Tylenol with codeine – Uses, Side Effects, Interactions

It is Saturday and you are all set for a night out with friends. Suddenly, a bad pain in your head strikes and you reach for Tylenol. After all, Tylenol relieves pain quickly. You take it and feel better in a while. This has been the story of many of us who might have grabbed Tylenol for any kind of pain. Often, a combination of Tylenol with codeine is used for mild to moderate pains in the form of a tablet called Tylenol 3.Whether it is a headache or a muscle cramp, Tylenol is proven to be helpful in many cases. Some people also use it to bring the fever down.

Taking Tylenol with Codeine: Taking Tylenol with codeine requires a lot of precautions. This is because both when used together, can be fatal if used improperly. The combination of Tylenol with codeine may also be habit-forming upon prolonged use.

TTylenol goes by the alternative name of paracetamol in some places in the world. Also known as acetaminophen and APAP in its generic form, it is one of the widely used medicines globally. It aids in the relief of moderate to mild pain, soreness and also treats fever.

Codeine is a sleep-inducing, an opioid analgesic (pain killer) derived from morphine. It also helps in treating cough and diarrhea.Codeine directly functions in the central nervous system and the brain in order to change the response of pain from your body. Merging Tylenol with codeine can bring immense effective results. Codeine also gets combined with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen for better outcomes.

Yes. It is highly necessary to take extra precautions when it comes to taking Tylenol with Codeine or Tylenol 3. This is because together the contents of these two medicines produce side effects that may be extremely fatal. Some of these are:

Respiratory issues:Codeine causes serious breathing problems if not taken in a moderate amount. This especially happens after taking it for the first two to three days. Therefore, doctors usually do not recommend it to patients with Asthma. It may also not be suitable for patients with the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; a group of diseases that affect the lungs and airways).

Dependence and Abuse:As surprising as it may sound, codeine has the potential for drug dependence of the morphine type. Thus, it has the ability for being abused. It is habit forming and one can easily become addicted to it resulting in physical, psychological dependence and tolerance.

This is why prolonged use should be carefully administered just like other narcotic medications.Due to extreme dependence, withdrawal symptoms might occur. We all know how hard is it to experience withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms can be as bad as restlessness, runny nose, nausea and vomiting, muscle aches, sweating, and watery eyes.To prevent withdrawal reactions, your doctor may want to reduce your dose gradually. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details, and report any withdrawal reactions right away.

Liver problems:Acetaminophen poses the risks of acute liver failure, at times resulting in liver transplant and may also lead to death. The doses of acetaminophen that exceed 4,000 milligrams per day are usually responsible for the liver injury.This exceeds in the dose can happen more easily than you may think. This is because acetaminophen is commonly found in many other medications for treating cold, allergy and cough. Due to this, mismanagement in the dose is possible.For this reason, a combination of Tylenol with codeine (Tylenol 3) is limited to 325 milligrams per tablet or capsule. Before you take another medicine, make sure to read up on the ingredients list. Calculate your dose of acetaminophen to ensure it does not cross 4000 milligrams.

a) Acetaminophen: Each Tylenol #3 tablet contains 300 milligrams (mg) of acetaminophen. This denotes a half life of about 1.25 to 3 hours in the blood. The drug usually passes through the urine within 24 hours. However, people with a dysfunctional liver might take longer than this.

b) Codeine: Each Tylenol 3 tablet contains about 30 mg of Codeine. Comparatively, codeine takes a longer time than acetaminophen to filtrate out of the system. With a half life of about 2.5- 3 hours, it may carry on with its functioning for about 4 to 6 hours. Interestingly, codeine is detectable in urine for three days after consumption. Codeine takes longer to clear from the system than acetaminophen does. A urine screen test during this time shows a positive for opiates like codeine.

Thus, Tylenol 3 stays in the body for about three days due to the presence of codeine. Otherwise, with just acetaminophen, it would have had a shorter detection window.

Codeine upon interaction with other drugs can cause drowsiness and slow breathing. This happens because codeine targets the central nervous system. If you already have a head injury or anything that puts pressure on the brain, you should talk to your doctor in detail before taking Tylenol 3.

Similarly, you should not take Tylenol 3 if you are already taking antidepressants, cold and cough medicines, tranquilizers, pain relievers or sleeping pills etc. The interaction may result in dangerous side effects and an increase in the dose.Furthermore, taking alcohol can aggravate the risks associated with Tylenol 3 as well as showing up alcohol poisoning symptoms.

It is best recommended to keep Tylenol 3 far from the reach of the children. Children who take it accidentally may face fatal and deadly outcomes leading to death.Acetaminophen and codeine should never be used to treat pain or cough in children younger than 12 years of age or to relieve pain after surgery to remove the tonsils and/or adenoids in children younger than 18 years of age.

Furthermore, it should not be used for children 12 to 18 years of age who are obese or who have a neuro-muscular disease (disease that affects the nerves that control voluntary muscles), a lung disease, or obstructive sleep apnea (condition in which the airway becomes blocked or narrow and breathing stops for short periods during sleep) as these conditions may increase their risk of breathing problems.

a) Low blood pressure

b) Labored breathing

c) Pinpoint pupils

d) Dizziness and drowsiness

e) Stupor

f) Convulsions

g) Clammy, cold and pale skin

h) Liver failure

i) Kidney failure

j) Extreme sweating

k) Muscle, stomach and intestine spasms

l) Coma

Tylenol 3 can cause extreme dependence upon repeated use. This can happen even if the user is aware of its harmful effects.Withdrawal symptoms can easily set in upon sudden quitting of this drug. An alcohol withdrawal timeline may give an idea about the intensity of the withdrawal symptoms. To lower the risks, take this medicine exactly as prescribed by the doctor. Do not overdo the dose or overlook the directions written.

It is important for individuals who take Tylenol with codeine to refrain from being addicted to such a drug. If addiction persists, feel free to seek out the proper addiction recovery treatment from us.

Fight addiction as the name suggests, believe in fighting the addiction that may have chained you for the longest time. We provide the best of the services and proper care for you or your loved ones who are facing addiction nightmares.

It is time to take action. Contact us for the right kind of support you are looking for or visit our website www.fight-addiction.com to read up on the relevant literature provided. Our specialized team will counsel you from beginning to end in detail. Remember, it is never too late to ask for help!