Paracetamol + Codeine phosphate
Efferalgan Codeine and Dafalgan Codéine are different trade names for the same drug.
Efferalgan Codeine is a pain reliever that contains two active substances with analgesic effects: paracetamol, which also has antipyretic effects, and codeine phosphate (an opioid pain reliever).
Paracetamol irritates the gastric mucosa less than salicylates.
Codeine belongs to a group of drugs called opioid analgesics, which relieve pain.
It can be used as monotherapy or in combination with other pain relievers, such as paracetamol.
The combination of paracetamol and codeine results in a stronger and longer-lasting analgesic effect than either of these components alone.
Indications for use:
Pain of moderate to severe intensity that does not respond to peripheral-acting pain relievers.
In adolescents aged 12 and over, due to codeine, Efferalgan Codeine can be used for short-term relief of moderate pain that is not relieved by other pain relievers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen used as monotherapy.
Before starting treatment with Efferalgan Forte, you should discuss it with your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse. Do not take it without a doctor's recommendation.
Efferalgan Codeine contains paracetamol and codeine - an opioid pain reliever, so it should be used with consideration of concomitant use of other medicines containing paracetamol or codeine (including those available on prescription or over-the-counter) to avoid taking a daily dose greater than recommended (see section 3. How to take Efferalgan Codeine).
Long-term use of high doses of codeine may lead to dependence. It is not recommended to take the medicine for a long time. In patients with current or previously diagnosed addiction to opioids, the doctor should administer Efferalgan Codeine with caution or may prescribe other pain relief.
Neuropathic pain does not respond to codeine and paracetamol administration.
In order to relieve pain in children, codeine can only be administered on a doctor's prescription.
Particular attention should be paid to the child's level of consciousness (contact with the environment): before administering the medicine, it should be checked whether the child is experiencing excessive or abnormal drowsiness.
Do not take higher doses than recommended. Taking higher-than-recommended doses of paracetamol carries the risk of very severe liver damage. Symptoms of liver damage usually appear 1 to 2 days after paracetamol overdose, with maximum severity usually occurring after 3-4 days.
Paracetamol may cause severe skin reactions (see section 4), such as acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and toxic epidermal necrolysis, which can be fatal. You should inform your doctor about skin reactions and stop taking the medicine if a skin rash or any other sign of allergy occurs.
The action of opioids on the central nervous system can cause severe, life-threatening respiratory depression (inhibition of respiratory function). The risk of respiratory depression may be increased in the case of concomitant use of other medicines and due to the patient's genetic conditions.
Codeine may exacerbate existing increased intracranial pressure. It should be used with caution in patients with head injuries and other intracranial injuries.
It should be used with caution in patients with epilepsy.
Long-term use of pain relievers, including opioids, increases the risk of developing medication-overuse headache.
In some people, opioid treatment, especially with chronic use, may cause increased sensitivity to pain.
Administration of opioids may mask symptoms of serious abdominal conditions.
Codeine is converted to morphine by liver enzymes. Morphine is a substance that relieves pain. Some people have a changed enzyme and this can affect them in different ways. In some people, morphine is not produced or is produced in very small amounts, which does not provide adequate pain relief. Other people are more prone to severe side effects caused by the production of very large amounts of morphine. If the patient experiences any of the following side effects, they should stop taking this medicine and contact their doctor immediately: slow or shallow breathing, disorientation, drowsiness, small pupils, nausea or vomiting, constipation, loss of appetite.
In patients after cholecystectomy, because codeine can cause acute abdominal pain related to the biliary tract or pancreas, which is usually accompanied by laboratory abnormalities indicating spasm of the Oddi sphincter.
Use with caution in patients with biliary tract diseases (gallstones), prostatic hyperplasia, or difficulty urinating, with hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency. Opioids can cause urinary retention by reducing the tone of the smooth muscles of the bladder and dilating the bladder, as well as inhibiting the urination reflex.
Codeine may inhibit the cough reflex and should not be used in patients who are expectorating secretions.
Use with caution in patients with hormonal disorders.
During treatment with the medicine, stiffness and/or alternating muscle contractions and relaxations (clonic convulsions) may occur.
With long-term use of opioid medications, tolerance to the medicine or decreased analgesic effectiveness may occur.
Some opioids, including morphine, may have an immunosuppressive effect.
In patients with reduced blood volume and low blood pressure, who are being treated with opioids, the cardiovascular system should be constantly monitored.
Codeine may cause: constipation, which may be resistant to treatment with laxatives and require constant monitoring of bowel function; nausea and vomiting, itching.
