Dihydrocodeine works in the same way as a lot of other opiates but may cause fewer breathing difficulties as a side effect. It's not better than other opiates for treating specific conditions or pain, but may be more suitable for you, depending on other conditions you have or other painkillers you have tried. Drinking alcohol while you're taking dihydrocodeine can make you feel more sleepy. It can also increase the risk of serious side effects.
It's best to stop drinking alcohol during the first few days of treatment, or if a doctor increases your dose, until you see how dihydrocodeine affects you. If you feel sleepy while taking dihydrocodeine, do not drink alcohol while you're taking it.
Dihydrocodeine does not affect any type of contraception, including the contraceptive pill or emergency contraception. There's no firm evidence that dihydrocodeine reduces fertility in men or women. Do not drive a car, ride a bike or operate machinery if dihydrocodeine causes you to have blurred vision, makes you feel dizzy, sleepy, clumsy or unable to concentrate.
These side effects may be more likely when you first start taking dihydrocodeine but could happen at any time. For example, when starting another medicine or if a doctor increases your dose.
It's an offence to drive a car if your ability to drive safely is affected. It's your responsibility to decide if it's safe to drive. If you're in any doubt, do not drive. UK has more information about the law on drugs and driving. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist if you're unsure whether it's safe for you to drive while taking dihydrocodeine.
If you take recreational drugs, such as cannabis, cocaine and heroin, while you're taking dihydrocodeine, you're more likely to get the serious side effects of dihydrocodeine including breathing difficulties, muscle stiffness, low blood pressure and seizures or fits. Some recreational drugs, such as cannabis, will also increase dihydrocodeine side effects and make you feel sleepy and dizzy. Taking heroin while you're taking prescribed dihydrocodeine is especially dangerous.
You're more likely to get all the side effects of dihydrocodeine, including addiction. Tell a doctor if you take recreational drugs while you're taking dihydrocodeine. Page last reviewed: 5 May Next review due: 5 May Dihydrocodeine On this page About dihydrocodeine Key facts Who can and cannot take it How and when to take it Taking dihydrocodeine with other painkillers Side effects How to cope with side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions.
About dihydrocodeine Dihydrocodeine is an opiate painkiller. Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today? Dihydrocodeine works by stopping pain signals travelling along the nerves to the brain. Standard dihydrocodeine tablets take 1. It's possible to become addicted to dihydrocodeine, but your doctor will explain how to reduce the risks of becoming addicted.
If you need to take dihydrocodeine for more than a few weeks, your treatment plan may include details of how and when to stop taking this medicine. The most common side effects are feeling or being sick, feeling drowsy or constipation. Adults and children aged 4 years and over can take dihydrocodeine.
Tell a doctor before taking the medicine if you: have ever had an allergic reaction to dihydrocodeine or any other medicine have any stomach problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome IBS or Crohn's disease , or if you're taking medicines for these conditions have lung problems, asthma or breathing difficulties have a head injury or a condition that causes seizures or fits have an underactive thyroid gland hypothyroidism have an addiction to alcohol take any other painkillers including those you buy from a pharmacy or supermarket have liver or kidney problems have myasthenia gravis , a rare illness that causes muscle weakness are trying to become pregnant, are already pregnant or are breastfeeding are under 18 years and have had your tonsils or adenoids taken out to treat obstructive sleep apnoea have a rare condition causing problems with galactose intolerance.
How much will I take? How often you take your tablets will depend on the strength. Immediate release tablets The usual dose for adults and children aged 12 years and over is: 30mg tablet — 1 tablet every 4 to 6 hours - maximum dose in 24 hours is 6 tablets mg 40mg tablet — 1 or 2 tablets up to 3 times in 24 hours - maximum dose in 24 hours is 6 tablets mg Slow release tablets The usual dose for adults and children aged 12 years and over is: 60mg, 90mg or mg tablets — 1 tablet taken every 12 hours The tablets contain 60mg, 90mg or mg of dihydrocodeine.
Liquid The usual dose of dihydrocodeine liquid is one to three 5ml spoonfuls taken every 4 to 6 hours. Will my dose go up or down? Important If you have been taking dihydrocodeine for more than a few weeks do not stop taking it without speaking to your doctor first. What if I forget to take it? Never take 2 doses at the same time to make up for a forgotten one.
What if I take too much? Urgent advice: Call now if:. If you take too much dihydrocodeine you may feel: very sleepy, sick or dizzy find it difficult to breathe become unconscious Go to Where to store dihydrocodeine If you're prescribed dihydrocodeine, it's really important that you: store it properly and safely at home keep it out of the sight and reach of children do not give your medicine to anyone else return any unused dihydrocodeine to a pharmacy so they can throw it away in the right way.
