Can you take Ibuprofen with Dihydrocodeine?

People feel pain differently with some people needing more pain relief than others. Pain relief medicines should be taken as soon as you have any type of pain and before it gets very bad. It is easier to relieve pain if it is treated early.

People usually take an analgesic, a drug that is specifically designed to relieve pain. There are many types of analgesics, such as acetaminophen, which is generally available without a prescription, and a variety of opioid analgesics, which can be purchased only with a doctor’s prescription.

Analgesics are used by anyone with pain. Opioid analgesics were once reserved for the treatment of severe pain, such as that from surgery, but in recent years have been increasingly prescribed for the relief of chronic pain, such as the pain from arthritis.

Opioid analgesics, unlike nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are the drug of choice for severe or chronic pain because they do not result in gastrointestinal bleeding. These analgesics are a better alternative to people who cannot take NSAIDs because of allergies, kidney issues, or fear of gastrointestinal bleeding.

Key Takeaways

Ibuprofen and dihydrocodeine for pain relief:

Ibuprofen is an NSAID used for mild to moderate pain and inflammation, while dihydrocodeine is a stronger opioid painkiller. They can be taken together to effectively manage pain, especially when ibuprofen alone isn’t enough.

Side effects to watch out for:

Ibuprofen may cause stomach ulcers, bleeding, and kidney problems, while dihydrocodeine can lead to drowsiness, dependence, and impaired mental or physical abilities when used long-term.

Consult your doctor for safe use:

Always consult a healthcare professional before combining these medications, especially for chronic pain, and use trusted UK sources for purchasing them online.

Ibuprofen - The Key Facts

Ibuprofen is a drug used for the treatment of mild to moderate pain, fever, and inflammation caused by various diseases. It is also used for the relief of menstrual cramps, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It may also be administered intravenously for the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus.

Ibuprofen belongs to a class of drugs known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. There are a number of popular analgesics that belong to this class of drugs, including naproxen, aspirin, indomethacin, and many more.

NSAIDs are used for the management of mild to moderate pain, inflammation, and fever, which are promoted by the release of prostaglandins in the body. Ibuprofen prevents the release of the enzyme that makes prostaglandins, resulting in their lower levels. As a consequence of the lowering of the prostaglandins in the body, there is the corresponding reduction of pain, inflammation, and fever.

Ibuprofen, as with other NSAIDs, can cause some unwanted side effects, particularly the reduction of the ability of blood to clot, which increases a person’s risk of bleeding after an injury.  The drug may also cause ulceration of the stomach or intestine, with the ulcers having the tendency to bleed. In some cases, ulceration may occur without abdominal pain. The only symptoms of a bleeding ulcer may be tarry, black stools, dizziness upon standing, and weakness.

Ibuprofen, as with other NSAIDs, may reduce the flow of blood to the kidneys and impair their function. Kidney impairment is more likely to occur in individuals who already have an impaired function of the kidney or congestive heart failure. Patients belonging to this category should be cautious in taking ibuprofen and other NSAIDs.

Dihydrocodeine - The Key Facts

Dihydrocodeine is a man-made opioid analgesic that is usually used for the treatment of pain and severe dyspnea. It is also prescribed as an antitussive, prescribed alone or compounded with acetaminophens, such as in the case of co-drydramol or aspirin. The drug was developed in Germany in 1908 and was first marketed commercially in 1911.

Dihydrocodeine is available as tablets, elixirs, solutions, and other oral forms. It some other countries, the drug is also available as an injectable solution administered through subcutaneously and intra-muscularly although intravenous administration should be avoided because it usually results in anaphylaxis and life-threatening pulmonary oedema. Dihydrocodeine suppositories were used in the past. The drug dihydrocodeine is often used as a substitute for codeine.

The development of dihydrocodeine as a painkiller was accidental. It resulted from the research for more effective cough medicine to help in reducing the spread of tuberculosis, pneumonia, and pertussis during the years 1805 to 1915. This drug is similar in structure to codeine but twice as strong as codeine. Dihydrocodeine has extremely active metabolites but they are produced in such small amounts that they do not pose any clinical significance.

Dihydrocodeine is approved for the management of moderate to moderately severe pain, including coughing and shortness of breath. The antitussive dose of this drug tends to be less than the analgesic dose.

As with other opioid analgesics, physical tolerance and psychological dependence may develop with repeated use. All opioids can impair the mental or physical abilities that are required for the performance of potentially hazardous activities such as driving or operating machinery when taken in large doses.

As with all drugs, the side effects of dihydrocodeine depend on the person taking the medication, which may range in severity from mild to extreme, from a simple headache to difficulty breathing.

Can you take Ibuprofen with Dihydrocodeine?

There are instances when the use of Ibuprofen alone is not sufficient to provide relief from pain. In instances like this, the doctor may prescribe a combination of Ibuprofen and another analgesic, usually an opioid painkiller, for the effective management of pain, particularly chronic pain.

There is no problem taking one medicine from different groups at the same time. The commonly used combination is that of Ibuprofen, an NSAID, and dihydrocodeine, which is a synthetic opioid painkiller. As with all prescription medicines, use a UK-registered online clinic when purchasing Dihydrocodeine or Ibuprofen online.