Codeine Side Effects

If you experience any symptoms such as difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, tongue, lips, or throat, seek emergency medical immediately. If a child talking this medication has any life-threatening symptoms such as blue colored lips; noisy breathing, sighing, slow breathing with long pauses between breaths; being unusually sleepy or hard to wake up, get emergency medical help immediately.

Severe side effects:

• seizure (convulsions)
• problems with urination
• confusion, agitation, hallucinations, unusual thoughts or behavior
• feeling as you might pass out
• slow heart rate, weak pulse, fainting, shallow breathing
• feelings of extreme happiness or sadness, or
• dependance on the medicine

Common side effects:

• sweating
• contraction of the pupils
• nausea, vomiting, stomach pain
• constipation
• dry mouth
• mild itching or rash
• feeling dizzy or drowsy
• flushing
• decreased sex drive

Warnings & Recalls for Codeine

Black Box Warning

Codeine causes severe drowsiness, therefore patients on Codeine should not operate machinery.

Other warnings

Codeine is a habit-forming drug that shouldn't be shared with anyone else, especially someone who has a history of drug abuse or addiction. Be sure to take as directed by your doctor for the time he prescribed and not in large amounts. Inform your doctor if the medicine stops relieving your pain or if symptoms persist despite treatment.

A doctor's note is required for travelers traveling abroad explaining why codeine is necessary.

Don't drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how codeine will affect you. Also older adults may be more sensitive to the effects of this medication.

Alcohol and drugs

Drinking alcohol while on codeine is strongly not advised because there are dangerous side effects that can occur if you mix alcohol with a narcotic pain medication, including death. Make sure that none of your food or medicine labels contain alcohol. Do not take codeine with any other narcotic pain medication.

Inform your doctor if you are taking any of the following because they should not be used concurrently with codeine:

• buprenorphine (Buprenex, Subutex)
• nalbuphine (Nubain)
• prentazocine (Talwin)
• butorphanol (Stadol)

Do not take codeine if you have:

• gallbladder disease
• an intestinal disorder
• epilepsy or other seizure disorder
• an intestinal disorder
• liver or kidney disease
• mental illness
• a history of drug or alcoholic addiction
• asthma, COPD, sleep apnea, or other breathing disorders
• a pancreas disorder
• low blood pressure
• Addison's disease or other adrenal gland disorders
• a history of head injury or brain tumor
• curvature of the spine
• enlarged prostate, urination problems or
• under-active thyroid

Family planning

The FDA categorized Codeine in pregnancy category C. It is unknown whether codeine will harm the fetus, however it can cause a newborn to have an addiction or withdrawal symptoms if the mother takes codeine during pregnancy. Be sure to tell your doctor if you are pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant while on this medication.

Codeine can pass to the newborn through breast milk and may harm a nursing infant with life-threatening side effects. Do not use codeine without telling your doctor that you are breast-feeding.

Codeine Treatment and Use

What is Codeine?

Codeine is an opioid pain medication that is sometimes referred to as a narcotic. It is used to treat mild to moderately severe pain, relieve cough and severe diarrhea.

How does Codeine work?

It treats pain by mimicking the action of naturally occurring pain-reducing chemicals called endorphins.When codeine treats a cough it works by reducing the nerve signals sent from a part of the brain called the coughing centre to the muscles that produce coughing. Codeine treats severe diarrhea by acting on opioid receptors that are found in the muscles lining the walls of the intestines.

Dosage information

Do not take longer than recommended by doctor and do not consume Codeine in large amounts. Take medication exactly as prescribed, never any more or longer than recommended by your doctor. A special dose-measuring spoon or medicine cup should be used to measure liquid medicine. Be sure to drink 6 to 8 full glasses of water daily to prevent constipation. If the medicine should upset your stomach, it can be taken with food or milk to help. After you stop taking this medication, as instructed by your doctor, flush all unused pills down the toilet.

The usual Adult use for cough:
Initial dose: 15 mg orally every 6 hours as necessary.
The dosage can increase up to 20 mg every 4 hours.
Maximum of 120 mg/day.

