Fast Acting Pain relief Presceription only (Solpadol Effervescent)

Member Name: mickeyhunt

Product:	Solpadol Effervescent
Date:	14/09/09 (100 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Work very fast and easy to taste.

Disadvantages: Addictive and can cause constipation

I suffer from sciatica which can be excruciatingly painfull at times and can intefere with sleep. My doctor prescribed me these tablets to deal with the pain and boy are they good. Because they are efferevescent they get into your system very quickly. They are a combination of Paracetamol - 500grams and Codein - a morphine derivitive 30 grams. They are nearly four times stronger then the over the counter packs. The taste is reasonable - better than some of the lower dose ones available over the counter. You can improve it by disolving in some orange squash, which does make it easier to drink.

I find it works really well for the sciatica, but beware it does have some serious drawbacks. As it is a morphine derivative it is addictive and can cause rebound headaches. I try to keep my use of the tablets purely for night times. They also cause quite bad constipation if you take them frequently for a number of days, so it would be a good idea to increase your fruit and fibre intake if you had to take them for a longish period.

I find for me that they are the only thing that can sort out the pain at night and help me sleep. One other thing to note is that they should not be taken with alcohol as they have a slight drowsy effect which would be enhanced by alcohol.

If you have been prescribed them then make sure you read the notes. If they are not yours and someone has given them to you then beware, as they can interact with other medicines.

Summary: A good pain relief tablet that should be taken with care.