Co-codamol 8/500, new to me. Any advice?

Megrose2

Hi all. I'm having a flare-up of my hip bursitis (worse on the right) at the moment, which is making me feel rather unwell. I've been taking Paracetamol and using an Ibuprofen gel, to little effect.

I saw the GP today and he's decided to start me on Co-codamol, 8/500, so I'm just going to take one or two a day and see how I go. Hate taking painkillers, but it's really getting me down at the moment.

Everything I've read about Co-codamol online seems to be about becoming addicted to it, which I find rather worrying. Has anyone got any advice for me about it? I did buy some Lactulose! I'm hoping that it will also help with the arthritis and fibromyalgia pain.

dreamdaisy

Hello, I can understand your concern but I think the addiction factor is more of an issue when taking codeine on its own. I've been taking co-codamol for years but usually at a very small level (minimum two per day but usually four which is half the maximum recommended daily level) and although I occasionally get 'bunged up' I find that plenty of water and good vegetable intake helps.

I know that taking regular medication is no one's idea of fun but, to my way of thinking, in the case of pain why be in more than necessary? The co-codamol probably won't remove it completely but it should ease it more than paracetamol alone (I find ibuprophen useless). I hope it helps and don't fret too much, 8mg is not a huge amount and, let's face it, too much paracetamol ain't too good for us either. Please let us know how you get on. DD

Megrose2

Thank you, DD, you make good sense about dealing with the pain. I'm afraid I'm guilty of trying to manage with very little pain medication, even paracetamol, and then I get lower and lower, which isn't good.

I did say to the GP that I would prefer to manage on the lowest dosage of medication possible, even if it doesn't get rid of the pain totally. Anyway, just got up and my hip and back are pretty painful, so I'm off to take a co-codamol.

Thanks again.

stickywicket

Megrose, I think the chances of you becoming addicted, with the attitude you have, are extremely limited. I've been prescribed these (the lowest dose of cocos) for years and hardly ever take more than a couple per day.

In any case, I think (though I'm not sure) that, with prescribed pain relief, the danger is more of tolerance than addiction. If taken routinely it's easy to become tolerant of a low dose so tempted to increase to a higher one. I've only ever done this when things were really rough eg before a joint replacement and I always aim to reduce back asap.

I'm sure you'll be fine and I hope they help.

Megrose2

Thank you for your reply, Sticky. I've been reading about your own travails and hope that you are recovering well.

Take care.

Meg

dreamdaisy

Trying to get by with little or no pain medication is the ideal but our lives are not ideal, are they? I think that pain levels are very difficult to assess because one man's agony is another's mild twinge. Pain is a very useful alarm system, it alerts us that something is wrong and needs fixing - toothache leads us to the dentist, broken bones to orthopaedics etc. but it's not that straightforward for the likes of us. The downside of not taking regular pain medication is that it can build to levels where nothing we have to hand will touch it so that only makes matters worse.

I take a little on a regular basis and I find it sufficient to suppress things to a tolerable degree - that also leaves me room to manoeuvre when things worsen (which from time to time they do :roll: ) Take care and please let us know how you get on. DD

Megrose2

Thank you, DD.

Meg

dreamdaisy

Hello, we're five days on now and I was wondering how you were getting on: is the cocodamol helping to dull more of the pain? DD

Megrose2

Yes, it is DD, thank you. I'm only taking one in the morning at the moment, but it certainly helps with the bursitis pain. I wish I'd asked about it sooner!

dreamdaisy

Isn't hindsight wonderful? You had the right motivation in trying to keep the pain relief to the minimum but sometimes our heroism only causes more distress which, to my way of thinking, is pointless. I am pleased it is helping to make things better, that is important.

I have trouble getting off to sleep so I take my cocos around an hour before settling so they are getting to work then, when I wake in the night due to pain breakthrough, I take two more (but only if it's five or six hours later, if it's earlier I don't). That's usually enough to get me through the day.

I currently have a severe cold so I am taking no pain relief as it's arriving in the shape of Sudafed and Beecham's hot lemons (which are both laced with paracetamol). They are not helping the joints at all but they are helping the sniffles. Hobson's Choice, eh? DD