bigtrouble Posted November 16, 2015 Report Share Posted November 16, 2015 For the purpose of blocking pain. I found out 2 weeks ago by watching a documentary about pharmaceutical practices in Canada. Apparently, you can buy it without a prescription (it is legal).I bought it but didn't try it. it has 300 mg paracetamol (tylenol), 15 mg caffeine (should have had the non caffeine version), 8 mg codeine.Does it make you dizzy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ANCY Posted November 16, 2015 Report Share Posted November 16, 2015 It does for me, it's a pretty common side effect. My Dr told me not to use it because of my gastroperesis and codeine's slowing effect on the GI tract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ks42 Posted November 16, 2015 Report Share Posted November 16, 2015 Yes, it does make you dizzy, but for me, that's the least problematic of the side effects. I personally am not supposed to take it because I have dysautonomia; codeine is a mild anticholinergic. What that means in simple terms is that it can decrease the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, and increase a lot of the sympathetic type symptoms POTS people already struggle with - tachycardia, dry mouth, dry eyes, blood pressure fluctuations, and it does slow the transit of food through the GI tract, so as ANCY said, it's definitely contraindicated if you have gastroparesis. If you add caffeine to codeine, you double or triple the anticholinergic effects, so you might have a bigger risk of tachycardia, adrenaline surges, and things like that when you take them both together. I know some people with autonomic dysfunction have no problem with it, so the fact that it's an anticholinergic might not bother you at all. It's impossible to know, since individual cases of dysautonomia and/or POTS are all so different.Also, I don't know what other meds you're on, but codeine interacts pretty seriously with a lot of drugs, especially many of the drugs used to treat POTS, such as beta blockers, certain antihistamines, sedatives like benzodiazepines, etc. so you have to be very careful. Can you talk to a POTS specialist, or at least a doctor familiar with autonomic disorders, about whether codeine would be OK with your particular health issues and medications? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted November 16, 2015 Report Share Posted November 16, 2015 I have a Tylenol 3 prescription which has codeine in it. It does absolutely nothing for me or to me. (Except my NP at my PCP office had me take it as a cough suppressant a few weeks ago for a nasty flu. It did help with that.) I tend to have a high tolerance for any sort of narcotic or analgesic type drugs. They tend not to work for me in the way of relief and they also don't alter me in any way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis Posted November 17, 2015 Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 I take it (tylenol 3) for shift work when I am trying to switch back to sleeping at nights the first night hoping it will knock me out. Sometimes it makes me tired and sometimes I feel nothing from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer65 Posted November 17, 2015 Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 I found it does relieve the pain, but i have the higher codeine dose on prescription it affects my IBS mainly with constipation and cramp.If I do need to take it I always use a mild lacitive wich helps a bit. It always makes me really tired and lethargic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtrouble Posted November 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 I am taking venlafaxine 75 mg. I was searching around a bit and saw that some people mention that the effects of codeine is reduced bc venlenfaxine binds to a certain enzyme. The product then binds to another enzyme which happens to be the same enzyme that demethylates codeine to morphine. Another person mentions that codeine would last longer in the blood and the effects last longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ks42 Posted November 17, 2015 Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 I would talk to your doctor about the interaction between codeine and venlafaxine. For myself personally, I use the interactions checker at drugs.com and use the professional data; if anything is listed as at least a "moderate" interaction (and codeine / venlafaxine is listed as moderate, with a warning for health care professionals to monitor patients closely who are on this combo due to respiratory depression, dizziness, and cognitive issues), I don't take it until I talk with my doc. If there's a potential interaction of that magnitude, usually for me, they'll at least start with a super low dose. With POTS making me hypersensitive to the side effects of things anyway, I've found this has helped me avoid some major issues. Don't get me wrong - lots of docs prescribe medication combinations that may be considered "moderate" or even "severe" interactions under certain circumstances and often, patients have no issues. It just depends. That's why I'd strongly suggest talking to your doc. You could also check with a pharmacist - they're usually a wealth of knowledge when it comes to drug interactions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieP Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 I was given codeine in hospital a few years ago, prior to my POTS diagnosis and my heart rate shot up to 180bpm. It was not a great feeling.At the time my heart rate was already high (120bpm) but I felt the codeine pushed it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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