Do you know what you're actually taking?
Thousands of packs of an over-the-counter painkiller could have higher-strength prescription tablets inside, a Government health watchdog warned yesterday.
They are believed to contain the wrong co-codamol tablets - 30mg/500g instead of the lower strength 8mg/500g.
A number of packs in a 40,000 batch by Wockhardt UK Ltd are affected.
The batch number is LL11701 and expiry date September 2014.
Ian Holloway, of the MHRA, said: “If you have a packet of the affected medicine, return it to your pharmacist who will replace it. If you think you have taken the wrong strength tablet, and in the unlikely event that you feel unwell, speak to your GP or pharmacist promptly.”
Co-codamol is a generic name given to a combination medicine with contains paracetamol and codeine.
Leyla Hannbeck, of the National Pharmacy Association, said that anyone who took the stronger tablet might experience side effects including constipation, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, light-headedness, confusion, drowsiness and urine retention.
The amount of paracetamol in the batch was the same, only the level of codeine was affected.
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