Codeine medications and their uses

Codeine is a specific type of opioid medication available in in various forms such as codeine phosphate and dihydrocodeine. This type of painkiller is used to treat mild and moderate pain. Oftentimes, codeine is prescribed when pain control medication like ibuprofen and paracetamol are no longer effective. Codeine starts working in the body by binding to tiny opioid receptors in the body’s central nervous system, including the brain and the spinal cord. When the drug is administered, there is a decrease in the way pain is felt and the body’s reaction to pain.

Types of Codeine

While many people may never actually receive a prescription for codeine itself – which is most often prescribed as codeine phosphate – they may benefit from its use through various combination medications. Certain medicines have an amount of codeine in them and some may even be purchased over the counter. Codeine is sold under several different brand names through several different combinations of drugs.

Many of these drugs target different parts of the body and address various conditions. Several of the combinations of codeine over the counter medicines are used for common illnesses like coughs, colds and headaches. Cotabflu and Coldrex both have codeine in them and both address upper respiratory issues like cold symptoms, hay fever and coughing. Codeine  can also be found as a combination of paracetamol with codeine and known as co-codamol. This is also marketed under various brand names such as Kapake and Solpadol.

One form of codeine that has proven to be particularly effective is the semi-synthetic dihydrocodeine. This medication works for some people who don’t respond to codeine phosphate. You can buy dihydrocodeine online in the UK and other European countries legally although not in the US. You can get detailed information about dihydrocodeine here.

Taking Codeine

Despite the combination of various medicines, even the small presence of codeine can lead to addiction. It is not uncommon for people to become addicted to cough medicine or cough syrup after getting accustomed to using the drug to get over an illness. This is why even in the case of over the counter medicines usage it is important to take these drugs in moderation. The body can get used to the feeling of immediate pain relief and you can quickly form an addiction.

If you are considering taking codeine or a combination medicine that contains codeine, it is important to understand all of the possible consequences and side effects from this medication. Certain medicines are not good for particular conditions and often times can have more severe side effects. Before starting codeine, it is important to tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or pregnant, if you are suffering from a liver condition, if you have difficulties urinating, if you suffer from breathing problems, if you suffer from an irregular blood pressure or heart condition and anything else that may be abnormal.

Making the Most of Pain Relief

As with any medicine, it is important to clearly read all information and instructions regarding its use. This will ensure that you are aware of all of the side-effects which may occur after taking the medicine. You should always follow any directions your doctor has given you regarding the use of painkillers. Generally, the dose for pain relief with codeine is 30 – 60 mg for every four hours, if need be. However, the dose should never be repeated sooner than four hours and under no circumstance should your dose exceed the daily maximum of 240 mg. Any information regarding your doses should be printed inside the label of your medicine pack if you have any concerns.

When taking codeine, you will need to swallow the pain killers with water. Codeine may be taken before or after eating, though may cause sickness if taken on an empty stomach. If you miss a dose, the missed dosage should be taken as son as possible, however, two doses should never be taken together to make up for any missed dosage. When taking codeine or any painkiller, it is important to avoid consuming alcohol. When taking codeine while consuming alcohol, you run the risk of exacerbating the dizzying side effects felt from drinking.

Your doctor will only prescribe codeine to you for as long as you need it. When codeine is taken for a long period of time, the body can develop a dependency to the drug. Once you stop taking it, your body can experience withdrawal symptoms that can create a difficult pattern of addiction. Addiction to dihydrocodeine and other opioids is a major problem in the UK and this was highlighted recently by a government study.

With codeine, as with any drug, it is important to monitor your intake and the way your body responds to the medicine. Whether you are taking an over the counter medicine or are on a prescription, if you realize your pain has significantly decreased or all of your symptoms have cleared up, it’s important to let your doctor know.

Getting Older – How to get and stay pain-free in your later years

Father Time remains undefeated and will continue to remain undefeated until the end of time, and recognizing this – as well as really embracing it – is going to go a long way towards making your later years in life a lot less stressful and a lot more pain-free.

At the same time, just because we are all marching to the same inevitable end that every other human being on this planet marches towards and will continue to march towards doesn’t mean that we have to give into the aches, pains, stress, and strain that Father Time places on our bodies and our minds as we get older.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

In fact, the average life expectancy of both men and women has continued to climb each and every single year. Right now, the average man is expected to live until at least 74 years of age while women get a couple of extra years and are expected to keep on taking until they hit 76 – 77.

Modern medicine, a better understanding of nutrition, and powerful prescription medications – including painkillers like dihydrocodeine – have all made life in our later years a lot more manageable. But at the end of the day (like everything else) it’s our responsibility to make sure we are doing everything and anything we can to fight back against Father Time and lead the kind of pain-free existence we always expected to.

Here are some tips and tricks to help you do exactly that!

Clean up your diet ASAP

The most important thing you can do to eradicate short and long-term pain from your life forever – and to help your body heal a lot faster than it ever would have been able to otherwise – is to clean up and improve the quality of fuel that you put into your body every single time you take a bite of food.

The overwhelming majority of folks out there today are quite literally digging their graves with their teeth, consuming the kind of food that is going to have them doubled over in pain on a regular basis. Fatty foods, sugary foods, and processed foods that are as far from the “real deal” natural foods we evolved to eat over thousands and thousands of years put a tremendous amount of strain and pressure on our bodies (and our belts) and that’s going to lead to a significant amount of aches and pains for sure.

Cleaning up your diet helps you drop extra weight in a hurry, eliminates a lot of extra stress put on your joints, ligaments, and bones, and also helps your body fight back against illness and disease. This should be the first step you take to living a pain-free life from here on out.

Wake up and move your body

You don’t necessarily have to wake up and start lifting weights like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime, but you definitely want to wake up as bright and early in the morning as possible and start to move your body, limber up, and stretch as best you are able to. You can start with some simple exercise like walking or swimming and graduate to some alternative therapy for seniors like yoga of taichi.

Atrophy is a terrible thing that will not only rob you of your strength and flexibility but also amplify the aches and pains that are “normal” as you get older. By keeping your body strong, keeping your body limber, and moving your body on a regular basis – aiming to break a sweat at least four times a week – you will be able to strengthen your body and lessen your potential for injury as well.

Leverage modern medicine

Modern painkiller solutions (including prescription pain control drugs like dihydrocodeine and over-the-counter pain relief options like ibuprofen) are incredibly effective and are getting safer and safer on a daily basis.

If you are struggling with long-term injuries, chronic and consistent pain, or pain that simply cannot be managed any other way there’s absolutely zero reason whatsoever to avoid speaking with your doctor to see if there are painkillers out there that could help you in your specific situation. The short term solution to your pain problem can be simply solved when you buy dihydrocodeine online in the UK and get it delivered to your door within 24 hours.

Obviously, you’ll want to be sure that you are only ever leveraging the right medications for your needs and are careful about monitoring for side effects and potential abuse as you can  easily become addicted to these powerful medications and according to the Daily Mail painkiller addiction is becoming an epidemic. But if you follow the directions for using these kinds of medications you shouldn’t have much to worry about – and shouldn’t have to deal with pain any longer, either!