hi everyone, i was just wondering whether anyone has experienced any side effects from codeine based medication, my gp had given me co-codamol but they were giving me a really bad stomach, he is now going to give me codeine phosphate, has anyone else had this medication and if so is there anything i should look out for many thanks liz xxx
Hi there
usually co-codamol is less harsh on the stomach than say things like ibuprofen or other anti inflammatories. I’ve not had codeine phosphate so can’t comment on that.
I’ve had a lot of problems with acid reflux since chemo and I’d never even had indigestion before! I now take medication every day to help prevent that.
Can I ask what your stomach symptoms are? It may be that you could benefit from a course of proton pump inhibitors such as lansoprazole or omeprezole.
Elinda x
hi Elinda, the co-codamol were making me have stomach pain and very bad constipation, i thought it was the tax at first, but when i stopped taking the co-codamol the stomach ache stopped and i was able to go to the toilet.
Iunderstand paracetamol mask if you are perhaps running a temp, because otherwise i am able to take them, so my gp suggested codeine.
It seems to me that sometimes it cures one thing but sets something else off, i dont know whether to think the majority of my ailments are just down to the tax, or whether i am plain turning into a hypocondriac lol.
I just thought it would be nice to know about codeine in case there was anything untoward i needed to be aware of.
all the best liz xxx
im going to ask today for a different pill today co-codamol is good at pain relief but at the same time is making my stomach hard and pain full due to constiption
Hi Liz and Honeybee
As you know co-codamol is codeine and paracetamol and comes in different strengths. I had to take high dose co-codamol regularly during chemo but I found that the taxotere also made me constipated.
There are various things that can help with constipation. You could ask your GP to prescribe something like Movicol. I found that good old fashion syrup of figs worked really well. If you can face eating them, then dried figs will help. Also getting dehydrated can make things worse so try to keep fluids up if you can.
Hope that you can find a way of keeping the pain at bay and the not getting to constipated.
take care, Elinda x
Realised from your post that you may not be aware that co-codamol is codeine phosphate and paracetamol. so if you take the two separately you may get the same problem.
Codeine is the most constipating of the two so perhaps you could keep that limited. If the pain is too bad there are other medications such as tramadol. That’s another strong medication although that can cause constipation and nausea too.
If you feel unwell at any point, take your temperature before you take the next lot of tablets.
hi Elinda, i have spoken to my gp again and he has prescribed tramadol instead, it comes to something when i had to mention the tramadol to him, it really makes me laugh sometimes, you ask a member of the medical profession for help and advice, and end up coming on here to check that what you have been told is ok and correct lol to take me off one med to put me on the same but which sounds different (if that makes sense) is I find quite bizarre. thanks for that, really appreciated Liz xxxxxxx
I do know what you mean and I must admit I thought it was really odd. Don’t think he was listening to you properly or doing it in a rush - who knows?!
I hope that the tramadol is okay for you. When you get it from the pharmacy it might be worth asking if you can take paracetamol some of the time and tramadol only if the pain’s really bad (unless it’s bad all the time). I can’t remember if you can take tramadol as well as paracetamol.
also to say in terms of masking a temp with paracetamol, my personal experience was that when I developed an infection, the paracetamol only kept my temp down for a couple of hours. I soon knew when I had developed neutropenic sepsis.
Hope it all works out well for you and you’re soon out of pain. Elinda x
hi yes i think the gp was probably thinking about 2 or 3 other things (a bit like me really at the moment) anyway its sorted now and i will only take the tramadol when necessary, i already feel like if some one gave me a shake i would rattle!!! any way best go and see what the children are doing, they have gone quiet!!! all the best liz xxx
i went and saw the nurse today and she gave me ibuprofen but wot made me laugh is she ask me wot WLE was and why did i have it done tells me alot
You are talking to generalists who have to know about lots of things, and don’t necessarily know about everything in any detail at all.
We, on the other hand, are most definitely specialists, and know lots and lots about our own particular problem. I might know a bit about the things to do with the type of cancer I have and the stage of treatment that I’m at but if someone were to ask me about appendicitis I wouldn’t rate their chances!
Sometimes we do have to help our generalists, it’s very much a partnership, this health thing.
As for codeine, for me it completely stops peristalsis (the wave of movement in the intenstines that keeps the poo moving through your ssytem) but I was surprised to find that FEC and the assorted anti-sick meds haven’t had that effect on me at all. And yes, I do count myself lucky, constipation is, erm, (oh dear, I was going to use the most inappropriate expletive possible for the topic, but then would have been told off by the mods. I reckon you can guess what I was going to say…)
hi yes chocciemuffin I can guess what you were going to say lol,
Oh what bliss this is, always wondering what enjoyable ses there are going to be from swallowing that bitter pill, to help with one of the other ses!!!
Has my nan used to always say “keep taking the tablets”
Love Liz xxxx
i cant take co-codamol, but i am ok with co drydamol. Co codamol nmakes me vomit.
Saying that, i take tramadol for my endometriosis now.
eva