Codeine Tablets

• Tell all of your health care providers that you take this medicine. This includes your doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists.
• Avoid driving and doing other tasks or actions that call for you to be alert until you see how this medicine (codeine tablets) affects you.
• To lower the chance of feeling dizzy or passing out, rise slowly if you have been sitting or lying down. Be careful going up and down stairs.
• Do not take this medicine with other strong pain drugs or if you are using a pain patch without talking to your doctor first.
• This medicine may affect certain lab tests. Tell all of your health care providers and lab workers that you take this medicine (codeine tablets).
• If you have been taking this medicine for a long time or at high doses, it may not work as well and you may need higher doses to get the same effect. This is known as tolerance. Call your doctor if this medicine (codeine tablets) stops working well. Do not take more than ordered.
• If you have been taking this medicine on a regular basis and you stop it all of a sudden, you may have signs of withdrawal. Do not stop taking this medicine (codeine tablets) all of a sudden without calling your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have any bad effects.
• Long-term use of an opioid drug like this medicine may lead to lower sex hormone levels. This may lead to signs like change in sex ability in men, no menstrual period in women, lowered interest in sex, or fertility problems. Call your doctor if you have any of these signs.
• This medicine may raise the chance of seizures in some people, including people who have had seizures in the past. Talk to your doctor to see if you have a greater chance of seizures while taking this medicine (codeine tablets).
• The chance of very bad side effects may be higher in children. This may be more likely to happen in children who have breathing problems. Deadly breathing problems have happened with the use of codeine in some children. Talk with the doctor.
• If you are 65 or older, use this medicine with care. You could have more side effects.
• This medicine may cause harm to the unborn baby if you take it while you are pregnant. If you are pregnant or you get pregnant while taking this medicine (codeine tablets), call your doctor right away.

Use this medicine as ordered by your doctor. Read all information given to you. Follow all instructions closely.

• Take with or without food. Take with food if it causes an upset stomach.

What do I do if I miss a dose?

• If you take this medicine (codeine tablets) on a regular basis, take a missed dose as soon as you think about it.
• If it is close to the time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your normal time.
• Do not change the dose or stop this medicine. Talk with the doctor.
• Many times this medicine (codeine tablets) is taken on an as needed basis. Do not take more often than told by the doctor.

All drugs may cause side effects. However, many people have no side effects or only have minor side effects. Call your doctor or get medical help if any of these side effects or any other side effects bother you or do not go away:

• Hard stools (constipation).
• Dizziness.
• Feeling sleepy.
• Upset stomach or throwing up.
• Sweating a lot.
• Feeling tired or weak.
• Headache.
• Belly pain.

These are not all of the side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, call your doctor. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report side effects at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch.

If you think there has been an overdose, call your poison control center or get medical care right away. Be ready to tell or show what was taken, how much, and when it happened.