Dangerous medication?

It's not as if Pholcodine is a prescription medicine. It's available over the counter and on line without any prescription. I'm sure I have had it over the years, without any side effects, but nowadays if I have a ticklish cough, I have an ice-cold drink of water or suck an ice cube. Hot drinks merely exacerbate any inflammation.

Thanks Growstuff I knew it was one of them, and when I stopped taking it - the cough gradually settled down and no longer troubles me. Just a thought, we get prescribed medication for so many things as we get older we tend to disregard them as they become part of our daily routine.

A dry cough is a common side effect of most ACE inhibitors for high BP.

Reflux also can cause a cough . I have asthma and had a cough that would not improve even with doubling of asthma meds. Then a GP in the surgery suggested I try Lansoprozole . It was magic , the cough almost disappeared .A gastroscopy showed I have a hiatus hernia that’s causing the reflux . I avoid eating late in the evening and heavy large meals and with lansaprozole it is now fairly well controlled .

Are you on medication for high blood pressure?
After trying all kinds of cough suppressants over about 2 years (all with no results) I read that a certain BP drug has the side effect of 'persistent non-productive cough'.
I'm sorry but I can't remember which drug it was (it was decided I did NOT have high BP just white coat syndrome) so they were discontinued.
Check the side effects of any pills you are taking for blood pressure.

You can buy Pholcodine over the counter in supermarket pharmacy. (unless things have changed) I bought some last year.

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Has anyone experienced withdrawal symptoms from Ibuprofen, I have been taking them nearly every other day since I had sinus problems last feb, just stoped..and feel awful.

Message to Elrel: Have a read of this - you might find it very interesting:- onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2010.02518.x/full

Glamorousgray For my back I asked my really really nice doctor (who had been suffering fro the same as me and ended up with the same surgery) if instead of Tramadol, could I have Flexeril.

He had to look that up and said, WOW, we don't have that here in the UK and it looks like a useful medication without the drugginess. But alas, there was nothing else. Tramadol just made me 'stupid', so I said I will take the codeine please, as at least I can think and work on that. Won't drive, though, as over a certain dose can count against you as alcohol if you get stopped. Pregabalin is for night time use for me as it makes me sleepy. Have to be careful and for some reason it causes weight gain!

Ah but Ginny42 the laws about clinical trials and drug safety whilst enshrined in UK law are based on EU Directives and we all know which way they are going...

My point being that although large pharmaceutical companies e.g. Pfizer, have manufacturing plants in the UK, they are American companies.

If Mr Trump, as he has indicated, relaxes laws pertaining to testing of drugs by companies in the USA and shortens the time between new drugs being tested and being made available to the public, there may be safety issues with their products in the UK, although I would hope they would still have to conform to the strict pharmaceutical laws here.

In general doctors prescribe the cheapest drug first and then work down the list. Getting fed up with being told they can't do this and that because of the cost ....

Ginny42.
What has Mr Trump got to do with ones own common sense when it comes to taking medication.

Many thanks to all who posted with positive suggestions and personal experiences.

What I was most concerned about and my reason for posting was that the pholcodine would affect whether I could be given general anaesthesia in the future. I feel there should have been a warning. The cough had caused enough inconvenience to keep me housebound for a week already.s

77 the consultation was for a possible chest infection.
I think to say exactly how the violent cough was affecting everyday life might be TMI. I only mentioned the theatre to my GP as an afterthought. The worst aspect was rapid trips to the loo.

f77ms, I posted earlier about the drugs I take, without which I'd be in a real pickle. All have potentially awful side effects but pre-diagnosis and associated health problems, I avoided even a paracetamol, it's different when the choice is between quality of life and possible dreadful impact on vital organs if a disease is not treated and the simpler health issues we all face from time to time.
I agree with your post.

I can`t imagine my GP giving me something to stop me coughing in a theatre but there again I would not ask for anything ! I am also taking drugs with unpleasant side effects but without them I would have no quality of life . We are so lucky to have all the medicines we have these days , without which some of us would not be here . Try a mild codeine/paracetamol from the chemist , the codeine suppresses the cough reflex . It really only causes constipation if taken long term and even then there is another medicine containing just fibre which will prevent this . Don`t blame your GP , he /she was probably dumb struck by the request - it costs the NHS about £70 for a consultation .

I found out two years ago that I was deficient in vitamin D after having a blood test. My GP prescribed 25000 units of Vitamin D3 every two weeks for six weeks and 1000 units a day thereafter. After 15 months the dose was reduced to 800 units a day because Scientists further research proved it would be a safer dose. I did not have any more blood tests until now (2 years later) and it revealed that I now have too much calcium, consequently my GP immediately stopped prescribing it. An appointment was made to see a Endocrinologist (I have not had an appointment yet) but my worry is that I may have to have an operation to remove some parathyroid glands? In all this time my calcium levels were not monitored. I have had a few blood tests recently and the odd thing is that the first one showed a lower calcium level than the later ones which is puzzling as I have stopped taking the Vitamin D3 capsules. Has anyone else experienced problems taking this medicine and can they give any advice? It would be very much appreciated.

Chris - As I said yesterday 6th at 12:47:34 I did think the cough could be a chest infection - I'd had a similar one last year which was.
Lew - this was so unlike my usually super vigilant pharmacist. He's very careful and if he has concerns about a prescription rings the GP surgery.

So, I wonder, did the prescribed medicine work, Elrel?

Slightly over reaction I think to pour it down the sink.

What a waste.

We nearly all take medicines that might be detrimental to our health, but I think, if they work, then keep taking them.

Ivee had pholcodeine occasionall for coughs for years wrh no problems. IVe also had general anaesthetics with no problem. Also ibuprofen gor a longish time (months) but always with colifac which minimises tge effect on the stomach - no problem there either. I think tge problems generally arise after long term general yse but thats only my opinion.
I did stop taking statins (with gos knowledge) due to awful itching which is one of the side effects. .

nips - if you look at the ingredients in Boots Nightime Cough Relief, it contains a large dollop of.... Pholcodeine!

Elrel,, it's a good job I'm not your GP. I would have told you to take some bottled water to the theatre as your cough is probably due to the atmosphere in the theatre.