May be habit forming. May be habit forming. This product combines the analgesic effects of a centrally acting analgesic, codeine, with a peripherally acting analgesic, acetaminophen. It is rapidly distributed from the intravascular spaces to the various body tissues, with preferential uptake by parenchymatous organs such as the liver, spleen and kidney.
Codeine crosses the blood-brain barrier, and is found in fetal tissue and breast milk.
The plasma half-life is about 2.9 hours. The remainder of the dose is excreted in the feces. At therapeutic doses, the analgesic effect reaches a peak within 2 hours and persists between 4 and 6 hours. Acetaminophen is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and is distributed throughout most body tissues. The plasma haif-life is 1.25 to 3 hours, but may be increased by liver damage and following overdosage.