What you should know about

Distalgesic tablets

Please read this leaflet carefully before you start to take your medicine. It does not contain all the information about your medicine that you may need to know so if you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist. This leaflet only applies to Distalgesic tablets.

What is in your medicine?

Your medicine is called Distalgesic, which is a brand of co-proxamol. Its active ingredients are dextropropoxyphene hydrochloride and paracetamol. Each white, pillow-shaped tablet contains 32.5mg dextropropoxyphene hydrochloride and 325mg paracetamol. They are labelled DG. The tablets also contain the inactive ingredients maize starch and magnesium stearate, and are coated with hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose 15, glycerine and titanium dioxide. They come in blister packs of 100.

Distalgesic is one of a group of medicines called analgesics that help to ease pain.

Distalgesic is made by Eli Lilly and Company Limited, Kingsclere Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 6XA. The product licence is held by Dista Products Limited, Dextra Court, Chapel Hill, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 5SY

Why Distalgesic?

Distalgesic is given to help reduce mild to moderate pain.

Before taking your medicine
Make sure it is sate for you to take Distalgesic. It you answer YES to any of the following questions or you are not sure about the answer, tell your doctor or pharmacist.

Have you ever been allergic to this or any other pain-killing medicine?

Do you suffer from depression or any other psychiatric illness?

Have you ever been an alcoholic or drug addict?

Are you taking any other medicine, especially 'blood thinner' medicine (such as warfarin), antidepressants or drugs for epilepsy?

Are you pregnant or could you be?

Are you breast-feeding?

Have you ever had problems with your liver or kidneys?

Do not take more Distalgesic than your doctor tells you to.

Do not drink alcohol while taking Distalgesic. It can be very dangerous. Discuss this with your doctor if you have any questions.

If you take drugs such as antihistamines, tranquillisers or sleeping tablets when you are taking Distalgesic, you may become extremely sleepy.

Distalgesic on its own makes some people very sleepy, especially when they first start taking it.

Do not drive or use dangerous machinery if you feel sleepy.

Do not give Distalgesic to children.

Please read the back of this leaflet

What you should know about Distalgesic tablets - continued

Taking your medicine

Follow your doctor’s instructions. Check the label to see how many tablets to take and how often to take them.

Usual dose: take 2 tablets three or four times a day.

Do not take more than 8 tablets in 24 hours. If you are elderly, you may need to take fewer. If you are not sure how many tablets to take, ask your doctor or pharmacist

Swallow the tablets with a drink of water.

Do not take more tablets than your doctor tells you to. You can become addicted to these tablets if you take too many for a long time.

If you miss a dose, take another dose as soon as you can. Then go on as before. Never double up on the next dose to make up for the one missed.

OVERDOSE: If you, or anyone else, ever take too many Distalgesic tablets, dial 999 for an ambulance straight away. Then phone your doctor. An overdose can damage your liver or cause coma, convulsions or death.

While taking your medicine

Distalgesic tablets may cause side-effects. These include feeling dizzy or tired, feeling sick and vomiting. They will often go away if you lie down. Tell your doctor if they are troublesome.

Very occasionally, Distalgesic may give you a rash, headaches or stomach ache. It might also make you constipated or moody, or give you problems with your sight, hallucinations or jaundice. If you have these or any other ill-effects that are troublesome, tell your doctor.

How to store your medicine

Do not use Distalgesic after the 'Use Before' date.

Keep your tablets at room temperature, in a dry, safe place where children cannot see or reach them. Your tablets could harm them.

When your treatment is over, we suggest that you take any tablets you have left back to the pharmacist who will dispose of them safely.

REMEMBER: This medicine is for you. Only a doctor can prescribe it. Never give it to others. It may harm them, even if their symptoms are the same as yours.

'Distalgesic' is a registered trademark of Dista Products Limited.

Date of Leaflet Preparation: November 1995