Analgesics/antibiotics questions

I have an ear infection and it is VERY VERY VERY painful, i'm on antibiotics and i just have a couple of questions, hoping someone knows the answers!

Firstly, i'm taking nurofen plus which has ibuprofen 200mg and codeine 12.8mg in it but i'm still in pain so i was wondering whether i could also take paracetamol 500mg and codeine (8mg i think?) tablets as well or would that be overdosing on codeine? I should know what the maximum amount is really as i'm training to become a healthcare assistant at Boots the Chemist but i don't as no one has ever told me lol. It says not to take the paracetamol and codeine tablets with any other paracetamol contaning products but doesn't say not to take it with other codeine containing products?!

Second question is that i know the antibiotics can stop my pill from working but when i had an ear infection a few weeks ago the doctor told me to use condoms for 7 days but this time the pharmacist told me to use them for two weeks :confused:

and i've been on the pill for almost 2 years so does it really matter? If so for how long should i us them as they both told me different amounts of time?

Thanks in advance for any help x

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Reply 1

abc137

Anyone?? I'm in pain here :frown:

Reply 2

beach surf babe

You shouldn't take too many different things really. You could try other ways of relieving the pain such as holding a hot water bottle against your ear.

Reply 3

abc137

I know but it's SO unbelievably painful! Last time i put that cooling gel on my face next to my ear and that helped a bit but i need drugs lol it hurts so much! I don't have a hot water bottle :frown:

Reply 4

nicki04

Don't know about the paracetamol/codeine/ibuprofen - probably best to stick to just one type of tablet. With the condoms - i think 7 days is probably plenty but another week won't kill you :P so best to be safe and use them for two weeks!

Reply 5

abc137

Haha

i know but still lol no point in using them if i don't have to. Thanks :biggrin:

Ok well i'm in too much pain and have a lack of responses so i will take some drugs in a minute but prob just the nurofen plus and some plain paracetamol!

I don't know why i have another infection as i only had one a few weeks ago :frown:

SO painful! Why me lol

Reply 6

abc137

Ok i'm actually dying of pain here i'm going to cry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone please help me!!! Any other methods of pain relief???? Please i'm in SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much pain it's throbbing and burning :frown:

Reply 7

Triplet1

http://www.lacetoleather.com/earinfection.html

try this! :biggrin:

Some ideas for you.

A website from google

Reply 8

SunburnedCactus

You're much more likely to ingest a toxic amount of paracetamol before overdosing on codeine in those combinations.

You could try asprin...

Reply 9

abc137

Thanks Triplet1 - i'm going to go and try them in a minute! The sock one sounds scary but oh well i'm desperate i'll actually try anything i'm in so much pain! lol

Does anyone know if Otex ear drops have hydrogen peroxide in them? As i have some of those, but they crackle in your ear and stuff so i'm scared that will hurt more. I guess i could just read the box

Thanks SunBurnedCactus - can i take aspirin though? I will if i can!! I thought you shouldn't really take it with ibuprofen as they are both NSAID (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)?! Please reply quick lol!! I need drugs!

Reply 10

Triplet1

xSweetheartx

Thats ok. Isnt otex ear drops for getting wax out of your ear?

Reply 11

danesh

nicki04

Thats quite alright..

make sure you are having a meal if taking large ibuprofen quantities (or indigestion hell awaits!).

Reply 12

Random.Girl

danesh

Thats quite alright..
make sure you are having a meal if taking large ibuprofen quantities (or indigestion hell awaits!).

I don't think I'd be suggesting to someone on an internet forum to take up to 120mg of codeine in one go ... jesus!!

And ibuprofen and aspirin together is dodgy, black dot interaction if I remember correctly, so I wouldn't be recommending people do that either!!

Plus ibuprofen 600mg in one go is a POM dose.

Reply 13

Juno

Yeah, that much codeine would be like woo and crazy

(please note: that is in no way a technical term)

Reply 14

Xx Tomásíona - Mháire xX

xSweetheartx

Go to your doctor or pharmacist or even ring NHS direct and ask them - it's better than overdosing on medicines and making yourself more sick. I know how painful ear infections can be - I really do, but you're going to have to wait it out. Usually with anti-biotics you will have to wait a day or two for improvement but it will get less painful :smile:

Reply 15

Fleece

I feel your pain xSweetheartx. Ear infections are nasty nasty things. Just be grateful your eardrum hasn't burst because of it, because that is even more painful :smile:

Hot water bottles helped me though. Other than that, just grit your teeth and bear it till it's over :frown:

Reply 16

abc137

Hiya, it's a bit better today :smile:

thanks for your help everyone. It was SO painful last night, and i didn't sleep very well because of it, so when i woke up i was SO tired and it was SO painful but i was too tired to walk downstairs to get a drink to take some tablets with lol!
It's alright now, i bought some more nurofen plus after school so i dont run out :smile:

oh yeah last night i used cooling gel on the side of my face which helped and i took 2 ibuprofen and codeine tablets (nurofen plus) and one paracetamol and codeine tablet but i felt kinda sick after that so i wont be doing that again!
I think the antibiotics are working now but it still hurts. I thought the maximum dose for ibuprofen was 400mg at a time? Sorry quite a long post, but thanks everybody for your suggestions :biggrin:

oh yeah that reminds me i need to take some more!

Reply 17

SlipperyWhenWet

Ouch, I know how bad ear infections are! Glad to hear it's not so painful now! As for your pill, you have to use condoms whilst you are on the antibiotics and for 7 days after they have finished -maybe that is why your pharmacist told you to use them for 2 weeks - cos if you have a 7/10day antibiotic course then it would be technically 2 weeks lol

Reply 18

redshoes4

what is a POM dose?
I know that you can get ibeprofen in 600mg and 1200mg tabets, but i have only ever seem this in other countries

Reply 19

abc137

Well i have 15 capsules and have to take 3 a day so my course should last 5 days, so should i use them for the five days and then 7 days after that? So 12 days.

POM = Prescription only medicine, well at least that's what it refers to at my work (Boots). Medicines that you can only get on prescriptions that is.
P medicines are pharmacy ones which have to be sold over the counter under the supervision of a Pharmacist GSL medicines are general sales ones which are on the shelves! I have an exam on this soon :p:

That's a really high dose of ibuprofen!! Can't be good lol

Oh Triplet1 Otex are for dispersing wax! But they contain hydrogen peroxide which is what that link you gave me said would help ear infections. I just read the box though and it says not to use them on painful or infected ears so i better not lol

Thanks for all your help :smile:

will be giving some rep out soon! x