Caution should be exercised when using paracetamol if the patient has any of the following conditions:
Elderly patients may be at increased risk of side effects related to opioid treatment, such as respiratory depression and constipation. In these patients, it is recommended to start treatment with lower initial doses than those usually used in adults (see section 3). Elderly patients are also more likely to be taking other medicines that may increase the risk of side effects.
Do not use in children (under 12 years of age), adolescents with a body weight below 33 kg, and adolescents (up to 18 years of age) undergoing tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy as part of the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (see "When not to take Efferalgan Codeine" and section 3).
Codeine is not recommended for use in children with respiratory disorders, as symptoms of morphine toxicity may worsen in these children.
Children and adolescents should be closely monitored for signs of progressive central nervous system depression, such as excessive drowsiness and decreased respiratory rate. In some patients, individual variability in codeine metabolism may increase the risk of side effects or decrease the response to treatment.
You should tell your doctor or pharmacist about all medicines you are currently taking, or have recently taken, and about any medicines you plan to take.
Efferalgan Codeine and other medicines may interact with each other when taken concomitantly:
You should inform your doctor about the use of this medicine if your doctor prescribes a test for uric acid or blood glucose.
In athletes, the medicine may cause a positive result in doping tests.
Do not drink alcohol or take medicines containing alcohol while taking the medicine.
Alcohol increases the sedative effect of opioid pain relievers. The intensity of codeine's effect, causing disturbances in the state of consciousness, can pose a risk when driving vehicles or operating machinery. Additionally, there is a risk of toxic liver damage, especially in people who are chronically malnourished and regularly drink alcohol.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant, or plan to have a child, you should consult your doctor before taking this medicine.
Pregnancy
The medicine is contraindicated in the first trimester of pregnancy. In the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, it can be used in single doses only if absolutely necessary.
Efferalgan Codeine can be administered to pregnant women if necessary. The lowest possible dose should be used, effectively relieving pain or reducing fever, and the medicine should be taken for the shortest possible time. If the pain is not relieved or the fever does not decrease, or if it is necessary to increase the frequency of administration, you should consult your doctor.
Breastfeeding
Do not take codeine while breastfeeding. Codeine and morphine pass into breast milk. The medicine is contraindicated if you are breastfeeding.
Fertility
There is no definitive evidence of fertility disorders associated with the use of codeine.
There is no sufficient data to indicate whether paracetamol affects fertility.
This medicine may impair your ability to drive or operate machinery, so you should not drive or operate machinery while taking it.
Each effervescent tablet contains 380 mg of sodium (the main component of common salt). This corresponds to 19% of the maximum recommended daily intake of sodium in the diet for adults. If you take one or more effervescent tablets per day for a long time, you should consult your doctor or pharmacist, especially if you are controlling your sodium intake.
Each effervescent tablet contains 300 mg of sorbitol. Sorbitol is a source of fructose. If you or your child have been diagnosed with intolerance to some sugars or have a rare genetic disorder called hereditary fructose intolerance, you should consult your doctor before taking the medicine or giving it to your child.
Sorbitol may cause gastrointestinal discomfort and may have a mild laxative effect.
Each effervescent tablet contains 30 mg of aspartame. Aspartame is a source of phenylalanine. It may be harmful to patients with phenylketonuria (a rare genetic disorder in which phenylalanine accumulates in the body due to its improper excretion). Patients with phenylketonuria should not take this medicine.
Sodium benzoate contained in the medicine may increase the risk of jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes) in newborns (up to 4 weeks of age) whose mothers took this medicine during pregnancy.
This medicine should always be taken according to the doctor's or pharmacist's recommendations. If you have any doubts, you should consult your doctor or pharmacist.
The medicine is intended for use in adults and adolescents with a body weight of 33 kg or more (12 years of age and older).
Warning!
Do not take higher doses than recommended.
To avoid overdose, you should check if other medicines you are taking at the same time (including those available on prescription or over-the-counter) contain paracetamol or codeine.
Codeine should be taken in the smallest effective dose for the shortest possible time.
The recommended dose is:
Adults: one effervescent tablet at a time. If necessary, the dose can be repeated, but not more often than every 6 hours. If you experience intense pain, you can take two effervescent tablets at a time.
Usually, it is not necessary to take a daily dose greater than 6 effervescent tablets. However, in the case of very severe pain, the daily dose can be increased to a maximum of 8 effervescent tablets. The maximum daily dose of paracetamol, taking into account all medicines containing paracetamol, is 4 g, and the maximum daily dose of codeine is 240 mg.
Children and adolescents
Children under 12 years of age: codeine should not be taken by children under 12 years of age due to the risk of opioid toxicity associated with the variable and unpredictable metabolism of codeine to morphine (see "When not to take Efferalgan Codeine" in section 2).
