Ibuprofen, paracetamol and co-codamol

Co-coamol is a combination of two different painkillers, paracetamol and codeine. Co-codamol is usually taken when other painkillers such as ibuprofen, paracetamol or aspirin haven’t worked.

It is used to treat pains and aches such as:

Taking paracetamol and ibuprofen together is safe to do if you are over the age of 16. However children should not be given these medicines together unless you have been told to do so by a healthcare practitioner.

You can take ibuprofen and paracetamol at the same time or space them apart, although ibuprofen is best taken with food or after you have eaten.

You’ll also need to read the packaging and included patient leaflets carefully to make sure that you are having the right dosages. Your pharmacist will also be able to offer advice, and help you make sure that you are not exceeding the recommended daily doses.

It is safe to take co-codamol with ibuprofen and aspirin, as long as you read the labels before taking these painkillers. However you should not take co-codamol with paracetamol, as it already contains a dose of paracetamol. Taking these medications together could put you at risk of a paracetamol overdose.

It is safe to take aspirin with paracetamol. However you shouldn’t take aspirin with naproxen or ibuprofen without consulting a pharmacist or your GP first, as combining these medications may increase your risk of experiencing side effects.

Ibuprofen and paracetamol work differently to ease pain, they are also recommended for different types of pain. So it isn’t really the case that one is better than the other, but more that they are each good at tackling different causes of pain. For example if you have a headache then you should use paracetamol, whereas if you have arthritis ibuprofen will be better.

You can use ibuprofen gel with ibuprofen tablets; however the gel is best for when you are experiencing pain in small areas on the body. If you regularly take ibuprofen to relive pain you may not notice any extra benefit from using gel alongside.

Ibuprofen often doesn’t mix well with other medicines and this includes ibuprofen gel that you apply to the skin, although this is rarer. Before you start applying ibuprofen to your skin, speak to a pharmacist or your doctor about other medicines you are taking, for example ibuprofen can react with medicines for high blood pressure or other anti-inflammatory painkillers. They’ll be able to offer advice, and let you know if it is safe for you to use ibuprofen gels and tablets.