Ear/nose/throat doctors most frequently prescribe liquid codeine/acetaminophen blends, followed by dentists, pediatricians and family physicians.
Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Seizes 15,000 Bottles Of Codeine Cough Syrup
The FDA worked on a tip-off that there was a group supplying Codeine containing cough syrups, often seen as a stepping stone to addiction, to school children.
The FDA worked on a tip-off that there was a group supplying Codeine containing cough syrups, often seen as a stepping stone to addiction, to school children.
‘Codeine is unsafe for children and should no longer be given to them.’
Codeine is an opiate drug once commonly used in over-the-counter cough syrups and as a painkiller, particularly after surgery. But the report notes that a rare genetic variation makes some people metabolize it too quickly, potentially resulting in excessive sleepiness and difficulty breathing. A different genetic variation makes the drug ineffective for pain relief in as many as a third of patients. Codeine has been used to treat kids' pain and coughs for decades "because we thought it was safer than other narcotics," said report author Dr. Joseph Tobias. But doctors have learned that the way codeine is processed in the body is very dangerous for children and can result in death, said Tobias, chief of anesthesiology and pain medicine for Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
Codeine is converted by the liver into morphine, but genetic differences between people can prompt the liver to create too much morphine in some and too little in others, he explained. "Now, lo and behold, we're learning that due to this genetic variation it's a very dangerous medication," Tobias added.
Smokers at Greater Risk of Codeine Addiction, and Possibly Even Overdose
Chronic nicotine use, or smoking, increases the amount of an enzyme that converts codeine into morphine within the brain, increasing pain relief.
Chronic nicotine use, or smoking, increases the amount of an enzyme that converts codeine into morphine within the brain, increasing pain relief.
Studies suggest it is still commonly prescribed by doctors and dentists despite the risks and lack of evidence that it works to relieve coughs. Better education of parents and doctors is needed, along with additional research on risks and benefits of codeine and non-opioid painkillers for children, the report says.
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Study Reveals White-Matter Deficit in Users of Codeine-Containing Cough Syrups
An imaging study of chronic users of codeine-containing cough syrups (CCS) has found deficits in specific regions of brain white matter and associates these changes with increased impulsivity in the chronic users.
An imaging study of chronic users of codeine-containing cough syrups (CCS) has found deficits in specific regions of brain white matter and associates these changes with increased impulsivity in the chronic users.
Despite Available Alternatives, Codeine Often Prescribed to Children
New research from UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco reveals that codeine continues to be prescribed in U.S. emergency rooms.
New research from UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco reveals that codeine continues to be prescribed in U.S. emergency rooms.
