• expired

Codeine 12.8mg + Ibuprofen 200mg, 75 caplets for $10.39, free $5 voucher at Chemist Warehouse

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This one is a bit complicated. You'll need to ring chemist warehouse's pharmacist before they supply you.

Since codeine based analgesia is becoming highly restricted starting May 1st, I'm taking the opportunity to stockpile a small amount of it, as it is highly versatile and safe when used correctly (as instructed).
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/7020956/fears-…

This posted product is the most effective analgesia without a script, and also the cheapest per tablet for the quantity of codeine. You're allowed to purchase two packs max, before the new restrictions come in force. After which you can only purchase 5 days (a pack of 20) of codeine based medications at a time. a major pain in the arse (and head)if you get a cold or flu.

The $5 coupon only works for orders over $25. Post is $5.50.

You'll have to ring their number to confirm the order and speak to a pharmacist before they finalise a codeine order. You'll need to tell them what you're using it for.

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closed Comments

  • -1

    Is the shipping charge waived if you include a PBS script in the order? Online pharmacies often do this.

  • -1

    If I tell them it's just for headaches is that good enough?

  • Tried to order 2 72 packs of Nurofen and it says I need a prescription.

    edit: Thank you, dear asshat for your valued neg. I realise this offer is not for Nurofen, but my statement remains.

    • +1

      LOL, love the edit, don't you just adore pedants! ;)

      I had a store drone at BigW try to pull me up when I said "Woolies" in relation to the store - she looked like a deer in the headlights when I asked her what she thought the "W" after "Big" may have stood for; or if she had taken the time to learn the history of the company she works for; and then if she would ever be capable of generalising that group ownership knowledge across different contexts! :p

      They were Woolies dept stores when I was a boy; probably two of her lifetimes ago; and they'll always be Woolies to me! ;) I know it's naughty to belittle the help, but hey, if they're gonna be snide, you've gotta be cruel to be kind! :D

    • Submission is wrong. One pack only without a script, and this applies to any of those bulk codeine pills.
      I just tried to order 2X of the Panafen+ above, and was told I needed a script.

      ie there are already restrictions for internet orders, just not as bad as from next month.

      If you are going to the trouble of getting a script, you may as well ask for the stronger stuff, .e.g.
      60 x 30mg for $9, and take half the number of pills:

      http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/product.asp?id=50264&pnam…

      And scripts are not affected by the new regulations?

      • you need to create two patient profiles, or more if you want to purchase more in one order.

        however for each one patient, you can purchase 2 packs max, in one month. thus my point about 2packs before restrictions come into force.

  • -1

    That is totally irresponsible to suggest that people should stockpile excessive amounts of codeine which can cause respiratory depression, interact with antidepressants, cause constipation AND ibuprofen which can cause stomach ulcers and increase bleeding. Chemist warehouse should know better than to entice people to buy excessive amounts of potentially dangerous medication!

    • You can buy two packs, max.

      But there's a lot of misuse of codeine, that's for sure.

      • +1

        Yes, but to assume people stockpiling are going to abusing these drugs is kind of lame. It's cheaper to buy the larger packs and having to get prescriptions to do so is just gonna be a pain in the arse, and some people will have to pay to see their doctor so it makes it expensive too.

        I plan on buying a few of these before May 1st as I am a migraine sufferer and do not want to have to see my doctor every time I get one.

        • well said. there seems to be an unfortunate stigma attached to buying large packs of analgesia these days.

      • 12.5 mg codeine is actually pretty harmless (if used correctly) and the analgesic effect is quite minimal. It's the brufen content that has far more potential to cause damage.

        I regularly prescribe Panadeine Forte (paracetamol 500/codeine 30) 2 tabs 4x/day and only a small proportion of patients get constipation issues.

