A glossary of common medications I will mention in this blog.
Codeine
Opiate based narcotic pain relief, used to treat mild to severe pain. Habit-forming. Avalable as OTC (doses up to 12.8mg/tablet) and Prescription Only Medication (POM).
Co-codamol
Drug containing both paracetamol and codeine. Prescribed in different amounts. OTC available as 8/500 (8mg codeine/500mg paracetamol) however, can be prescibed in doses up to 30/500.
Lamotrigine
Originally only used as an anti-epileptic but is often used ‘off-label’ as a mood stabiliser to treat bipolar and borderline personality disorder. POM, therapeutic levels vary.
Nytol
Antihistamine based sleeping aid containing diphenhydramine. Available OTC as 25mg tablets (two-a-night) or 50mg tablets (one-a-night).
Nurofen Plus
Combination of ibuprofen and codeine. Available OTC as 12.8/200 (12.8mg codeine and 200mg ibuprofen). Nurofen Plus contains the largest amount of codeine in a tablet licensed for OTC sales.
Quetiapine
Atypical antipsychotic which works mainly on the serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitters. Used mainly in schizophrenia but also used for controlling manic phases in bipolar and to control hallucinations. POM, therapeutic doses vary.
Solpadeine
Available as Solpadeine Max (12.8mg of codeine and 500mg of paracetamol), Solpadeine Plus (8mg codeine, 500mg paracetamol and 30mg caffeine) and Solpadeine Migraine (12.8mg codeine and 200mg ibuprofen). All available to buy OTC.
Sominex
Antihistamine based sleep aid containing Promethazine 20mg. One-a-night tablet available OTC.
Temazepam
Benzodiazepine (sedative and anxiety-reliever). Commonly used as sleeping tablet. Habit forming POM.
Tramacet
Compound mixture of 37.5mg Tramadol and 325mg Paracetamol in each tablet. Due to the tramadol content it is available only as a POM and is habit forming.
Tramadol
Opoid pain relief used to treat moderate to severe pain. Available only as POM, habit forming.
Venlafaxine
SNRI (Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor) prescribed for clinical depression and anxiety disorders. POM, therapeutic ranges vary. Has bad discontinuation symptoms (withdrawal) when stopped suddenly or dose decreased.
Zolpidem
Hypnotic drug used as sleeping aid, shares characteristics and effects of benzodiazepines, but is chemically different from all other hypnotic drugs. POM, habit forming.
Zopiclone
Hypnotic drug used as sleeping aid, shares characteristics and effects of benzodiazepines, but is chemically different from all other hypnotic drugs. POM, habit forming.
