Codein Tablets

i .have been prescribed codein [3o/500] and taking them for about 20years.i cant remember what for.i take 8 a day.how dangerous is this to my health.i suffer a lot of stomach problems,i now have no appetite and i have chronic depression.can anyone tell me what damage has been done to my health. THANKS!!

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My opinion is that is you have been taking ANY medication for so long that you have forgotten what they were originally prescribed for, there is definitely a cause for concern. The fact that you take 8 per day and each pill has 500 mg of acetaminophen (Tylenol) in it, the total amount of acetaminophen you take per day is 4000 mg, which is the threshold for maximum recommended dosage for the drug. That is if you don't take any other acetaminophen-containing medications on top of the codeine with tylenol prescription. Acetaminophen in high dosages is toxic to the liver, especially if taken with alcohol. If you are having stomach related issues, please see your doctor.

As far as the lack of appetite goes, it is a symptom of the depression. You did not mention if you have been seen by a doctor for the depression. When you see your doctor for the stomach problems, be sure to mention the depression. You may be able to solve all the issues in one visit. Many people with depression feel "better" after taking a pain reliever like codeine because the sensory system for pain is closely associated with the limbic system which processes emotions.

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Hi John. As already stated, the maximum recommended dosage daily for acetaminophen is 4000 mg, every individual dose can be no more than 1000 mg every six hours. In other words, you can't take more than two of those at one time or eight in a day. Also I'm concerned about the amount of time you have been taking this drug on a regular basis. I think it recommended that you desist taking acetaminophen after four weeks, it is not a drug made for long term use regular use. The reason for all of this is the risk of liver damage or liver failure. Acetaminophen is one of the hardest drugs out there on your liver, and if not mistaken it is the leading cause of liver failure in the United States. This often happens because persons think it is safe being an over the counter drug, and take more than the 1000 mg dose. In some other cases, people take multiple medications that contain acetaminophen, and they don't realize the other medicine contains the drug, resulting in a double dose. This is very dangerous and can result in liver failure within days or liver damage which will cause serious health issues. The codeine is an opiod medication related to hydrocodone, morphine, heroin and the like. It can be hard on the stomach, which is likely the cause of your stomach problems. Depression could cause a lack of appetite or an increase there of in some cases, it seems you suffer from the former with your depression. My suggestion would be to speak with your doctor about changing up your meds. You should never take acetaminophen regularly for as long as you have, and especially not at such a high dosage. You might benefit from getting on hydrocodone without any added analgesic such as tylenol, asprin or ibuprofen, as ibuprofen isn't meant for long term use either, and asprin can be hard on your stomach, makes for a bad combo. They hydrocodone is stronger than codeine and one standard dose of it would probably be as effective as your dose of codeine/acetaminophen. And it would be a little safer if you must take it for a long time. Depression is actually helped usually from taking opiods, but I suppose you have been taking it long enough where you don't even feel the euphoric effects of the opiate. But in fact it has been used to treat depression even in some cases, though it is rare. To help with the depression, I would suggest either talking to your doctor about being prescribed an anti-depressant or using your pain meds. You can reduce your tolerance level by taking it for a week and then taking a week off. On your week off, you could try taking something of lesser effect such as ibuprofen while you wait for your bodies tolerance to reduce to pretty much a normal state within seven days. In this case you will feel the actual effects of the opiate on your brain which will certainly help your depression.

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Well, I can see that the issue on the dosage of the Acetaminophen has been covered.

I am not sure if it was mentioned, because I didn't read the posts in their entirety, but Acetaminophen is also very harsh on both your liver and stomach.

I'd suggest you consult your doctor. After this long of a period of time, you can't just stop taking it abruptly, or you will more than likely suffer withdrawal effects. You will need a slow taper.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Codeine/­

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Acetaminophen/­

You should also definitely have your stomach checked.

Are there any other comments or questions?

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