Why does codeine cause nausea

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine.

Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:.

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Sign up for free, and stay up-to-date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID, plus expert advice on managing your health.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if the side effects bother you or don't go away:. Serious side effects happen in less than 1 in people. Call a doctor straight away if you:.

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to codeine. These are not all the side effects of codeine. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicine packet. In early pregnancy, it's been linked to problems in the unborn baby. If you take codeine at the end of pregnancy there's a risk that your newborn baby may get withdrawal symptoms or be born addicted to codeine. However, it's important to treat pain in pregnancy.

For some pregnant women with severe pain, codeine might be the best option. Your doctor is the best person to help you decide what's right for you and your baby. Codeine isn't usually recommended if you're breastfeeding. Small amounts of codeine pass into breast milk and can cause breathing problems in the baby. Speak to your doctor as they may be able to recommend a different painkiller. Some medicines and codeine interfere with each other and increase the chances of you having side effects.

It's not possible to say that complementary medicines and herbal remedies are safe to take with codeine. They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines. They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements.

It works in the central nervous system and the brain to block pain signals to the rest of the body. It also reduces the anxiety and stress caused by pain. When codeine blocks the pain, there are other unwanted effects - for example slow or shallow breathing. It also slows down digestion, which is why codeine can cause constipation. A codeine injection into a vein gives the quickest pain relief. It works almost straight away. Codeine tablets, liquid and cough syrup all work in 30 to 60 minutes, but they wear off after a few hours.

Yes, codeine is addictive. For this reason, your dose will be reviewed to make sure you are only taking the amount you need to control your pain, or diarrhoea. Your treatment plan may include details of how and when you will stop taking codeine. If you need to take it for a long time your body can become tolerant to it. That means you need higher doses to control your pain over time. Some people can become more sensitive to pain hyperalgesia. If this happens, your doctor will reduce your dose gradually to help these symptoms.

Speak to your doctor if you are worried about tolerance, hyperalgesia or becoming addicted. If you're addicted to codeine, you may want to take it more often or feel agitated if you delay taking a dose for any reason. And if you stop taking codeine suddenly you may suffer from withdrawal symptoms.

Drinking alcohol while you're on codeine may make you feel more sleepy or increase the risk of serious side effects. It's best to stop drinking alcohol during the first few days of treatment until you see how codeine affects you.

If you feel sleepy with codeine, stop drinking alcohol while you're taking it. Children aged 12 to 18 years can take codeine for pain or diarrhoea - but only if other medicines haven't worked. Use the lowest dose that works for no more than 3 days. If they still have symptoms after 3 days see a doctor. Codeine shouldn't be given to children aged 12 to 18 years if they have breathing problems or if they have had their tonsils or adenoids removed because of obstructive sleep apnoea.

If you're taking codeine for a short time and at normal doses, there's no firm evidence that it can reduce fertility. However if you've been taking it for a long time and you're concerned about your fertility, or you're trying to get pregnant, speak to a pharmacist or your doctor. The type of painkiller that's best depends on what type of pain you have. If codeine doesn't get rid of your pain or becomes less effective, talk to your doctor. Codeine is a controlled medicine.

This means there are extra rules on how it's prescribed and dispensed to make sure it's not given to the wrong person or misused. However, this doesn't affect you as a patient. The rules only apply to the pharmacy that dispenses it. When you first take codeine, you'll probably feel sleepy for a few days. But the sleepiness will wear off as your body gets used to the medicine.

You might notice you're less alert. In this case, you might choose to have less than perfect pain relief as a trade-off. Do not drive a car or ride a bike if codeine makes you sleepy during the daytime, gives you blurred vision or makes you feel dizzy, clumsy or unable to concentrate or make decisions.

This may be more likely when you first start taking codeine but could happen at any time - for example when starting another medicine. It's an offence to drive a car if your ability to drive safely is affected. It's your responsibility to decide if it's safe to drive. If you're in any doubt, do not drive. Even if your ability to drive is not affected, the police have the right to request a saliva sample to check how much codeine is in your body. UK has more information on the law on drugs and driving.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you're unsure whether it's safe for you to drive while taking codeine. Codeine doesn't affect any type of contraception, including the combined pill or emergency contraception. But, if you are taking codeine because you have severe diarrhoea for more than 24 hours, your contraceptive pills may not protect you from pregnancy.

Look on the pill packet to find out what to do. If you take recreational drugs, such as cannabis, cocaine and heroin while you're taking codeine, you're more likely to get the serious side effects of codeine including breathing difficulties, heart problems, seizures and even go into a coma. Some recreational drugs, such as cannabis, will also increase codeine side effects such as sleepiness and dizziness. Anti-dopaminergic, antihistaminergic, and digestive tract movement-enhancing agents are used as first-choice drugs, respectively.

However, it must be considered that the long-term administration of antiemetic agents may cause extrapyramidal symptoms. It is also effective to use opioid rotation or change the administration route from oral to continuous subcutaneous administration. However, concerning chronic, non-cancer pain, the opioid rotation regimen is limited to a combination of codeine preparations, morphine preparations, and fentanyl patches.