You now need a prescription from your doctor for pain relief tablets containing the ingredient Codeine.
These commonly used Over The Counter medicines are no longer allowed to be sold by pharmacies in NZ.
From 5th November all codeine-containing medicines have become prescription-only. This means that people wishing to use codeine combined with paracetamol or ibuprofen will need to see their doctor and ask for a prescription.
This change affects the following medicines:
Note that some Codral cold and flu tablets used to contain Codeine – but these have now been reformulated to be Codeine Free.
This move has been taken to reduce the risks associated with codeine use which can include constipation and overdose and can become habit-forming.
If you need strong pain relief please call in and talk to our pharmacists first, we will be able to help you by recommending other pain relief medicines or measures to try.
Read more : https://bpac.org.nz/2020/codeine.aspx
https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/codeine-containing-medicines-be-reclassified
