Patient leaflet - Night Nurse capsules
1. What Night Nurse Capsules do Night Nurse Capsules are used for the night-time relief of the major symptoms of colds, chills and influenza.
The medicine contains three active ingredients. Paracetamol is a painkiller and reduces your temperature when you have a fever. Promethazine hydrochloride is an antihistamine which dries up a runny nose and aids restful sleep. Dextromethorphan hydrobromide is a cough suppressant that helps relieve dry or tickly coughs.
2. Check before you take
Night Nurse Capsules
Contains paracetamol.
Taking too much paracetamol can cause serious harm to your liver. Do not take anything else containing paracetamol within four hours of taking this product. Do not take with other antihistamine-containing preparations, including topical antihistamines and cough and cold medicines.
Do not take Night Nurse Capsules:
- if you have ever had an allergic reaction to paracetamol, promethazine hydrochloride, dextromethorphan hydrobromide or any of the other ingredients (listed in Section 6). • if you have chest infection, worsening asthma or severe respiratory problems.
if you are taking or have taken monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) prescribed for depression in the last two weeks.
Take special care with Night Nurse Capsules:
- This medicine can lead to dependence. Therefore, the treatment should be of short duration.
Do not drink alcohol while using Night Nurse Capsules. • If your symptoms are accompanied by a high temperature, skin rash or persistent headache, see your doctor. • This medicine may affect pregnancy tests based on urine samples, to give false results.
Driving and operating machinery
This medicine can affect your ability to drive as it may cause drowsiness, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, movement difficulties or blurred vision. If affected do not drive or operate machinery.
- Do not drive while taking this medicine until you know how it affects you.
- It may be an offence to drive when taking this medicine. • However, you would not be committing an offence if the medicine has been taken to treat a medical or dental problem, and you have taken it according to the information provided with the medicine, and it was not affecting your ability to drive safely.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure whether it is safe for you to drive while taking this medicine. Details regarding a new driving offence concerning driving after drugs have been taken in the UK may be found here: www.gov.uk/drug-driving-law.
Ask your doctor or nurse before you take this medicine:
- if you have been told by your doctor you have an intolerance to some sugars.
- if you have liver or kidney problems.
- if you have glaucoma, epilepsy, difficulty passing urine, or prostate problems.
- if you have chronic or persistent cough accompanied by excessive phlegm or respiratory problems.
- if you are elderly and suffer from confusion. • if you are taking medicines such as certain antidepressants or antipsychotics as Night Nurse may interact with these medicines and you may experience mental status changes (e.g. agitation, hallucinations, coma), and other effects such as body temperature above 38°C, increase in heart rate, unstable blood pressure, and exaggeration of reflexes, muscular rigidity, lack of coordination and/or gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea). Contact a doctor immediately if you get a combination of these symptoms. • are or have ever been addicted to opioids, alcohol, prescription medicines, or illegal drugs.
- have previously suffered from withdrawal symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, shaking or sweating, when you have stopped taking alcohol or drugs.
- if you have any serious heart problems
- if you have any personal or family history of heart disease • if you have an irregular heartbeat
During treatment with this medicine, tell your doctor straight away if:
You have severe infection or severe illnesses, including severe renal impairment or sepsis (when bacteria and their toxins circulate in the blood leading to organ damage), or you suffer from malnutrition, chronic alcoholism, are severely underweight, or if you are also taking flucloxacillin (an antibiotic). A serious condition called metabolic acidosis (a blood and fluid abnormality) has been reported in patients in these situations when paracetamol is used at regular doses for a prolonged period or when paracetamol is taken together with flucloxacillin. Symptoms of metabolic acidosis may include: serious breathing difficulties with deep rapid breathing, drowsiness, feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and loss of appetite.
Taking this medicine regularly, particularly for a long time, can lead to addiction. Only use this medicine as described in the leaflet. Addiction can cause withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking this medicine. Withdrawal symptoms can include restlessness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, agitation, anxiety, feeling your heartbeat (palpitations), increased blood pressure, feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, shaking, shivering or sweating. Speak to your doctor if you experience withdrawal symptoms.
If you are taking other medicines
Please talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking these capsules if you are taking any prescribed medicines; particularly metoclopramide or domperidone (for nausea or vomiting); colestyramine (to lower blood cholesterol); medicines which give you blurred vision, a dry mouth or
62000000218184 make you drowsy; blood thinning drugs (anticoagulants e.g. warfarin); quinidine or amiodarone (to control your heart rhythm); medicines for anxiety or depression (e.g. selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or tricyclic antidepressant) or to help you sleep.
Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking: flucloxacillin (an antibiotic), due to a serious risk of blood and fluid abnormality (called metabolic acidosis) that must have urgent treatment (see section 2) or medicines that can affect your heart rhythm.
