About Codeine

Codeine is a medication that belongs to the opiates family of drugs. Pierre-Jean Robiquet, a French chemist, first isolated codeine from opium in 1832. Because of the small amount of codeine found in nature, most medical products contain codeine that has been synthesized from morphine. Codeine is found in numerous medications all across the globe, and is considered a controlled or a scheduled substance in most countries. Street names for codeine include Captain Cody, pancakes and syrup, doors and fours, loads and schoolboy. Learn more facts about codeine here.

Uses

• Codeine is typically prescribed to relieve mild to moderate pain symptoms. Common conditions treated with codeine include dental pain, migraines, back pain and surgical pain. Codeine is also combined with other medications, such as acetaminophen, to help relieve dry coughs. Codeine relieves symptoms by suppressing the sensation of pain or by suppressing the cough reflex. Although codeine can help relieve pain and cough symptoms, it doesn't treat the true cause of the condition or speed its recovery.

Effects and Dosage

• Codeine begins to relieve symptoms about 10 to 30 minutes after being consumed. Its effects peak within an hour or two, and typically last for four to six hours. Codeine dosages for pain treatment ranges from 15 to 60 mg, while dry coughs require 10 to 20 mg. The average recreational dosage starts at about 200 mg. While the narcotic effects of codeine can start at 30 mg, many users only experience euphoria with higher doses.

Administration

• Codeine can be administered rectally, orally, subcutaneously, which involves an injection under the skin, and intramuscularly, with an injection into a muscle. Codeine can't be administered safely with an intravenous (IV) injection because it can result in facial swelling, dangerously high levels of histamine, various cardiovascular issues or pulmonary edema, a build up of fluid in the lungs. Codeine is not typically snorted, but it can be freebased in a way similar to freebasing heroin.

Side Effects

• Codeine usage has some potential side effects, particularly dizziness, drowsiness, nausea and the loss of motor skills and coordination. Many users feel confused and disoriented, and codeine frequently impairs a user's ability to drive. Some individuals suffer from headaches, constipation, stomach pains and vomiting. More serious side effects include having trouble swallowing and breathing, experiencing vision changes, having seizures or convulsions and losing consciousness. Long-term side effects of codeine usage might include kidney damage, stomach bleeding, liver damage, sexual problems and addiction.

Addiction

• Codeine, like any other narcotic, has the risk of becoming an addiction when it is used continuously for more than two or three weeks. Because codeine is absorbed quickly from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and is rapidly spread to other body tissues, the drug loses very little of its potency and users feel the effects quite quickly. This fast-acting, long-lasting drug causes some individuals to strongly crave it. Codeine addicts are typically apathetic, uncoordinated and have dulled responses to physical and verbal stimuli. Codeine withdrawal can cause symptoms that last for months.