I so wish, but no.
Pity. I very seldom have occasion to resort to the stronger analgesics but they do come in handy sometimes.
Without a doubt. Like pseudephedrine is available up to a certain amount per individual, per year and tracked federally; why not make a milder opioid available in the same regard?
It’s a shame I can’t ask my pharmacist for a bottle of Tylenol 3. :rolleyes:
I really don’t understand why a lot of prescription NSAIDs are scheduled. They seem to have the same side effects as the OTC ones but actually work. I have a bad knee and sometimes it’s so bad it pops with every step I take and I can barely walk. If I take ibuprofen or sodium naproxen, it only has a slight effect if any. If I take a meloxicam, the popping goes away and I can not only walk, but sometimes jog and sprint. So why can’t I get it or celecoxib without a prescription?
Maybe meloxicam is still too new, and has to jump through more human trial steps before they can get the FDA to approve it for OTC (assuming they don’t know already if the physiological effects are any worse than ibuprofen, etc.)
I’d be interested in trying it out, if I could, with the results you state. But it really seems pushed toward treating arthritis, which I don’t have.
This is one of my pet hates, or is it loves… or whatever. The lack of reliable anti-pain medicine in my home array of herbs, salves, tonics and pills. For example the other night my wife was stung in the toe by a scorpion and was in extreme pain… we had to make do with some homeopathic arnica and an aspirin.
I cursed the lack of some form of opiate in the house for instant pain relief.
I remember many years ago I once poorly positioned myself and activated a lumbago attack, the pain was unbelievable, lasted for hours, and when the medics came, they gave me a shot of not-sure-what in my back to “relieve” the pain. Not really…
I asked them for a shot of morphine… sorry, that’s only for terminal cancer patients, super controlled…
I would pay good money to have some opium at home in the medicine cabinet for emergencies…
This other mild OTC garbage that whacks your liver…
End of rant…
Vacation in Canada - it’s OTC up there.
Agreed. It seems silly, now that we have the technology to track sales of drugs to individuals, to still keep the mild opiates under a bunker. By keeping them under a prescription, you’re throwing the baby out with the bath water. People can experience some real pain. If it can be taken care of without medical attention, why rack up all those costs, just to relieve some real pain in which maybe was a minor accident, or perhaps an already diagnosed, but benign (other than the frikkin’ pain) condition?
A limit would still mitigate any potential abuse patterns, and also keep you rationing your supply as to only use it, when you can assess the pain is non-thretenig enough as to not have to take a trip to the ER.*
*I understand it makes it far more readably available on the street for abuse, but how far do we lock up something useful for real suffering in exchange for the “unrelenting abuser having much easier access, but they would have worked-around anyway.”
We have friends in Canada. Hrm.
Even better, as they will probably be more versed on how to get it. It isn’t out on the shelves, but if you ask the pharmacist for it, he’ll just hand it to you. Or at least that’s how it was the last I was up there!
If you haven’t taken it before, always take codeine with food. If you are allergic to it and take it on an empty stomach, you will throw up every half hour until a doctor gives you a shot to make your stomach muscles stop cramping. Don’t ask me know I know…:smack:
And, it’s like all other opiates - if you are susceptible, you can get addicted to it, tho in the low does that come in 222’s (Canada’s Tylenol #3), it may not be possible, dunno. I’m one of the really-not-susceptible people, so I have no experience to speak from there.
Acetaminophen is the only one with liver effects, to the best of my recollection. The NSAIDs may have GI effects. Personally, I had been taking large amounts of naproxen for years (per physician recommendation) to deal with migraine pain and haven’t had stomach issues, but I shouldn’t tempt fate by mentioning that point. 
Those who haven’t tried naproxen may wish to give it a shot - for strong pain they recommend starting with two tablets rather than one. I’ve always found it extremely effective for things like debilitating menstrual cramps, migraine (well, as effective as anything - migraine pain is tricky), etc.
Oh, and of course opiates have that nasty little side effect of being potentially highly addictive, so I can see why self-dosing is not recommended. I thought even plain old Vicodin was pretty fabulous in how it made me not care about my broken arm or much of anything else - until I threw up 20 minutes later. Guess I’ll never find myself addicted to that, at least.
You are muddling your terms. 222’s are aspirin-caffeine-8mg codeine and Tylenol #1 are acetaminophen-caffeine-8mg codeine. They are two different drugs and both available OTC in Canada. We also have prescription Tylenol #3 here, acetaminophen-caffeine-30mg codeine. Since codeine requires a prescription in the US, you may have problems taking it across the border, or there may be restrictions on how much you can have in your possession. Here is a recent thread on this.
Yeah, since I’ve never really cared what came with the codeine, I don’t keep track of which is which. AND I forgot about the caffeine in them too!
I’m not surprised to see that bringing them back across the border is illegal, but I’ve never had any trouble. OTOH, I do have a prescription for Tylenol #4, not that I carry it with me or anything.
Tylenol #3 doesn’t have Caffeine in it.
In the US. In Canada the products that are OTC with codeine in them also have caffeine in them.
Probably to cause an extremely unpleasant reaction for anyone taking too many of them.
Are you responding to my post?
When I was first diagnosed with diabetes in 2005, I was suffering from neuropathy in my feet. I was taking two Aleves a day, every day, for about six months…and managed to give myself a stomach ulcer from that. I’m now only allowed to take NSAIDs on an occasional basis.
It’s not just meloxicam but all prescription NSAIDs. I don’t know of any that have worse side effects than ibuprofen. Diclofenac also fixes my knee up very well. When I had all four of my wisdom teeth pulled, I was on celecoxib and felt little discomfort, though I can’t say how much discomfort I would’ve been in without the celecoxib.
And it’s not just for arthritis. My doctor prescribed them for me just before I had knee surgery. They may work differently for different people in different situations. They may work better for me than the average person, just as opioids work pretty poorly on me. I’d say give them a shot though if you have the opportunity and need.
You very quickly develop a tolerance to the nausea so don’t think you can’t get addicted. From what I’ve heard, a lot of users are unimpressed with heroin the first time they try it, but it gets better after a few highs.
If you’re talking about the caffeine, it potentiates acetaminophen and NSAIDs. Mixing stimulants and depressants doesn’t necessarily have a bad reaction, hence speedballs. Plus caffeine is such a weak stimulant and 8 mg of codeine isn’t going to do anything for anyone who doesn’t have an extraordinarily low tolerance.
I guess if you’re motivated to continue that’s true. My reaction to two episodes of vomiting was to only take it immediately before bed, then worry so much about getting to sleep before nausea would hit that I said “forget it” and stopped taking the Vicodin entirely maybe 5 doses into the bottle.
High doses of Aleve for a broken wrist took the edge off the pain, but it still hurt a fair amount.