Paracetamol

Travelsafar perhaps for the bleeding risk? Possibly increased for the over 65s.

If you don’t take omeprazole with ibuprofen if you take it long term you can get stomach ulcers.

Tbis post has been of interest to me as I had a fall 18 days ago and on DD's advice was taking both paracetamol and ibrufen for inflamation and pain. However after the first week the pain was still pretty bad so spoke to doctor who gave me a prescription for codeine to help it. All this doesn't seem to be upsetting my system in any way but am still in quite a bit of pain. All my "advisors" are telling me it is a cracked rib but will be phoning doctor again to see if I should continue to use codeine as I need an prescription so will see what she says. The pain is very localised now and I do think I have damaged my rib. Grrrrrrrr - feeling pretty low without all this!

You can buy cocodamol or solpadeine over the counter at chemist. The pharmacist would be able to answer your questions. I know codeine can lead to constipation and also a bit addictive. I only take when I have a really bad headache.

And if take omeprazole long term, get your Vitamin B12, Vitamin D and calcium levels checked, as it can interfere with absorption.

And if you take … (typo)

I remember reading a while ago that it can be counter productive to take pain killers on a regular basis. I can't recall why though .

Paracetamol works best if taking regulary. It has an accumulative effect so basically you need to build it up to a therapeutic level for best results. If suffering acute pain, you can alternate with ibroprofen which should help.

Dr. Google thinks that paracetamol is safe for the elderly and it is licensed for over 65s but there is some question about people who are frail.

I was prescribed omeprazole when taking Naproxen on a fairly short term basis, but reading the side effects of omeprazole worried me more than those of anti-inflammatories so I stopped taking it.

Paracetamol can also cause Constipation if taken regularly for more than 7days. Always take with a full glass of water, and eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables to help prevent this from happening.

I know that codeine can cause constipation but not paracetamol.
Interesting.

i sometimes get a particular headache, behind my left eye.
this is of long standing, and only occasional. had eyes checked. a bit like a mild migraine maybe.
the only thing that helps is if i take one tablet early on. it has to be a mixture tablet, of paracetamol 200, aspirin 300, and caffeine 6. marketed as pain extra, quite cheap unbranded.
i've tried them separately, but doesn't reach the parts.

once when i had dental pain and a useless dentist, i went to a walk-in centre. i'd been taking codamol from a pharmacist which was some help.
the doctor said why was i not taking more of it.
i pointed to a large warning on the front of the packet about not exceeding the stated dose. he said that doesn't matter if a doctor tells you to take it. !
i should have not taken any notice of him after that. but i did.
he then told me to take paracetamol and ibuprofen both together at the maximum dose, and intimated that it was my fault for not taking enough tablets.
i said i had never taken ibuprofen, and asked about aspirin. he said no, take ibuprofen together with paracetamol.
he was quite insistent. i think he was Polish. i did as i was told.
by the time i had just taken the second dose i felt as if i was having a stroke.
i had the worst head pain ever, felt sick, was vomiting water, and could just about stagger to my neighbour to say ring my brother if necessary. i could barely speak.
she told me to lie down upstairs but i couldn't get there, collapsed on the sofa. after some hours i managed to keep down a few sips of water, and eventually half a cup of tea.
at least i forgot the dental pain. and later found an efficient dentist.
i have never taken ibuprofen again.
the very mention of it makes me slightly shudder.
i guess i should remember to say i have an aversion to it to medics.
when i was young everyone took aspirin, known as aspro.
paracetamol was unheard of, i think it was called panadol when it first came in, ?from america, i guess that was its trade name.
ibuprofen is even more recent here i think, at least in general usage. i had a feeling i shouldn't go near it, but sort of over-ruled myself, as that sounds intellectually not valid. i actually believe that sometimes we know more than we can explain.