Common side effects Common side effects happen in more than 1 in people. There's not enough information to say that complementary medicines and herbal remedies are safe to take with co-dydramol. They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines. They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. These 2 painkillers work in different ways to relieve pain. Paracetamol seems to work by blocking chemical messengers in the brain that tell us we have pain. Paracetamol also reduces a high temperature by affecting the chemical messengers in an area of the brain that regulates body temperature.
Dihydrocodeine belongs to a group of medicines called opiates. It works in the central nervous system and the brain to block pain signals to the rest of the body. As well as blocking pain, dihydrocodeine can have some less positive effects. Your breathing may become slow and shallow. It may also slow down your digestion, which is why dihydrocodeine can cause constipation. Co-dydramol takes up to 1 hour to work and keeps working for about 5 hours.
If you've bought co-dydramol from a pharmacy, do not use it for more than 3 days. If your pain has not gone away after 3 days, talk to your pharmacist or doctor. If your doctor has prescribed co-dydramol for you, follow their advice about how long to take it for. Depending on why you're taking it, you may need to take it for a few days or weeks at most — for example, if you're in pain after an injury or operation.
Talk to your doctor if you're not sure how long you need to take co-dydramol for. It is safe to take co-dydramol for long-term conditions, but your body can become tolerant to it, which means it does not work as well at reducing pain. Do not increase the dose if this happens.
Talk to your doctor, who might prescribe you a different strength or a different painkiller. It's possible to become addicted to the dihydrocodeine in co-codamol, but this is rare if you are taking this medicine as prescribed.
For this reason, your dose will be reviewed to make sure you are only taking the amount you need to control your pain. Your treatment plan may include details of how and when you will stop taking co-dydramol. If you need to take it for a long time your body can become tolerant to it. That means you need higher doses to control your pain over time. Some people can become more sensitive to pain hyperalgesia. If this happens, your doctor will reduce your dose gradually to help these symptoms.
Speak to your doctor if you are worried about tolerance, hyperalgesia or becoming addicted. If you're addicted to co-dydramol, you may find it difficult to stop taking it or feel you need to take it more often than necessary. If you suddenly stop taking it, you may suffer from withdrawal symptoms. These include:. Talk to your doctor if you're worried or need help coming off co-dydramol. They can also help you stop taking it safely and reduce withdrawal symptoms. Some painkillers work better than others for certain types of pain.
For example, the best painkiller to ease your headache may not be the best one for your backache. Before taking co-dydramol, try taking paracetamol to see if that helps. Paracetamol can relieve most types of pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , such as ibuprofen and naproxen , can reduce inflammation as well as pain. These are good for joint, back and muscular pain. This includes people with stomach ulcers, or severe heart, kidney or liver problems.
Drinking alcohol while you're taking co-dydramol can make you feel sleepier. It can also increase the risk of serious side effects. It's best to stop drinking alcohol during the first few days of treatment until you see how the co-dydramol affects you.
If you feel sleepy with co-dydramol, do not drink alcohol while you're taking it. Co-dydramol does not affect any type of contraception, including the combined pill or emergency contraception.
But if co-dydramol makes you vomit sick for more than 24 hours, your contraceptive pills may not protect you from pregnancy. Look on the pill packet to find out what to do.
Find out what to do if you're on the pill and you're being sick or have diarrhoea. If you're taking co-dydramol for a maximum of 3 days and at normal doses, there's no clear evidence that it can reduce fertility in either men or women. Dihydrocodeine is an opioid analgesic. It is related to codeine and has similar analgesic activity.
It is a stronger variant with more euphoric effect and consequently greater dependence potential. After oral doses peak concentrations of dihydrocodeine occur after about 1. In its simple form it has a short half-life but longer acting controlled release tablets are available. Dihydrocodeine is also used for the treatment of cough, used as a pain medication, and also is used for the treatment of dyspnea difficult breathing. Also, unlike Codeine that is generally only found in couch syrup form, dihydrocodeine can be found in more forms such as tablets, solutions, elixirs, and other oral forms.
In some countries, dihydrocodeine can also be found as an injectable that is used for intramuscular and deep subcutaneous administration. This is unlike codeine which cannot be injected due to the risk of anaphylaxis or pulmonary edema, along with a potential large histamine release. While most of the differences between codeine and dihydrocodeine are primarily within the structure of the two substances, it is important to talk about the biggest similarity between the two.
That is their risk of abuse and addiction. While these two substances may not be the most potent when taken as prescribed, if they are taken in excess and more often than needed, you risk the possibility of addiction. After all, both substances are still opioids, which have a very high likelihood of misuse and physical dependence, like most pain relievers.
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