Codeine is an opioid analgesic that treats pain, diarrhea, and coughing. Codeine pills typically treat mild to acute degrees of pain. Codeine combinational medications such as codeine with acetaminophen (paracetamol) or codeine with an NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin or codeine with ibuprofen, may have more significant benefits than codeine itself.
Codeine is an oral medication with half an hour onset of action. It reaches peak concentration in the bloodstream within hours of intake. The therapeutic effects of codeine pills last for about four to six hours.
Codeine is a commonly used medication in the United States and the most widely used opioid in the world. List of Essential Medicines by the World Health Organization that contain the most effective and safe medicines required in a health system contain codeine.
Codeine dosages
Doctors should individually set the dosage regime for codeine, as with other opiates. Healthcare providers should keep the following points in mind before selecting the initial dose for a patient:
Daily dosage and potency of any previously taken opioids
Degree of patient’s opioid tolerance
Medical status and general condition of a patient
Concurrent medications of the patient
Type and intensity of pain
Risk factors of dependence, addiction, and abuse
The general adult dosage for analgesia is 15-60 milligrams given every four hours, as needed for pain relief. Do not surpass a daily dose of 360 milligrams.
Titrate the initial dose based upon individual patient’s response. Increase the doses to get the maximum level of analgesia for each patient according to the tolerance of patient and severity of pain.
Gradually decrease the daily dosages when a patient no longer requires treatment to prevent symptoms of withdrawal in physically or psychically dependent patients.
Codeine side effects
The most frequent codeine side effects are dizziness, sedation, lightheadedness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, sweating, constipation, and shortness of breath.
Severe adverse reactions of codeine are circulatory depression, respiratory depression, respiratory arrest, and cardiac arrest.
Other codeine side effects include:
Digestive System: anorexia, abdominal cramps, dry mouth, diarrhea, pancreatitis, and gastrointestinal distress
Cardiovascular System: flushing, faintness, palpitations, hypotension, and syncope
Skin and Appendages: rash, urticaria, and sweating
Nervous System: drowsiness, anxiety, headache, fatigue, nervousness, insomnia, somnolence, shakiness, visual disturbances, vertigo, and weakness
Codeine addiction
Codeine effects such as euphoria, apathy, and relaxation lead to its abuse and addiction. Psychically or physically dependent patients often develop codeine addiction. An addiction to codeine develops from continued abuse of the medication. Codeine is the gateway medication to drug abuse, including morphine or even heroin addiction. Some common signs of abuse include:
Sleepiness
Slurred speech
Short attention span
Judgment impairment
Dilated pupils
Lack or loss of coordination
Apathetic behavior
Warnings related to Codeine use
Buy codeine online after reading these warnings associated with the use of codeine:
The primary risk of codeine pills is respiratory depression. Overdose of the medication can cause life-threatening respiratory depression.
Codeine is a Schedule II controlled substance under the Controlled Substance Act. It has the potential for abuse and misuse.
Codeine causes severe interaction with certain drugs to produce central nervous system depression, hypotension, respiratory depression, or other fatal symptoms.
Codeine elevates cerebrospinal fluid pressure, especially in the presence of intracranial lesions or head injury.
The medication can cause severe hypotension, orthostatic hypotension, and syncope in ambulatory patients.
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