        • "the analgesic effect is quite minimal"

          i mean its all relative but i think this is part of the reason why so many people become reliant on analgesics….everyone seems to want the "strongest" painkiller when in fact simple paracetamol is enough for a lot of people….there seems to be a belief that strongest is best amongst the lay community.

          • @User8748: Nah, people who abuse over the counter medications like these hurt themselves because the opioid content is so low. In order to get their fix, they have to take many more of these tablets not knowing that paracetamol/NSAIDs, when used in high amounts, can be really harmful.

            • @Livert: I mean it all depends on the type/source of pain, but it just seems that people will ask for the strongest painkiller with the highest codeine content just for a headache…they take it, get rebound headaches and then take some more to combat that…should have started with straight paracetamol.

              • @User8748: i dont think thats true, you're sensationalising the problem a bit. rebound headache does not always occur. and taking paracetamol alone when you have the flu is only minimally effective.

                12.8mg of codeine is a tiny amount if you put it into context. like livert said, bad headaches/flu can warrant a panadeine forte script, which is 30mg codeine per tablet.

                and dont forget, 12.8mg codeine is easily purchasable at the moment BECAUSE its a low dose safe medication if taken as instructed for most people. you have to speak to the pharmacist who will identify any risk factors for you before supplying.

                truely problematic medications causing dependency and abuse include oxycodone, buprenorphine, tramadol etc, and shouldn't be confused with codeine just because they're all opiod.

                • @kimmik: I agree that like all drugs if taken correctly, 12.8mg of codeine is fine…but what a lot of people dont realise is that all drugs come with a risk of side effects, and if you dont really need it, you shouldnt be taking it.

                  There is actually no evidence that combination analgesics containing less then 60mg of codeine have any benefits over paracetamol alone.

                  Whilst drugs may be the only option for some people, some people also see it as the easy way out. People think strongest is best with a lot of things, so it has to be the same with drugs right? They dont understand it can cause harm, so they take it more often when they dont need it…and in the worst case scenario, they become the person that comes in every week for their box of mersyndol or dolased.

    • +1

      If you take 20 aspirin hen you get a headache it will kill you (liver and/or kidney failure). Anything can be abused or just misused.

      The point of this is that if you've taken these (as I have for years) the new restrictions smack of the nanny state. I too was looking to stockpile some before they came in (and I only use 20 or so a year at most).

      • +1

        Nah, its paracetamol that kills your liver. Aspirin will probably just make you bleed to death.
        The joke is that the codeine is safer than any of them. Not that it cannot kill you, but it would take a lot more tablets. Appropriate avatar for the hillbilly heroin though :-)

  • -1

    good to know about the codeine restrictions coming.

    While i dont like panafen, only like nurofen plus/panadine. its still fairly cheap.

    • +2

      i dont like panafen, only like nurofen

      eh? Same thing, different packaging. GSK vs Boots.

  • +2

    Thanks for the info on these new restrictions. It pisses me off that I need ID and a body cavity search just to buy a little pseudoephedrine, IF you can even find it! And its a complete failure at stopping the meth labs.

    So more info, if you are into that sort of thing:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wdV2YOa4Xc
    http://codeine.50g.com/home.html

    • yeah, that is alittle annoying but some pharmacys still have it and dont require too many checks, just hand in your details.

      the funny thing is that this wont really do anything to stop it, they still dont require the patient details just a talk with the pharmacist and at most 20 pills instead of 24.

      Right now they need to take your details for any amount above 24, so these changes just make it 20 and a bit of extra time waiting for the phamacist.

      • -1

        I have the same fight with the local pharmacists every time I ask for a pack of unfettered PE (usually once per year, cold & flu season)! They labour to sell me crappy C&F tabs with just PE & Paracetamol. I've got bucketloads of Panamax on hand, why would I want to buy it again, with a quarter the dose of PE in the box for twice the price? :o

        What saddens me is that I go in with the best of amiable intentions, but always end up adopting a sickeningly patronising, condescending tone with them, pointing out cost per mg of active constituent per pack, notwithstanding the waste of paracetamol! Scary that such well educated people can be so maddeningly thick! :?