My goodness - it is a painkiller and reduces temperature. It does not make you sleep. You might sleep better if you have pain anywhere or a temperature. It is the drug in calpol for children. I cannot believe the peculiar messages on this thread. It can kill you if you overdose and is a painful death which is why you can only buy 32 at a supermarket however is also the safest painkiller for mild and moderate pain1

Thank you Elaine1 what a lot of fuss on this thread!
Yes, it works, yes, it can be fatal if an overdose taken, yes, it should not be taken “routinely” without medical advice as there can be a detrimental effect on the liver /kidneys if taken long term , no it does not make you sleepy (but the analgesic effect can aid sleep if pain is keeping you awake) .
exD it is not “doled out* but is a good wide ranging analgesic - if it doesn’t work for you, tell your doctor.
Other painkillers such as NSAIDs, (anti inflammatories such as Ibuprofen) can be very effective but can be very harsh on the stomach and for those with gastric issues lead to ulcers .
Cocodamol is a strong analgesic but does not agree with everybody and you should never exceed the recommended dose.
All of this is just common sense.

Its a very effective pain killer but taking one dose "wont work" you need to be taking them every 4 hrs during the day (up to 4 times) to get good "cover" then they work on even quite extreme pain

Ibuprofen is also good but risky with some breathing conditions. And you need to take them with stomach protectors if its more than a once off and they have their own nasty risks.

Paracetamol can also cause Constipation if taken regularly for more than 7days.

Its the codeine in codydramol and cocodamol that does that

Dr. Google thinks that paracetamol is safe for the elderly and it is licensed for over 65s but there is some question about people who are frail

because frail people can often be very thin. If they are the dose has to be reduced to 500mg 4 times a day (one tab not two) but they can still take it.

It depends on their weight. If theyre under 60kg the full adult dose can do them harm.

60kg isn't thin though - unless you're very tall.

There are different strengths of Co-codamol. The lower one (8/300) can be purchased over the counter. The higher one (15/300) is only available on prescription.
When I badly hurt my back last year (it turned out that I had a stress fracture of the spine), the ONLY thing other than morphine that aided this pain was the higher level Co-codamol. I rigidly stuck to the no more than 8 in every 24 hours, and tried to take those to give me some relief from the pain at different times (along with a heat pad). It would kick in about 20 minutes after taking it.
My recent fall is much less painful, and I am resisting taking any pain killers during the day - but take just two of the lower level at night.
As an Ostomist, I was long ago advised NOT to take Ibuprofen.

welbeck that’s interesting about your headache after taking ibuprofen.
A few years ago I had really bad back pain. I could hardly walk & couldn’t stand up straight.
I took the maximum dose of ibuprofen for a few days & the back pain eased (and has never returned) but for several days afterwards I had severe headaches, which I don’t usually suffer from at all.
At the time I read something about rebound headaches. I don’t know if that’s what it was, but ever since I’ve stuck to paracetamol if I’ve needed pain relief for anything.

I read once about headache medication that actually caused headaches and I think it was something to do with the caffeine content in some tablets.

Welbeck That's happened to me twice with Ibuprofen. The first time I wasn't sure what had caused it, but after the second time, it couldn't have been a coincidence. Like you, I felt terrible for hours and could hardly speak or move. I also came up in a rash. I have "allergic to Ibuprofen" written on my health record now.

I liked notonan2's comment about weight.
This has been at the back of my mind for a while. My husband is a farmer so we have quite a close relationship with the vet - and he always asks (or estimates) the weight of the animals before he prescribes drugs, be it cat, pet rabbit, prize bull or whatever. I assume he then prescribes the correct amount for the animal.
So if I take 2 paracetamols it should have a more pronounced effect than it does on my husband who weighs 16 stone to my 8 stone. ???
Don't you find that whenever you've had some painful treatment (tooth extraction, steroid injection, that sort of thing) as you leave you are usually told to take paracetamol if there is any pain when you get home? I find it odd as they often have no idea what you are already taking.

ExD Before I go into the dentists, the receptionist hands me a tablet with a form on it asking questions, one of which is what medication I am taking.
I assumed that it was something that all dentists have to do.