Help with co-codamol

[MAC0]

So me and mum both take them yesterday we had a review phonecall form the pharmacist at are docs here in the UK to make sure we ok on them they said they were going to up mums so she has gone from 100 a month to 120 a month as a total of pills

mine was strange said everything was good but she upped my amount to 164 a month not sure why not sure what to do can I turn down the extra without it effecting my prescription as a whole or should I as mum suggested just save them each month incase I cannot get any

 

[Sunspots]

Don't quote me on it as I'm not a pharmacist but I'm pretty sure you can take 6 per day, possibly 8 (you'd need to check the patient information sheet that comes with them). So at 164 a month you're probably still within the maximum dose (but again, check the leaflet). But the pharmacist at your GP surgery will know what they're talking about, I'd trust a pharmacist with meds more than a GP.

But if you don't feel you need the increase, tell them and ask their reasoning behind them putting the dose up. But it's your prescription, you can take less if you want to - just miss out ordering them for a month when you have a bit of a stockpile of them.

 

[AvidFan]

Max dose is 2 every 4 hours, 8 in 24 hours (not all at once of course). Codeine is a strange one as some people get a lot stronger effect from it than others. If you take them as needed, you may not need all of that.

Personally if you need them and they benefit you, I would stockpile any extra in case of any potential supply issues or delays down the line (pharmacists probably won't go on strike, but others in the supply chain could, or there could be other disruptions) so I'd say it's handy to have more than you need just in case, rather than less.

 

[MAC0]

Don't quote me on it as I'm not a pharmacist but I'm pretty sure you can take 6 per day, possibly 8 (you'd need to check the patient information sheet that comes with them). So at 164 a month you're probably still within the maximum dose (but again, check the leaflet). But the pharmacist at your GP surgery will know what they're talking about, I'd trust a pharmacist with meds more than a GP.

But if you don't feel you need the increase, tell them and ask their reasoning behind them putting the dose up. But it's your prescription, you can take less if you want to - just miss out ordering them for a month when you have a bit of a stockpile of them.

yea i take 2 tablets with each dose 2 when i wake up 2 at night and 2 mid day if needed its just she never mentioned giving me more if i am honest having more makes me worry about addiction taking to many especially in the summers as i get headaches in the heat

as i said might just put 50 away each month they might have given me them does not mean i have to take them all right

 

[MAC0]

Max dose is 2 every 4 hours, 8 in 24 hours (not all at once of course). Codeine is a strange one as some people get a lot stronger effect from it than others. If you take them as needed, you may not need all of that.

Personally if you need them and they benefit you, I would stockpile any extra in case of any potential supply issues or delays down the line (pharmacists probably won't go on strike, but others in the supply chain could, or there could be other disruptions) so I'd say it's handy to have more than you need just in case, rather than less.

thats my idea we had to send the prescription in by post and never had issues then they mentioned to mum go online and they come with this

but mum has to have them as with anemia she cannot have aspirin and for me no other pain killers have ever worked thing its because you put them in water

 

[may71]

Do you want to describe the pain issues that you need the pills for? It's ok if you don't want to say.

 

[black orchid]

I used to get 300 per month prescribed and just didn’t request them every third month or whenever I had over a months supply at home

 

[MAC0]

Do you want to describe the pain issues that you need the pills for? It's ok if you don't want to say.

I take them for my back had a injury playing football in my last year at school the injury effected my leg also came out of hospital after a 2 week stay and phsyio was a joke my injury meant if i moved my leg i got pain but if say you grabbed it and moved it i would feel nothing guess what he did yeah he grabbed it moved and said its fine so went back to life

noticed my back was messed up about a year later

plus it does not help that only pain killers dissolved in water works there also the only thing that works for my headaches also does not help my back i am sleeping in a chair right now

 

[may71]

Sorry to hear that.

In the US, medicare will cover acupuncture treatments for lower back pain (I mention this simply to indicate that it has become a mainstream treatment for treating lower back pain). I'm guessing the NHS won't cover acupuncture, but if you can find affordable care, it may be worth trying.

www.acmac.net has listings for community-style acupuncture clinics in the UK. There may also be some non-acmac community-style acupuncture centers, as well as teaching clinics. This link has more info about acupuncture:

Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, World's Second Largest Medical System

With many drugs it's important to take the exact dose prescribed, but I think with medication for chronic pain, generally the lowest effective dose is best. You might want to have a conversation with your doctor about what the consequences of long-term use of co-codamol might be and if treatment with co-codamol is the best option.

 

[MAC0]

dont think it would free on the NHS es as i having to save for my surgery

I generally stay under the dose i will admit before the news came out about codine and stuff i might not have but since then the most i have took in a day is the recommended 4 doses for me mostly i just have 2

as for the doc that was what the pharmacy conversation was about to check if all was good and i ended up with more as was said just going to not use the extra just put them away in my safe and stay on the dose i am on

 

[may71]

www.acmac.net

acmac.co.uk, not acmac.net