Adolescents aged 12 and over (with a body weight of 33 kg to 50 kg, an approximate weight range in relation to age): the dose is determined based on body weight.
The recommended dose of paracetamol is 10 to 15 mg/kg body weight (bw) every 4 to 6 hours, up to a maximum daily dose of 60 mg/kg bw/day (up to 3 g of paracetamol for a patient weighing 50 kg).
The recommended dose of codeine is 0.5 mg/kg bw to 1 mg/kg bw every 6 hours, up to a maximum daily dose of 240 mg of codeine.
The usual recommended dose of the medicine is one effervescent tablet (500 mg of paracetamol and 30 mg of codeine) at a time. If necessary, the dose can be repeated, but not more often than every 6 hours.
Do not take more than 4 effervescent tablets per day (corresponding to 2 g of paracetamol and 120 mg of codeine).
Adolescents with a body weight over 50 kg: one effervescent tablet at a time. If necessary, the dose can be repeated, but not more often than every 6 hours.
If you experience intense pain, you can take two effervescent tablets at a time. Usually, it is not necessary to take a daily dose greater than 6 effervescent tablets, but in the case of very severe pain, the daily dose can be increased to a maximum of 8 effervescent tablets (corresponding to 4 g of paracetamol and 240 mg of codeine).
Elderly patients: may be more sensitive to the effects of opioid pain relievers. The initial dose should be reduced by half compared to the usual recommended dose for adults. The dose can then be increased depending on the patient's tolerance and needs.
Patients with kidney dysfunction: in the case of impaired kidney function, there is a risk of accumulation of codeine and paracetamol. In patients with moderate to severe kidney dysfunction, the recommended dose is one effervescent tablet (500 mg of paracetamol and 30 mg of codeine), and the minimum interval between doses should be in accordance with the following schedule:
Creatinine clearance
Interval between doses
CrCl 10 - 50 ml/min
6 hours
CrCl <10 ml min
8 hours
Kidney failure in adolescents
Adolescents with kidney failure should be under close medical supervision due to the risk of accumulation of codeine and paracetamol in the body.
Therefore, the intervals between consecutive doses should be at least 8 hours.
It is also recommended to consider reducing the dose and closely monitoring the patient's condition.
Patients with liver dysfunction: in patients with liver dysfunction, the dose of the medicine should be reduced or the intervals between consecutive doses prolonged. In the following situations, the maximum daily dose of paracetamol should not exceed 60 mg/kg bw/day (should not exceed 2 g/day):
Method of administration
Oral administration. Before taking, the tablet should be dissolved in water. Do not swallow or chew the tablets.
Frequency of administration
Systematic administration of the medicine allows for the prevention of periodic exacerbations of pain or fever.
The interval between doses should not be less than 6 hours.
Duration of treatment
The duration of treatment should be limited to 3 days, and if effective pain relief is not achieved, patients (or their caregivers) should consult a doctor.
In the event of an overdose or accidental ingestion of Efferalgan Codeine, you should immediately contact a doctor for advice.
Paracetamol
Overdose is particularly dangerous in the elderly, small children, patients who are chronically malnourished, have liver disease, and patients taking enzyme-inducing medicines, as these individuals are at increased risk of liver damage.
Symptoms: overdose may cause symptoms within a few to several hours, such as nausea, vomiting, anorexia, pallor, excessive sweating, drowsiness, and general weakness. These symptoms may resolve the next day, even though liver damage is beginning to develop, manifested by abdominal distension, return of nausea, and jaundice.
Procedure in case of overdose: in any case of ingestion of more than 5 g of paracetamol at a time, you should induce vomiting if it has not been more than an hour since ingestion and immediately contact a doctor. It is recommended to administer 60-100 g of activated charcoal orally, preferably mixed with water. You should immediately seek medical advice.
Codeine
Symptoms in adults: acute respiratory depression (cyanosis, respiratory inhibition, shallow breathing), excessive sedation, and miosis are the main symptoms of codeine and other opioid overdoses. Other symptoms related to the central nervous system may also occur, such as headache, vomiting, urinary retention, slowed bowel movements, bradycardia, and decreased blood pressure. Additionally, there may be slowed heart rate, somnolence, rash, vomiting, itching, incoordination, facial edema, angioedema, hypotension, and bronchospasm (rarely), apnea, seizures, and histamine release symptoms: flushing and edema of the face, urticaria, angioedema, collapse, and urinary retention.
