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Tecnal-C ½ description. Barbiturate (bar-BI-tyoo-rate ) , aspirin, and codeine combinations are used to relieve headaches and other kinds of pain. These combination medicines may provide better pain relief than either aspirin or codeine used alone. In some cases, relief of pain may come at lower doses of each medicine. Codeine is a narcotic analgesic ( nar-KOT-ik an-al-JEE-zik) that acts in the central nervous system (CNS) to relieve pain. Many of its side effects are also caused by actions in the CNS. Butalbital and phenobarbital belong to the group of medicines called barbiturates. Barbiturates also act in the CNS to produce their effects. When you use a barbiturate or codeine for a long time, your body may get used to the medicine so that larger amounts are needed to produce the same effects. This is called tolerance to the medicine. Also, barbiturates and codeine may become habit-forming (causing mental or physical dependence) when they are used for a long time or in large doses. Physical dependence may lead to withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking the medicine. In patients who get headaches, the first symptom of withdrawal may be new (rebound) headaches. The butalbital, aspirin, and codeine combination also contains caffeine (kaf-EEN) . Caffeine may help to relieve headaches. However, caffeine can also cause physical dependence when it is used for a long time. This may lead to withdrawal (rebound) headaches when you stop taking it. Aspirin is not a narcotic and does not cause physical dependence. However, it may cause other unwanted effects if too much is taken. Some brand names: - Isollyl with Codeine - Phenaphen with Codeine No.3 - Tecnal-C ¼ - Tecnal-C ½ |