ThankfulWanyana

Can anyone tell me whether their local pharmacies sell co-proxamol please and how much is it, as a friends of mine has had her co-proxamol withdrawn in UK and is now in Great need. It is possible to buy it here but it is £150 for 100 tablets
I have friends from abroad and ones who go on holiday to Europe, so I'm hoping to be able to get hold of it for her somehow.

I'd be so grateful if anyone could help with this information please

dmu

From a Google search, the equivalent TM has been withdrawn in France. Isn't there an equivalent with fewer side effects, that the G.P. can prescribe in the UK? From what I've read, there are good reasons for taking it off the market....

Cynic

From the NHS Cumbria Clinic Commissioning Group Website:

Switching options

Consider a switch from co-proxamol to paracetamol 500mg tablets or capsules at a dose of 1g four times a day. If paracetamol on its own is ineffective, the addition of codeine phosphate might be beneficial.

The BNF recommends a dose of 30-60 mg every 4 hours when necessary, to a maximum of 240 mg daily for mild to moderate pain. This dose will need to be reduced in patients with hepatic or renal impairment. It also warns that codeine is too constipating for long-term use.

Alternatively, and if safe and appropriate, consider a switch from co-proxamol to co-codamol 8mg/500mg tablets. Bear in mind that the elderly are more susceptible to the side-effects of opioids.

Hope this helps.

GeniB

I thought the latest medical 'wisdom' on paracetamol was that it was quite a dangerous drug.Even small doses can cause serious kidney damage.

Pulaski

It seems to have been withdrawn in most markets, and in many cases a number of years ago. In the countries that it hasn't been withdrawn it is heavily restricted, even under prescrption i.e. it's hard to get a prescription for it even if you have a medical "need". I would suggest that the chances of you "getting hold of some" without the patient being present and examined is approximately zero, and quite frankly very little higher if the patient was present.

Cynic

I think most drugs have potential side-effects; there's an article written about it here.

For those who don't like to follow links, it basically says that the maximum daily dose is 4 gms; whereas 5 gms can cause kidney issues.

User beware I guess; always read the instructions and if you notice any of the side effects, stop taking it and go and see your doctor to see if there's a prescribed alternative.

cyrian

I have come across several people who became addicted to co-proxamol.
However, I have experience of even more who were addicted to codeine - even in lower doses e.g. 8mg+.
These unfortunate patients were very good at hiding their addiction and would see different doctors or visit every pharmacy in town to satisfy their need.
Please be careful that your friend is not using you and abusing your friendship.
I would be surprised if you could be able to get higher dose codeine products.
In any case, at higher doses, codeine is strongly addictive and very constipating.

ThankfulWanyana

Hello cynic , thank you for that I will pass the information to my friend and see if that is helpful for her that's very kind of you to let me know.

ThankfulWanyana

Thank you everyone for your replies, there is a big debate about co proxamol, my friend knows about the Dangers excetra, she would prefer to have a bearable life even if it's shorter , than to live life with unbearable pain . She is very careful about how she takes it and does not always take the full dose , I know that she's not getting it from other pharmacies because she's bed bound and semi paralysed.

Apparently it is not available officially in UK but some people are still being prescribed it and are able to take it .
In Spain the cost is about one tenth of the cost here in the UK and I wondered if it was the same in other European countries.

Pulaski

You still need a valid local prescription. It's not like Spain is selling it over the counter.

GeniB

Sorry taken awhile to trace this post again ( not usually on Europe)

I am so sorry about your friend,but agree with post above about being 'used' to provide an addictive drug. This one maybe a relative of the now infamous Oxycontin made by Purdu Pharma in the USA. (similar names usually come from the same base) It's a powerful pain killer,but highly addictive. Caused 400 deaths last year in New Hampshire alone.The company were fined 600,million dollars for providing such a drug to the public with insufficient research and safeguards. Made not a scrap of difference of course. If I say people who can no longer afford this expensive drug use Heroine as a cheaper substitute you might get a better picture.
I hope your friend in the UK has access to pain management clinics? they can be of enormous help

Pulaski

Presumably you learned that while studying pharmacology?

Oxycodone (the generic name for Oxycontin) and Coproxamol are entirely different drugs, though they both happen to be synthetic opioids.