        They always begrudgingly give in to logic though! They've got a live database tracking PE purchases nationwide, and that wallet of mine that's so thick with my own ID cards it's giving me a Scoliosis, what more could they need! ;)

  • -1

    Restrictions are pure BS.
    I take 2-4 pills per day to help with headaches and minor aches and pains.
    20 pills would barely last me a week.
    I buy 96 of them so I only have to buy them once a month!

    • +3

      If you are taking that many, I really hope it is under medical supervision.
      So no trouble getting a script.
      Don't you get a problem with tolerance from chronic use?

  • Also in their catalogue, Chemist warehouse have 24 packs of Mersyndol for $2.40. These have 9.6mg of codeine and 500mf of panadol, so slightly different, but at 10c/caplet, it's a good buy. You can only buy 2 packs per day.

    • mersyndol contains doxylamine as well right? its a sedative.

  • Trying to order 2 of these for 1 person seems to turn it into a prescription rather than a pharmacist medication. Is that right? Shame there's no one of these Chemist Warehouses near me.

    • Ah - So if you create two patient profiles, and order one in each name, you can have two on the same order?

      • I guess so but you need a Medicare # for each one.

        • no need for medicare # for any patient at all. medi # is only for PBS medications.

          i've already ordered 2 packs under two patient profiles (real profiles, i didn't make stuff up).

  • +5

    The rules that are coming into place after 1st of May are:
    Biggest pack of codeine containing analgesia in Schedule 3 (Pharmacist Only Medication) must not exceed 5 days supply when taken at the maximum daily dose. i.e. 8x5=40 tablets of panadeine (or equivalent) & 6x5=30 tablets of codeine+ibuprofen (Nurofen PLus, Panafen Plus)

    The larger packs of Panadeine (50s, 100s) Nurofen Plus (48s, 72s) or equivalents have already been discontinued by the manufacturer, it is whatever each pharmacy has left on their shelves.

    On an aside note, I do agree that there is a legitamate use, both therapeutic and economic, for people wanting the larger packs of codeine combination analgesia. I work on the other side of the pharmacy bench and I do agree that it is the rare few that ruin it for the rest of the population. The people who do abuse these sort of substances don't just swallow tablets whole, they have crude but somewhat effective ways of separating out the codeine (especially from codeine+ibuprofen) so that they are able to abuse the codeine inside whilst sparing themselves the possible gastric bleeding that can occur from excessive ibuprofen.

    I'm sure almost all of the posters on this site are intelligent people who will not be silly enough to abuse these sort of substances but I have certainly come across many in my everyday work who are not as intelligent.

    Also with the pseudo-ephedrine comments a few people have posted, the times that 'hits' have come up on the system make it, in my opinion, worth the extra precious few minutes of your day that we take to record the ID data into the database. Also, if you do have a legitamate use for it i.e. cold/flu then 9/10 times you will be able to purchase the pseudo-ephedrine containing products.

    The frusration doesn't go one way either, pharmacy staff receive frequent abuse, mostly verbal sometimes physical regarding issues such as analgesia and pseudo-ephedrine. We are trying to help, it's our job to supply medicines safely and for appropriate uses, we're just trying to ensure that it happens.

    Just my 2cents from the other side of the dispensary.

  • Whats the Australian name for the 'Vicodin' that Dr Gregory House scoffs down?

    • oxycontin

  • +1

    Thank you for letting us all know about this, especially now that the new restrictions will be coming in soon.

    • +1

      you're most welcome

  • I just did the ringing bit after ordering and the pharmacist asked to speak to each person on the patient profile. Luckily, the "other person" is female too, so "she'll" be ringing them back tomorrow.

  • Wally Vicodin is Oxycodone. I guess you will feel like druggies now asking?

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