The usual Adult dose for pain:
Initial dose: 20 mg orally, IM, subscutaneously, or IV every 6 hours as necessary.
The dosage may increase to get desired analgesic effect.
The maximum is 60 mg orally, IM, subcutaneously, or IV every 4 hours have been used.

The usual Geriatric dose for  cough:
Initial dose: 10 mg orally every 6 hours as necessary.
The dosage can increase up to 20 mg every 4 hours.
Maximum 120 mg/day.

The usual Geriatric dose for pain:
Initial dose: 15 mg orally, IM, subscutaneously, or IV every 6 hours as necessary.
Dosage can increase to achieve desired analgesic effect.
The maximum can be 60 mg orally, IM, subcutaneously, or IV every 4 hours.

The usual Pediatric dose for cough:
2-6 years: 2.5 to 5 mg orally every 4-6 hours.
The maximum is 30 mg/day.

6-12 years: 5 to 10 mg orally every 4-6 hours.
The maximum is 60 mg/day

The usual Pediatric dose for pain:
>=1 years: 0.5 mg/m2 orally, IM, or subvutaneously every 4-6 hours as needed.

Other Names for Codeine

Brand names:

Altec

Altec P

Altec Syrup

Apidin

Ascoril -C (100 ml)

Ascoril -C (50 ml)

Bronolax

C -Kof

Carion

Cirocod Linctus

Co Cof

Cocof Cough Lincutus (100 ml)

Codeb

Codectuss

Codeine -Sulfate (60 ml)

Codifen

Codin Linctus

Codine Sulphate (100 ml)

Codinol Plus

Codirex

Coridex (100 ml)

Codirich (100 ml)

Codirich (60 ml)

Codistar

Codistar (100 ml)

Codistar Plush (400 mg)

Codo Q

Codokuff

Codomolindon

Codoplus

Codopyrin

Codoric Cough

Codoris

Codsy

Codwin

Codyl

Codylex (100 ml)

Codylex (50 ml)

Codylex Linctus

Codylex Linctus (100 ml)

Codylex Plus

Codzi

Cofcodyl

Cofcodyl (120 ml)

Cofrex

Cofwin

Combidin

Comtus Lintus

Cophedrin

Corex

Corex (100 ml)

Cozin Forte

Cozin Linctus

Cozin Linctus (100 ml)

Creso

Cufex Cough

D Cuf

Daslin CD

Dialex DC

Diapyrin

Dicodin

Diphecol -C (100 ml)

Diphecol -C (50 ml)

Dolokoff

Dristan Exp

Dristan Expectorant

Ecodil

Elcodin

Eltuss -C

Ephrilime

Ephriline Forte

Eskuf

Eskuf -AL

Exiplon (100 ml)

Exiplon (50 ml)

Faringodyl

Fendyl

Fendyl (100 ml)

Genoseyl

Gycodin Cough Syrup

Clycodin Cough Syrup (100 ml)

Indikof -C

Instacodin

Jadyl

Kavrex

Kodekof

Kodiwiz

Kofarest C

Kofex

Kofex (50 ml)

M Kofdryl

M Kofdryl (100 ml)

Mits Linctus Codeinae

Mits Linctus Codeinae Co (60 ml)

MITS Linctus Codeinae Co.

Narcogin Forte

Neofebrin

Ocimel With Codeine

Oncodin

Oscodin

Osorex

Osorex (120 ml)

Ospidyne

Otodril

Paracod

Paracod (500+30)

Paracold

Parcodin

Phenodine

Phensedyl Cough

Phensedyl Cough (100 ml)

Phensedyl Linctus (50 ml)

Planokuf Cough (100 ml)

Planokuf Cough (60 ml)

Procodyl

Procodyl (100 ml)

Pycof Plus

Recorix

Respeline CS

Rexcof Plus

Rhytuss

Sercodyl

Sinact CS

Sorex (100 ml)

Spasmindon Inj

Spasmindon Inj (10 ml)

T W C

Tbrox -CD (100 ml)

Tossex

Tricodeine Linctus

Tricoiene

Trox

Tuscof -C

Twc 30

Zimalgin

 

Lawsuits & Legal Information for Codeine