Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.

If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4

1. What Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets are and what they are used for
2. What you need to know before you take Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets
3. How to take Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets
6. Contents of the pack and other information

• you are allergic to paracetamol or codeine, or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6)
• you suffer from severe kidney or liver disease
• you know that you metabolise very rapidly codeine into morphine
• you are breast-feeding
• you suffer from asthma or any other breathing problems, for example chronic bronchitis or emphysema
• you have just had a head injury or suffer from increased pressure on the brain
• you drink a lot of alcohol, or have done in the past
• you have recently had an operation to your gall bladder
• you have diarrhoea
• you are taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) or have been taking them within the last two weeks. MAOIs such as phenelzine, moclobemide or isocarboxazid are medicines used to treat depression.

Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets should not be taken by children under 12 years of age.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets if:

• you are elderly or weak
• you have any stomach pains or other sudden problems in your abdomen (belly)
• you have an underactive thyroid gland
• you have liver, kidney problems, because the dose might need to be lower
• you have myasthenia gravis (muscle weakness, weakness of facial muscles including the eye muscles and difficulty in swallowing)
• you have a disease of the biliary tract
• you have problems with your adrenal glands (Addison’s disease)
• you suffer from an enlarged prostate gland (if male) or narrowing of your urethra (tube through which urine is passed)

Talk to your prescriber before taking this medicine if you:

• are or have ever been addicted to opioids, alcohol, prescription medicines, or illegal drugs.
• have previously suffered from withdrawal symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, shaking or sweating, when you have stopped taking alcohol or drugs.
• feel you need to take more of Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets to get the same level of pain relief, this may mean you are becoming tolerant to the effects of this medicine or are becoming addicted to it. Speak to your prescriber who will discuss your treatment and may change your dose or switch you to an alternative pain reliever.

During treatment with Codipar Tablets, tell your doctor straight away if:

If you have severe illnesses, including severe renal impairment or sepsis (when bacteria and their toxins circulate in the blood leading to organ damage), or you suffer from malnutrition, chronic alcoholism or if you are also taking flucloxacillin (an antibiotic). A serious condition called metabolic acidosis (a blood and fluid abnormality) has been reported in patients in these situations when paracetamol is used at regular doses for a prolonged period or when paracetamol is taken together with flucloxacillin. Symptoms of metabolic acidosis may include: serious breathing difficulties with deep rapid breathing, drowsiness, feeling sick (nausea) and being sick (vomiting).

Taking this medicine regularly, particularly for a long time, can lead to addiction. Your prescriber should have explained how long you will be taking it for and when it is appropriate to stop, how to do this safely.

Rarely, increasing the dose of this medicine can make you more sensitive to pain. If this happens, you need to speak to your prescriber about your treatment.

Addiction can cause withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking this medicine. Withdrawal symptoms can include restlessness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, agitation, anxiety, feeling your heartbeat (palpitations), increased blood pressure, feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, shaking, shivering or sweating. Your prescriber will discuss with you how to gradually reduce your dose before stopping the medicine. It is important that you do not stop taking the medicine suddenly as you will be more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms.

Opioids should only be used by those they are prescribed for. Do not give your medicine to anyone else. Taking higher doses or more frequent doses of opioid, may increase the risk of addiction. Overuse and misuse can lead to overdose and/or death.

Codeine is transformed to morphine in the liver by an enzyme. Morphine is the substance that produces pain relief. Some people have a variation of this enzyme and this can affect people in different ways. In some people, morphine is not produced or produced in very small quantities, and it will not provide enough pain relief. Other people are more likely to get serious side effects because a very high amount of morphine is produced. If you notice any of the following side effects, you must stop taking this medicine and seek immediate medical advice: slow or shallow breathing, confusion, sleepiness, small pupils, feeling or being sick, constipation, lack of appetite.

Use in children and adolescents after surgery

Codeine should not be used for pain relief in children and adolescents after removal of their tonsils or adenoids due to Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome (sleep disruption due to respiratory pauses). They may be at increased risk of severe side effects in case of morphine toxicity.

Use in children with breathing problems

Codeine is not recommended in children with breathing problems, since the symptoms of morphine toxicity may be worse in these children.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. Some medicines interact with each other and this can alter their effect. It is particularly important to tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking the following medicines:

• MAOIs used to treat depression, taken within the last 14 days (refer to “do not take if” in section 2 above)
• sedatives and sleeping tablets, e.g. temazepam and diazepam
• phenothiazines (medicines that calm your mood) or tricyclic antidepressants
• antihypertensive drugs, diuretics (water pills)
• medicines for irregular heart beats (mexiletine, quinine or quinidine)
• drugs used to dry fluids in the mouth and lungs known as anticholinergics
• medicines to treat diarrhoea or sickness (metoclopramide, domperidone)
• medicines used to treat problems of the stomach, gall bladder, heart burn or sickness (e.g. cimetidine, colestyramine)
• sodium oxybate used to treat sleepiness and sudden loss of muscle tone
• other strong painkillers called opioids
• medicines which prevent blood clotting (anticoagulants such as warfarin)
• patients should not take any other paracetamol containing medicines whilst taking Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets
• flucloxacillin (antibiotic), due to a serious risk of blood and fluid abnormality (called metabolic acidosis) that must have urgent treatment (see section 2).