You should also tell your doctor or pharmacist:
if you have abused drugs or other substances in the past. • if you have specific metabolism characteristics (slow metabolizer of CYP2D6).
Pregnancy and breast feeding
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
3. How to take Night Nurse Capsules
Adults aged 16 years and over:
Take 2 capsules just before bedtime with a drink of water.
Do not give to children under 16 years of age. • Do not take Night Nurse Capsules if you have already taken 4 doses of a paracetamol-containing product during the day. • Only take one dose of Night Nurse Capsules per night.
- Do not take more than the recommended dose. • Do not take for more than 3 days. • Only use Night Nurse for the shortest period of time necessary.
Carers should be aware that this medicine should not be given to elderly patients with confusion. The elderly are more likely to develop adverse effects, including confusion, with this medicine.
If you take too many capsules Talk to a doctor at once if you take too much of this medicine, even if you feel well. This is because too much paracetamol can cause delayed, serious liver damage. You may experience the following symptoms: nausea and vomiting, involuntary muscle contractions, agitation, confusion, somnolence, disturbances in consciousness, involuntary and rapid eye movements, cardiac disorders (rapid heart beating), coordination disorders, psychosis with visual hallucinations, and hyperexcitability. Other symptoms in case of massive overdose may be: coma, severe breathing problems, and convulsions. Contact your doctor or hospital straight away if you experience any of the above symptoms.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines Night Nurse Capsules can have side effects, but not everyone gets them: Children and the elderly may be more likely to experience side effects with this medicine. The following effects may occur:
- Drowsiness, dizziness, blurred vision, difficulty concentrating, unsteadiness, clumsiness, headache, dry mouth. Stop taking this medicine and tell your doctor immediately if you experience:
- Allergic reactions which may be severe such as skin rash, itching sometimes with swelling of the mouth or face or shortness of breath.
- Skin rash or peeling or mouth ulcers.
- Breathing problems. These are more likely if you have experienced them before when taking other painkillers (such as ibuprofen and aspirin).
Unexplained bruising and bleeding.
- Confusion, feeling restless, sweating, shaking, shivering, sudden jerks of muscles or increased blood pressure (these may be symptoms of serotonin syndrome).
- Difficulty passing urine.
- Nausea, vomiting, stomach ache, sudden weight loss, loss of appetite and yellowing of the eyes and skin. • Restlessness, nervousness, feeling irritable, increased energy and sleep disturbances, which are more likely to affect children. These effects are rare.
- Dependence and addiction (see section “How do I know if I am addicted?”) - unknown frequency.
- A serious condition that can make blood more acidic (called metabolic acidosis) in patients with severe illness using paracetamol (see section 2). - unknown frequency. • Abnormal electrical activity of the heart that affects its rhythm, including life-threatening rhythm disturbance - unknown frequency.
- A serious reaction with fever, rigid muscles, changing blood pressure and coma (neuroleptic malignant syndrome) -unknown frequency.
- Low levels of blood platelets (which can lead to bleeding and bruising) - unknown frequency.
- Hallucinations or aggression - unknown frequency. Drug Withdrawal
When you stop taking Night Nurse, you may experience drug withdrawal symptoms, which include restlessness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, agitation, anxiety, feeling your heartbeat (palpitations), increased blood pressure, feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, shaking, shivering or sweating.
How do I know if I am addicted?
If you notice any of the following signs whilst taking Night Nurse it could be a sign that you have become addicted. • You need to take the medicine for longer than advised. • You feel you need to use more than the recommended dose. • You are using the medicine for reasons other than those indicated.
- When you stop taking the medicine you feel unwell, and you feel better once taking the medicine again. If you notice any of these signs, it is important you talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store Night Nurse Capsules
Keep out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not take this medicine after the ‘EXP’ date shown on the pack. Do not store above 25°C.
6. Further information
Active ingredients Paracetamol 500mg, Promethazine Hydrochloride 10mg and Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide 7.5mg. Other ingredients lactose monohydrate, dimeticone, colloidal anhydrous silica, gelatin and colours patent blue V (E 131), quinoline yellow (E 104), titanium dioxide (E 171) and printing ink (containing shellac, iron oxide black (E 172), propylene glycol (E 1520) and ammonium hydroxide (E 527)).
Packs of Night Nurse Capsules contain 10 capsules. The marketing authorisation holder is Haleon UK Trading Limited, The Heights, Weybridge, KT13 0NY, U.K.
The manufacturer is Haleon Alcala, S.A., Ctra. de Ajalvir, km. 2,500- 28806 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid - Spain.
This leaflet was last revised in March 2025.
Trade Marks are owned by or licensed to the Haleon group of companies.
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