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Taking co-codamol for children with other medicines and herbal supplements

Cautions with other medicines

Some medicines affect the way co-codamol works. Co-codamol can also stop some medicines working as well as they should.

Tell your child's doctor if your child is taking:

Giving co-codamol with other painkillers

It's safe to give children co-codamol with ibuprofen.

Never give aspirin to a child under 16 years old (unless their doctor prescribes it). It can cause serious, even fatal, side effects.

Do not give children co-codamol with paracetamol or other medicines that contain paracetamol, unless you've been advised to by a doctor. Co-codamol already contains paracetamol so your child could get a paracetamol overdose.

Medicines that have paracetamol in them include some painkillers like Tramacet and co-dydramol, some migraine remedies, and some cough and cold remedies like Lemsip and Night Nurse.

Important

Before giving a child any other medicines together with co-codamol, check the label to see whether they contain paracetamol.

Mixing co-codamol with herbal remedies and supplements

It's not possible to say whether complementary medicines, herbal remedies and supplements are safe to take with co-codamol. 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.

Important: Medicine safety

Tell a pharmacist or doctor if your child is taking any other medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements.

Page last reviewed: 16 October 2023
Next review due: 16 October 2026