UK Chemist Cough Syrup

[think_sweet]

Ive been suffering with a terrible sore throat/cough for nearly a month. I've just been on holiday in Spain, I went to the local pharmacy and they gave me a cough syrup called 'codine lynctus' and this really helped - didnt manage to bring this back with me, ive been to my local Lloyds chemist today and they dont stock it and didnt seem to know what I was talking about? Is this available in the UK? I'm almost sure it was made by the UK medicine brand 'Care +'

Many Thanks

[bednobs]

it is a prescription-only medicine in the uk

[blade1834]

http://www.boots.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet /ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalo gId=11051&productId=11357

This may be similar

[sqad617]

Blade is quite coorect in that Pholcodeine has replaced the Linctus Codeine, BUT some chemists in the UK MAY still stock Linctus Codeine, but you will have to search around.
It should be available "over the counter"

It is much easier to get medicines in Spain over the counter, but the UK is far more conservative.

Odd, as the UK is in the EU.

[susanspain]

re post above - yes, it is much easier to get a wider variety of usually prescription only drugs in Spain.. But this is slowly chaning. I asked the paharmasist (in spain) for a penecilin based anit-biotic - and since about one year it is now prescription only.
Also dimazapan etc used to be over the counter. But now more :(

If you find something abroad that works - get a supply!

... I like DR J Collis Brown - and old English dual cough/stomach liquid - has trace of morphine in it!
Thought it was no longer av in the uK (bought my first one in Gibraltar)... but if you hunt around it is available.. but they may quizz you who it is for.

[theprof]

Oh Dear, I'm afraid that first three answers do not tell the whole story about codeine linctus availability.

Codeine Linctus BP and Codeine Linctus Paediatric BP are both available from all pharmacies. For some time, Codeine Linctus BP (the adult version), which contains 15mg of codeine phosphate per 5ml dose, has been a prescription only medicine in the UK. The Paediatric version, which contains 3mg of codeine phosphate per 5ml dose is not a POM medicine.

Due to the abuse of the adult version, pharmacists are nowadays reluctant to sell it to the general public and in general, they prefer to say that they do not stock it to avoid confrontation with a customer. However, when a patient presents a doctor's prescription for the product, they have no reservations about supplying it as the doctor will have weighed up the likelihood of abuse beforehand. Nevertheless, they may discuss the risk of drowsiness with the patient and are obliged to disclose such risk on the label.

Having said all that, it is possible to buy Codeine linctus from pharmacies as pharmacists are still allowed to use their own professional judgement and discretion regarding the wisdom of a sale despite it being a POM medicine. The bottom line is that it's easier to say it's out of stock or act dumb than suffer the severe penalties that can be incurred if it's sold to a drug abuser.

Pholcodine linctus acts in a similar manner to codeine linctus but it regarded as much safer as it is rarely a drug of abuse. For this reason, pholcodine linctus is an Over The Counter medicine.

[theprof]

Chain chemists such as Lloyd's pharmacies and the Co-Op have national policies on the sale of this class of drug to the general public that are the same whichever branch you go too. This is why you went away empty handed.

Pholcodine is far safer, has similar efficacy and is less constipating than codeine linctus.