Tylenol with Codeine (acetaminophen / codeine), also known as Tylenol 3, is a combination opioid medication. It's used for mild-to-moderate pain when other non-opioid therapies haven't worked well enough. Tylenol 3 is a prescription painkiller that combines acetaminophen with codeine. Learn its side effects, dosages, and risk of addiction and dependence. What is Tylenol with Codeine 3? Tylenol with Codeine 3 is a combination medicine used to relieve moderate to severe pain. Tylenol with Codeine 3 may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide. Acetaminophen and codeine combination oral solution or tablet can cause serious unwanted effects or fatal overdose if taken by children, pets, or adults who are not used to strong narcotic pain medicines. Overview: Acetaminophen/codeine is used to treat certain types of pain. It reduces pain signals and changes how your body feels pain. Common side effects include constipation and feeling sleepy. Codeine is used to manage mild to moderate pain, where treatment with an opioid is appropriate, and when other pain treatments such as non-opioid pain medicines do not treat your pain well enough or you cannot tolerate them. Codeine is an opioid and considered a strong prescription pain medicine. Codeine is found in concentrations of 1% to 3% in opium prepared by the latex method from unripe pods of Papaver somniferum. The name codeine is derived from the Ancient Greek κώδεια (kṓdeia, poppy head ). It contains an opioid pain reliever (codeine) and a non-opioid pain reliever (acetaminophen). Codeine works in the brain to change how your body feels and responds to pain. Codeine has a risk for abuse and addiction, which can lead to overdose and death. Codeine may also cause severe, possibly fatal, breathing problems. To lower your risk, your doctor should have you take the smallest dose of codeine that works, and take it for the shortest possible time. Medscape - Indication-specific dosing for Tylenol with Codeine, Tylenol 3, Tylenol 4 (codeine, acetaminophen), frequency-based adverse effects, comprehensive interactions.