Codeine
Too many codeine pills, Too many nights of cold chills, Too many weak-handed deals, Too many lives, the addict steals ― Volatalistic Phil
image by: woodleywonderworks
HWN Suggests
Europe's silent opioid epidemic
As opiate addiction continues to grip the United States – killing more than 100 people per day in 2016 – researchers are trying to get a handle on the scale of the problem in Europe.
The US is grappling with a major crisis driven by dependency on opioid painkillers such as fentanyl. These highly addictive prescription drugs are chemical cousins of heroin, morphine and methadone.
Strong opiates are tightly controlled in Europe but several EU countries allow over-the-counter sales of a milder pain medication: codeine. While less dangerous than heroin or fentanyl, codeine is turned into morphine in the liver and can still be toxic in high doses.
'It's a hidden addiction,'…
Featured
Here’s what happened when codeine was made prescription only. No, the sky didn’t fall in
When codeine became a prescription only drug in 2018, the number of overdoses dropped, our new research shows. But restricting sales of codeine is only one way to reduce harm from opioids.
An Opioid Addiction, and an Australian’s Battle to Survive
On the opposite end of the earth from America, where the opioid epidemic has left 400,000 dead, Australia is facing its own crisis of soaring opioid use and fatal overdoses. It has all unfolded despite the glaring warnings from the U.S., and despite more than a decade of warnings from Australian health professionals about a looming disaster.
Codeine Addiction Is 'Ruining Lives' Warn UK Patients And Doctors
Prescribed or purchased over the counter, the painkiller is dangerously addictive when misused – and experts believe we have a growing problem.
Codeine: Time to Say “No”
The evidence linking the use of codeine with life-threatening or fatal respiratory depression is based on a series of case reports that have appeared in the literature regularly since 2004.
Doctors Are Still Prescribing Codeine For Kids After Tonsillectomies, Despite FDA Warning
And therein lies the danger: the variable metabolism of the drug itself, and its ability to induce variable levels of morphine in the bloodstream place all children at risk--but even more so in children with sleep apnea. Children with this condition develop more respiratory depression when they receive codeine, leading to a higher risk of death.
Over-the-counter codeine sales are booming and a proposed ban has been delayed
Kiwis are chugging back millions of over-the-counter codeine pills, figures obtained by Stuff reveal. But moves by Medsafe to make the products prescription-only to bring us in line with Australia remain mired in red tape.
The opioid crisis and why Australia is cracking down on codeine
Move aims to arrest Australia’s growing opioid crisis but there are fears it will push people towards illicit products.
The Real Dangers Of Codeine
Not many people know that Codeine is made from Opium the same plant that Heroin and Morphine are made from.
Zimbabwe's Codeine Cough Syrup Epidemic
Zimbabwe is at risk of losing its youth to codeine cough syrup, as the addiction epidemic has already engulfed what the experts estimate could be over half the country’s young people. Despite the growing problem, Zimbabwe’s government has not yet opened rehabilitation clinics, meaning addicts are often sent to prison...
Articles of Interest
Three claims used to justify pulling codeine from sale without a prescription, and why they’re wrong
From February 1, 2018 all products that contain codeine will only be available for sale in pharmacies with a prescription. This means you won’t be able to buy brands like Nurofen Plus, Panadeine or Panadeine Extra over the counter at your local pharmacy without a prescription from your doctor. The decision was made by Australia’s drug regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). It was based mainly on the fact that codeine can cause dependence, and its misuse has led to addiction and even death. These facts are not in dispute.
Australia bans non-prescription codeine to fight opioid crisis
Australia has become the latest country to ban over-the-counter sales of medications containing the opioid painkiller codeine. The new regulation, which will come into effect on 1 February 2018, is hoped to halt the rise in codeine-related deaths, which have more than doubled in Australia since 2000.
Codeine Addicition Experience
I have been addicted to codeine phosphate for three years. It started after completing my MSc course at a world renowned university. I felt like I was on top of my game.
Codeine Luring People into Drug Abuse
Because codeine is available without prescription, people regard it as something that is not too drastic and that is why I have written papers on it — not to scare-monger, but to open people’s eyes to the potential dangers of codeine.
How to Drink Your Lean With Slomocup
I'd gotten interested in lean, aka sizzurp, otherwise known as purple drank, which is a way of consuming a prescription-strength cough syrup that contains codeine and promethazine. This method of getting high off cough syrup dates back to the 1960s blues scene in Houston, Texas, when musicians would mix Robitussin and beer.
More Than Half a Million Kids Are Still Getting Codeine During ER Visits
Despite the evidence that the powerful narcotic codeine doesn’t work—and could be fatal—in children, doctors are prescribing the painkiller to hundreds of thousands of children in emergency rooms each year
Often-abused codeine cough syrups to become restricted drugs
New rules will restrict access to some codeine-based cough syrups because their narcotic ingredient makes them addictive and subject to robberies and abuse. Cough syrups like Dimetapp-C, Robitussin AC and acetaminophen with codeine are sedating pain relievers that have been marketed for many decades.
Pronounced Declines in Meperidine in the US: Is the End Imminent?
In 1984, the tragic death of an 18-year-old woman, Libby Zion (1965–1984), encouraged clinicians to take a closer look at the safety of meperidine. Her admission to the New York hospital led to an unfortunate death due to respiratory arrest secondary to bilateral bronchopneumonia, which was a result of serotonin syndrome caused from the deadly interaction between meperidine and her antidepressant, phenelzine
Why making codeine products prescription-only is a good idea
Currently, lower-strength painkillers such as paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin can be bought almost anywhere, while drugs such as Nurofen Plus or Panadeine Forte can be bought only at pharmacies. These combine codeine with paracetamol or ibuprofen in order to tackle more severe pain. These drugs may soon join the next, stronger level of painkillers, which require a doctor’s prescription because they pose an increased risk of side effects or addiction.