Some products which can be bought without a prescription may contain paracetamol or codeine, so always check the labels for ingredients.

Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets can interfere with some laboratory tests used for determining some diseases.

Concomitant use of Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets and sedative medicines such as benzodiazepines or related drugs increases the risk of drowsiness, difficulties in breathing (respiratory depression), coma and may be life-threatening. Because of this, concomitant use should only be considered when other treatment options are not possible.

However if your doctor does prescribe Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets together with sedative medicines the dose and duration of concomitant treatment should be limited by your doctor.

Please tell your doctor about all sedative medicines you are taking and follow your doctor’s dose recommendation closely. It could be helpful to inform friends or relatives to be aware of the signs and symptoms stated above. Contact your doctor when experiencing such symptoms.

Do not drink alcohol whilst taking Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets. Swallow the tablets with a glass of water. Do not bite or chew the tablets.

If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.

Pregnancy:

Do not take Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets if you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant unless you have discussed this with your prescriber and the benefits of treatment are considered to outweigh the potential harm to the baby.

If you use Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets during pregnancy, your baby may become dependent and experience withdrawal symptoms after the birth which may need to be treated.

Breast feeding:

Do not take Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets while you are breastfeeding as codeine passes into breast milk and will affect your baby.

Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets may cause dizziness or drowsiness and you should not drive or operate machinery if you are affected this way. Codeine may disturb your vision.

The medicine can affect your ability to drive as it may make you sleepy or dizzy.

• do not drive while taking this medicine until you know how it affects you.
• it is an offence to drive if this medicine affects your ability to drive.
• however, you would not be committing an offence if:
  • the medicine has been prescribed to treat a medical or dental problem and
  • you have taken it according to the instructions given by the prescriber or in the information provided with the medicine and
  • it was not affecting your ability to drive safely

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure whether it is safe for you to drive while taking this medicine.

Children aged 16-18 years: The recommended dose is one to two tablets every 6 hours when necessary up to a maximum of 8 tablets in 24 hours.

Children aged 12 – 15 years: The recommended dose is one tablet every 6 hours when necessary up to a maximum of 4 tablets in 24 hours.

Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets should not be used in children below the age of 12 years, due to the risk of severe breathing problems.

Immediate medical advice should be sought in the event of an overdose, even if you feel well, because of the risk of delayed, serious liver damage. Bring the remaining tablets and this leaflet with you so that the medical staff knows what you have taken.

Do not take more than one dose at a time. If you forget to take a dose then take your next dose at the usual time. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.

Do not suddenly stop taking this medicine. If you want to stop taking this medicine, discuss this with your prescriber first. They will tell you how to do this, usually by reducing the dose gradually so that any unpleasant withdrawal effects are kept to a minimum. Withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, agitation, anxiety, feeling your heartbeat (palpitations), increased blood pressure, feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, shaking, shivering or sweating may occur if you suddenly stop taking this medicine.

All medicines can cause allergic reactions although serious allergic reactions are very rare. Any sudden wheeziness, difficulty in breathing, swelling of the eyelids, face or lips, rash or itching (especially affecting your whole body) should be reported to a doctor immediately.

A serious condition that can make blood more acidic (called metabolic acidosis), in patients with severe illness using paracetamol (see section 2).

The following side effects are reported for Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets with the following frequency:

Common (the following may affect up to 1 in 10 people)

• feeling sick (nausea) and being sick (vomiting), constipation
• light headedness, dizziness, sleepiness
• Shortness of breath

Lying down may help these effects if they happen.

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)

Drug Withdrawal

When you stop taking Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets, you may experience drug withdrawal symptoms, which include restlessness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, agitation, anxiety, feeling your heartbeat (palpitations), increased blood pressure, feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, shaking, shivering or sweating.

Not known frequency (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data)

• a feeling of extra well being, or depression
• stomach pains, inflammation of pancreas
• small eye pupils, problems with vision, headaches
• slowing of the pulse
• difficulty in passing urine
• inability to empty the bladder
• liver damage, especially in heavy drinkers
• hearing loss
• changes in blood cells, such as low number of cells which fight infection and of cells which are involved in blood clotting.
• dependence and addiction (see section “How do I know if I am addicted?”).

How do I know if I am addicted?

If you notice any of the following signs whilst taking Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets, it could be a sign that you have become addicted.

• You need to take the medicine for longer than advised by your prescriber
• You feel you need to use more than the recommended dose
• You are using the medicine for reasons other than prescribed
• When you stop taking the medicine you feel unwell, and you feel better once taking the medicine again

If you notice any of these signs, it is important you talk to your prescriber

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme website www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.

By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

• the active substances are paracetamol, 500mg and codeine phosphate, 30mg.
• the other ingredients are maize starch, methyl cellulose, talc, calcium stearate, povidone, purified water, hypromellose and macrogol 3350.

Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets are caplet shaped white tablets.

Co-codamol 30/500 Tablets are available in aluminium blister packs or plastic containers with child resistant lids of 50, 56, 100 or 112 tablets. Not all pack sizes may be marketed.