Symptoms in children (threshold toxic dose: 2 mg/kg bw given at a time): decreased respiratory rate, apnea, miosis, seizures, histamine release symptoms: flushing and edema of the face, urticaria, angioedema, collapse, and urinary retention.
Procedure in case of overdose: the patient should be taken to the hospital immediately and their breathing should be monitored, and if necessary, respiratory support, oxygen therapy, and other symptomatic treatment should be administered, as well as an antidote - naloxone.
Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed dose.
If you have any further doubts about taking this medicine, you should consult your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
The frequency of side effects listed below is defined as follows:
rare: in less than 1 in 1,000 but more than 1 in 10,000 treated patients
very rare: in less than 1 in 10,000 treated patients
Rare: malaise, decreased blood pressure, increased liver transaminase activity.
Very rare: hypersensitivity reactions, tachycardia, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, renal colic, renal papillary necrosis, acute renal failure, thrombocytopenia (decreased platelet count), leukopenia (decreased white blood cell count), neutropenia (decreased neutrophil count), decreased or increased INR (blood coagulation index).
Very rare, treatment-requiring cases of hypersensitivity reactions have been reported: skin redness, rash, erythema, or urticaria, angioedema (swelling of the deep layers of the skin and subcutaneous tissue), dyspnea, bronchospasm, excessive sweating, hypotension up to anaphylactic shock symptoms (a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction, its symptoms include dyspnea, swelling of the larynx and throat, itching of the skin and its redness, headache, feeling of "pressure", dizziness, significant weakness, up to loss of consciousness); as well as edema and severe skin reactions: acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and toxic epidermal necrolysis.
Codeine used in therapeutic doses may cause side effects similar to those observed with the use of other opioids, but they occur less frequently and are milder.
The following may occur: sedation, euphoria, mood disorders, miosis, urinary retention, hypersensitivity reactions (itching, urticaria, and rash), constipation, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dizziness, bronchospasm, respiratory depression (see section 2. When not to take Efferalgan Codeine), acute abdominal pain with characteristics of biliary tract or pancreatic disorders, indicating spasm of the Oddi sphincter; this mainly applies to patients after cholecystectomy.
Taking codeine in doses higher than therapeutic ones is associated with the risk of dependence and the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms after sudden cessation of the medicine. Withdrawal symptoms may occur in the treated person or in a newborn born to a mother addicted to codeine.
Other side effects associated with the use of Efferalgan Codeine: pancreatitis, weakness, malaise, biliary colic, liver inflammation, anaphylactic reactions (severe, rapidly progressing allergic reactions), increased alkaline phosphatase levels in the blood, increased gamma-glutamyltransferase levels, rhabdomyolysis (a set of symptoms related to muscle damage), alternating muscle contractions and relaxations, paresthesia (tingling, numbness), fainting, tremors, confusion, drug abuse, drug dependence, hallucinations, flushing, hypotension.
If you experience any side effects, including any side effects not listed in the leaflet, you should tell your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse. Side effects can be reported directly to the Department of Drug Safety Monitoring of the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices, and Biocidal Products, Al. Jerozolimskie 181C, 02-222 Warsaw, tel.: +48 22 49 21 301, fax: +48 22 49 21 309, website: https://smz.ezdrowie.gov.pl
By reporting side effects, you can help gather more information on the safety of the medicine.
Store in the outer packaging to protect from moisture.
The medicine should be stored out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use Efferalgan Codeine after the expiry date stated on the packaging.
The expiry date refers to the last day of the specified month.
Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. You should ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines that are no longer needed. This will help protect the environment.
The active substances of the medicine are paracetamol and codeine phosphate hemihydrate.
Each effervescent tablet contains 500 mg of paracetamol and 30 mg of codeine phosphate hemihydrate.
The other ingredients are: sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, citric acid, sorbitol, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium benzoate, povidone, aspartame, natural grapefruit flavor.
Effervescent tablet
Packaging:
Polypropylene tubes containing 16 effervescent tablets - 8 tablets per tube, in a cardboard box.
For more detailed information, you should contact the marketing authorization holder or the parallel importer.
UPSA SAS
3, rue Joseph Monier, 92500 Rueil-Malmaison, France
UPSA SAS
979, avenue des Pyrénées, 47520 Le Passage, France
UPSA SAS
304, avenue du Docteur Jean Bru, 47000 Agen, France
Delfarma Sp. z o.o.
ul. Św. Teresy od Dzieciątka Jezus 111, 91-222 Łódź
Delfarma Sp. z o.o.
ul. Św. Teresy od Dzieciątka Jezus 111, 91-222 Łódź
Marketing authorization number in France, the country of export:
3400933316778
333 167-7
[Information about the reserved trademark]
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