Is it safe to take codeine before a wisdom tooth extraction?

[gguerra]

Originally Posted by sundestroyer

Well the codeine I am taking comes with ibuprofen. Each tablets of Nurofen Plus contains 12.8mg of codeine phosphate and 200mg of ibuprofen. That amounts to 15 tablets if it's to be 200mg of codeine. That would be 3,125

FYI: Max ibuprofen per day is 3200mg, 800 per dose which is what I take for severe pain. Works just as good as opiates for pain in my opinion.

[Daffodil_fields]

Originally Posted by sundestroyer

My dentist will be extracting my four wisdom teeth next month and told me to take painkillers an hour beforehand (though I don't think he meant opiate based painkillers but anyway) so they kick in after surgery.

I was thinking of taking 200mg of codeine along with 30mg of zolpidem tartate (Ambien) as it's shown to have analgesic effects. My doctor will be sedating me with IV midazolam so I worry that there may be a risk of respiratory depression though it seems unlikely given how weak these agents are.

Should I worry or go ahead and take them on the day?

Extracting all 4 wisdom teeth in one visit is kind of drastic.

Yes, as others have said, if your dentist did not prescribe a pain medicine for you to take before the procedure, then he maybe meant Tylenol (REGULAR Tylenol, not Codeine). or Advil.

Make sure to call them way ahead of time and ask what you are supposed to do pre-surgery. Do NOT guess!

[SFBayBoomer]

Originally Posted by sundestroyer

My dentist will be extracting my four wisdom teeth next month and told me to take painkillers an hour beforehand (though I don't think he meant opiate based painkillers but anyway) so they kick in after surgery.

I was thinking of taking 200mg of codeine along with 30mg of zolpidem tartate (Ambien) as it's shown to have analgesic effects. My doctor will be sedating me with IV midazolam so I worry that there may be a risk of respiratory depression though it seems unlikely given how weak these agents are.

Should I worry or go ahead and take them on the day?

I would call the doctor's office back and ask for clarification, since it is obvious that you still have more questions than answers.

Your dentist should write you a prescription for post-surgery pain relief, not just tell you to "take painkillers an hour beforehand."