Cocodamol question

[carrie75]

Hello Everyone

Just wondering does anyone take cocodamol regularly (30/500 dose)? I try not to take it more than the recommended 3 days in a row, but on a bad week this week and had to take another one on the way to work this morning. Panicking as this is 4 days in a row I've taken cocodamol but only one 30/500 tablet each day.

My sister had an awful experience on cocodamol so I'm always worried (was taking it long term for chronic back pain) but it's the difference between struggling through the day at work and actually being able to get through the day with relatively OK.

Thank you so much X X X X

[Becky2889]

Hello again carrie75,

I struggle with migraines and severe period pain. I have taken co-codamol for more than 4 days due to pain. All I would advise is to monitor bowels as it can make you constipated (sorry if too much info!) and I take one tablet at a time because I feel woozy if I take more than that.

I'm a nurse and I have to take it some days otherwise I would be off sick. Xx

[Fabbird]

Hi, I've worried about this too. Once I get to day four, I wonder what I'm going to do if the pain doesn't ease off.

One thing I've done, which has helped, is to ask my GP for the codeine separately. I can then take a gram of paracetamol and only take the codeine half an hour later if I need it. It helps me to space out the codeine and I take less this way.

I hope your pain eases soon.

[Lulububs]

I have to take cocoadamol every month period time for about four days every month. I do find i never poop when im on them and i take latulose solution twice a day whilst taking it and i still dont?

Then as soon as i stop i go back to normal so i would say be careful bowel wise. Plus i have got a friend whose on them all time for bad back and every time she trys to come of them it like she goin through a drug rehab , she shakes she gets bad withdrawal and ends up back on them it the codeine, it addictive..

[carrie75]

Thanks very much everyone for your help and advice! Made it to through the day OK and glad to be home, bowels now seem to be coming back to life (sorry for tmi, really grateful for the heads up on this)!

Thanks very much again 💗 X X X X

[CLN1986]

Hi

Are u taking this because of severe period pain? I am taking ibroprofen On day one and two of my period but I'm thinking I might need something stronger for day one as it doesn't seem to be doing the job anymore.

[carrie75 in reply to CLN1986]

Hello, no problem : I get really bad ovulation pain and the cocodamol can really help. I totally understand about the severe period pain too though, sorry you are experiencing this too : I normally take ibuprofen lysine (it's ibuprofen but seems to be absorbed much quicker than regular ibuprofen) then alternate it with paracetamol the first couple of days but have to take them every 4 hours like clockwork to keep on top of the pain.

A lot of ladies use mefemanic acid which can be really helpful for severe period pain, I'm not sure it's possible to talk it though with your doctor to see if it's something you'd be able to take? I hope you can get some better pain relief as soon as possible X X X

[Lulububs in reply to carrie75]

I use transexamic acid , cocodamol and naproxen to get through my periods and since i been using the transexamic i have not needed the painkillers as much so they are good.

I was also so heavy that id have to wear tampons and towels whereas now i can just wear one or other.

I still get discomfort but not lay on floor crying pain just normal period pains take a pill get on with it pain

[CLN1986]

I used to have the mefemanic tablets but I didn't find they would help that much. It's been a few years so maybe I should try them again. I guess a trip to the doctors is needed. I hear you with the laying on the floor curled up crying with pain 🙈 Being a woman sucks! Thanks ladies x

[Emma_lca]

I have been prescribed these for my pain as it's the only thing that can take the edge off. They are really addictive so I try not to take them unless I really have to. If you are taking a small amount of them for more than three days I'd check with your doctor to make sure this is ok. I've had times where I've had to take them every day for like a week and I've been fine but best to check with the doc if your concerned.

[Georgina80]

Hi. I've been taking 30/500 cocodomal for about 6 months now. Take up to eight tablet a day. Yes it's addictive but I would not be able to work if I didn't take it. I am due to have surgery in the next couple of months so am hoping to wean off them after this!

[JackieBo in reply to Georgina80]

I'm with you Georgina. I am hyper aware of the danger of addiction (I have a looooong family history of addiction and in the four years I've lived in the UK, I'm American, I've lost five friends back home from the Opioid Crisis - three of them had their addiction started from legitimate doctor prescribed opioid based pain meds.... the fear is real).

However, I can't get through the days a lot of the time without this strong a pain med. I gave myself a stomach ulcer about two years back from all the constant naproxen and ibuprofen I was taking to try and control the chronic pains I was living with (now I know this was all indications of Endo that has been growing unchecked since my mid 20's when I took myself off birth control without checking with my doctor).

Once things got really bad, to the point of me being practically crippled and unable to leave my bed for days on end, my GP prescribed me the 30/500 cocodamol. I can't take mefanefric acid as I have a history of stomach ulcer, so I just stick with these and a stomach protector, anti nausea, and an anti spasmodic. Regular over the counter meds just don't work anymore. They used to, for years, but now they just don't touch it so I have to take the cocodamol and it has been this way since February when things really went to shit inside me.

Fortunately for me, constipation isn't ever a problem for me because I have such awful bowel problems as a result of having my gall bladder out too (I live a life of soft stool so I actually love that the cocodamol gives me near a normal person's bowel movements). I often have to take the cocodamol for four or five days in a row, but I do always try to give myself breaks in between and I've never taken more than three in a day, usually just two. They make me feel super woozy if I take three, it's as if each one gets stronger than the last, even spaced 5 or 6 hours apart.

I'm always conscious of the addiction concern as I worry that I may be genetically predisposed and I've seen first hand the utter destruction of drug addiction, specifically the deadliness of heroin, which people often turn to when they become addicted to their prescribed opioid pain meds, but I need these to function so I don't have much choice until I get to my surgery date, which is still nearly three months off.

It's a difficult balance, but I think, I hope, that being aware and listening to your body will be enough to catch a problem early. As of yet, I have never felt any symptoms of withdrawal on days I haven't taken it, so I consider myself lucky thus far. It's definitely a serious point of concern, but I don't think any of us should live in crippling pain out of fear of a possible outcome. Vigilance is key here, I think.

[carrie75]

Thanks very much for your replies ladies, it's really much appreciated. Absolutely, the potential for addiction problems with the stronger meds is something I've experienced with family /friends too: I'm so sorry to hear what you have experienced though JackieBo, truly sorry.

I'm with you, I'm midway through getting checked out for fibromyalgia on top of the endo, and said to GP this week it feels like regular pain meds aren't fully touching fibro pains. Despite severe endo I'm not often troubled by daily abdominal pain but do get horrific period pains, ovulation pain, migraine and now this fibro pain (waking up with sore neck, shoulders, pain in different bits of body - been there on and off for a while but seems to have flared lately).

I'm still working full time and there are days it's only possible with painkillers. I keep a timer on my phone so as not to ever take too much accidentally - you know when you just can't remember when you took that last paracetamol /ibuprofen? It also helps you to get an idea how much relief you are needing to keep pain at bay - I set a timer for 4 hours after taking a painkiller, if I feel fine once those 4 hours are up I just get on and don't take anything else that day til I really need to. If I do need to take something when the four hours are up, I can see how I feel after the second dose.

Wishing you all the best ladies, take care and thanks very much again for your advice X X X X