches such as: headaches migraines toothaches muscular pains What dose can I have?
Can you take paracetamol with ibuprofen? Can you take ibuprofen with co-codamol? Can you take asprin and paracetamol? But for larger packets and higher doses, you need a prescription from your doctor. We haven't listed all the side effects.
It is very unlikely that you will have all of these side effects, but you might have some of them at the same time. How often and how severe the side effects are can vary from person to person. They also depend on what other treatment you are having. For example, your side effects could be worse if you are also having other drugs or radiotherapy.
Your doctor or nurse will go through the possible side effects. They will monitor you closely during treatment and check how you are at your appointments. Contact your advice line as soon as possible if:. This is due to a drop in the number of platelets in your blood.
These blood cells help the blood to clot when we cut ourselves. You may have nosebleeds or bleeding gums after brushing your teeth. Or you may have lots of tiny red spots or bruises on your arms or legs known as petechiae.
Increased risk of getting an infection is due to a drop in white blood cells. Symptoms include a change in temperature, aching muscles, headaches, feeling cold and shivery and generally unwell.
You might have other symptoms depending on where the infection is. Infections can sometimes be life threatening. You should contact your advice line urgently if you think you have an infection. You might have a mild allergic reaction during or shortly after your treatment.
This could be a rash, itching or a red face. Mood changes can include feeling very sad or very happy. They can arrange for you to talk to someone and give treatment if necessary.
Co-codamol is likely to affect your reactions and your ability to drive. Do not drive until you know how it affects you. Co-codamol contains two painkilling ingredients: paracetamol and codeine. It is given to relieve short-lasting painful conditions where paracetamol alone is not sufficient. There are three different strengths of co-codamol available, one of which can be bought without a prescription at a pharmacy. The amount of paracetamol in the three different strengths is the same mg , but the amount of codeine differs and this determines the strength of the preparation.
Combination painkillers like co-codamol can be useful to reduce the total number of tablets that need to be taken in a day, but they may not always offer the best pain control. This is because it is difficult to adjust the dose to suit the level of your pain without increasing the risk of side-effects. Consequently, many doctors prefer not to prescribe combination painkillers.
Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking co-codamol, it is important that your doctor or pharmacist knows:. Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. 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.
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