Precautions

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits, especially within the first 24 to 72 hours of treatment to make sure this medicine is working properly and to check for unwanted effects. Blood tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

If your condition does not improve or becomes worse, check with your doctor. Do not use this medicine for more than 2 to 3 weeks (14 to 21 days) to treat pain unless your doctor told you to.

Do not use this medicine if you are using or have used an MAO inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid [Marplan®], linezolid [Zyvox®], phenelzine [Nardil®], selegiline [Eldepryl®], tranylcypromine [Parnate®]) within the past 14 days.

Using this medicine during late pregnancy can harm your unborn baby. If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant, especially during the later part of pregnancy may cause serious unwanted effects in your newborn baby, including neonatal withdrawal syndrome. Tell your doctor right away if you think you are pregnant or if you plan to become pregnant while using this medicine.

This medicine may make you dizzy, drowsy, or less alert than they are normally. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you.

Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting may occur when you get up suddenly from a lying or sitting position. Getting up slowly may help. Also, lying down for a while may relieve dizziness or lightheadedness. If this problem continues or gets worse, check with your doctor right away.

This medicine will add to the effects of alcohol and other CNS depressants (medicines that make you drowsy or less alert). Some examples of CNS depressants are antihistamines or medicine for hay fever, allergies, or colds, sedatives, tranquilizers, or sleeping medicine, prescription pain medicine or narcotics, medicine for seizures or barbiturates, or anesthetics, including some dental anesthetics. Also, there may be a greater risk of bleeding problems if you drink 3 or more alcoholic beverages per day while you are taking aspirin. Check with your medical doctor or dentist before taking any of the above while you are taking this medicine.

If you think you or someone else may have taken an overdose of this medicine, get emergency help at once. Your doctor may also give naloxone to treat an overdose. Signs of an overdose include: bigger, dilated, or enlarged pupils (black part of eye), blurred vision, change in consciousness, confusion, difficult or trouble breathing, dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position, false or unusual sense of well-being, increased sensitivity of the eyes to light, irregular, fast or slow, or shallow breathing, loss of consciousness, pale or blue lips, fingernails, or skin, sweating, uncontrolled eye movements, unusual tiredness or weakness.

Do not change your dose or suddenly stop using this medicine without first checking with your doctor. You may need to gradually reduce your dose before stopping it completely. This will decrease your chance of having withdrawal symptoms, including stomach cramps, hallucinations, headache, muscle twitching, tremors, trouble sleeping, or vomiting.

This medicine may be habit-forming. If you feel that the medicine is not working as well, do not use more than your prescribed dose. Call your doctor for instructions.

This medicine may cause bleeding in your stomach or bowels. This problem can happen without warning signs. This is more likely if you have had a stomach ulcer in the past, if you drink alcohol regularly, if you are over 60 years of age, are in poor health, or are using certain other medicines (eg, blood thinner or NSAIDs).

This medicine may cause adrenal gland problems. Check with your doctor right away if you have darkening of the skin, diarrhea, dizziness, fainting, loss of appetite, mental depression, nausea, skin rash, unusual tiredness or weakness, or vomiting.

This medicine may also cause a serious allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Although this is rare, it may occur more often in patients who are allergic to aspirin or to any of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Anaphylaxis can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention. Tell your doctor right away if you have a rash, itching, hoarseness, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, or any swelling of your hands, face, or mouth after using this medicine.

Check with your doctor right away if you have black, tarry stools, chest pain, chills, cough, fever, painful or difficult urination, sore throat, sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth, swollen glands, trouble breathing, unusual bleeding or bruising, or unusual tiredness or weakness. These may be symptoms of serious skin reaction including drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS).

Codeine is changed to morphine in the body. Some people change codeine to morphine more quickly than others. These individuals are called "ultra-rapid metabolizers of codeine". Contact your doctor immediately if you experience extreme sleepiness, confusion, or shallow breathing. These symptoms may indicate that you are an "ultra-rapid metabolizer of codeine". As a result, there is too much morphine in the body and more side effects of morphine than usual. Children may be especially sensitive to this effect. Do not give this medicine to:

  • Children younger than 12 years of age.
  • Children younger than 18 years of age who have had surgery removal of tonsils or adenoids.
  • Children 12 to 18 years of age who have a high risk for breathing problems (eg, obstructive sleep apnea, obesity, lung disease).

If a nursing mother is an ultra-rapid metabolizer of codeine, it could lead to a morphine overdose in the nursing baby and cause very serious side effects.

For nursing mothers taking this medicine:

Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about using codeine or about how this medicine may affect your baby.

Call your doctor if you become extremely tired and have difficulty caring for your baby.

Your baby should generally nurse every 2 to 3 hours and should not sleep for more than 4 hours at a time.

Check with your doctor or hospital emergency room immediately if your baby shows signs of increased sleepiness (more than usual), difficulty breastfeeding, difficulty breathing, or limpness. These may be symptoms of an overdose and need immediate medical attention.

Check with your doctor right away if you or your child have anxiety, restlessness, a fast heartbeat, fever, sweating, muscle spasms, twitching, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or see or hear things that are not there. These may be symptoms of a serious condition called serotonin syndrome. Your risk may be higher if you also take certain other medicines that affect serotonin levels in your body.

Using narcotics (eg, codeine) for a long time can cause severe constipation. To prevent this, your doctor may direct you to take laxatives, drink a lot of fluids, or increase the amount of fiber in your diet. Be sure to follow the directions carefully, because continuing constipation can lead to more serious problems.

Do not give aspirin to a child or teenager who has chickenpox or flu symptoms, unless approved by a doctor. Aspirin can cause a life-threatening reaction called Reye syndrome.

Using too much of this medicine may cause infertility (unable to have children) or may cause a delay in ovulation for women and may affect their ability to have children. Talk with your doctor before using this medicine if you plan to have children.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal (eg, St John's wort) or vitamin supplements.

Portions of this document last updated: April 01, 2024

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