I am a 64 yrs old woman and scheduled for dental surgery next week. Full mouth extractions and bone grafts. I will be sedated for the surgery. I was told, during a consult that I would require pain medication for at least 3 days after sugery.

When I was in my 20's I had a bad reaction to codeine which was given by a dentist. I had strong palpatations and racing heart and was taken to the ER. At that time, I was told I could never take any codeine again.

All these years, including childbirth and some broken bones, I've never taken a pain killer as everything contains codeine or a derivative of it.

I am very nervous about the upcoming dental surgery. The dentist said he could prescribe LoTab? He said it contains a small amount of codeine but not enough to bother me.

Does anyone know whether this is true and if there is any other type of medication I could take for pain? The dentist made it clear Tylanol will not be strong enough to get me through pain after surgery.

Thanks,
Jane