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Codeine Phosphate: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Interactions, Warning

What is Codeine Phosphate, and how can it be used?
Codeine Phosphate, a prescription medication used to manage mild to moderately severe symptoms of pain, is available as a generic medicine. Codeine Phosphate is available as a single medication or combined with other medications.

Codeine Phosphate is part of a group of drugs known as Analgesics or Opioids.

It is not yet known if Codeine Phosphate has any safety or effectiveness in children.
What are possible side effects of Codeine phosphate?

Codeine Phosphate may cause serious side effects including:

Noisy breathing
sighing,
Deep breathing
Sleeping that causes breathing to stop is called “breathing cessation”.
Slow heart rate
Low pulse
lightheadedness,
confusion,
You may have unusual thoughts or behaviors
Extreme happiness or extreme sadness are feelings.
convulsions (seizures),
Probleme with urination
nausea,
vomiting,
Loss of appetite
dizziness, and
worsening tiredness and weakness

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, seek immediate medical attention.

Codeine Phosphate has the following side effects:

Feeling dizzy, or drowsy
constipation,
nausea,
It is possible to vomit.
stomach pain

Talk to your doctor if you have side effects or discomfort that persist.

These are only a few possible side effects of Codeine Phosphate. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Codeine is an alkaloid that can be obtained from opium, or methylated from morphine. It forms white crystals. Codeine blooms slowly in dry conditions and is affected by light. The chemical name of codeine phosphate is 7,8-Didehydro-4,5alpha-epoxy-3-methoxy-17-methylmorphinan-6alpha-ol phosphate (1:1)(salt) hemihydrate and has the empirical formula of C18H21NO3*H3PO4*1/2H20. It has a molecular weight of 406.4.

Pain Med UK is a site where you are able to buy Codeine Phosphate.

Each soluble tablet contains either 30 mg (0.74 mmol), or 60 mg (0.15 mgmol) of codeinephosphate. These tablets also have sucrose and lactose.

Soluble tablets containing codeinephosphate can be dissolved in water. They can be used for preparation of parenteral administration solutions. These tablets do not contain any sterile ingredients. Codeinephosphate is an analgesic.
INDICATIONS

Codeine Phosphate is an analgesic that can be used for mild to moderate pain relief.
DOSAGE and ADMINISTRATION

Analgesia: The dosage should be adjusted in accordance with the severity of pain and patient response.

Adults: 15 to 60% of the usual adult dose (30 mg)

Children: 1 Year Old and Older – 0.25 mg/kg of B.D. Weight, or 15 mg/m2 for b.d. Surface every 4 to 6-hours.

Soluble tablets of codeinephosphate are subcutaneously administered or intramuscularly.

For injection, solutions should be prepared from sterile liquid and filtered through a 0.22 Membrane Filter.

Take care not to use any solution that is more discolored than the color of water or has precipitate.


SIDE EFFECTS

Most common adverse reactions are dizziness, lightheadedness (sedation), nausea, vomiting, and sedation. These symptoms are more prevalent in patients who are ambulatory, than in those who aren’t. However, some of these adverse reactions can be reduced if the patient lies down.

Other adverse reactions include euphoria or dysphoria. Constipation is also possible.

Drug Abuse, Dependence and Substance Use

Controlled Substance Codeine Phosphate is a Schedule II Narcotic.

Dependence

Even though codeine is not as potent in this respect than morphine it can lead to drug dependence. Codeine has the potential to be misused. 60 mg codeine is given every 6 hours for 2 month. Patients usually experience some tolerance and mild withdrawal symptoms. An increased tolerance to analgesics and the appearance purposive phenomena such as complaints, pleas or manipulative actions shortly before the next scheduled dose are signs of dependency. The hospital should treat patients suffering from withdrawal. It is not necessary to give supportive care or administer a tranquilizer to control anxiety. A replacement drug may be required for severe withdrawal symptoms.
DRUG INTERACTIONS

Codeine combined with other narcotic painkillers, general anesthetics and tranquilizers can cause depressant effects. Combination therapy should be avoided if one or both of the agents are being used.


PRECAUTIONS

General

Head Injury and Increased intracranial Pressure: In the presence of intracranial lesion, head injury, or an increase in intracranial pressure, the respiratory depressant effects and capacity to elevate cerebrospinal fluid pressure of narcotics may be exaggerated. Additionally, adverse reactions can occur that could affect the clinical course of patients with head injury.

Acute Abdominal Condition: Patients with acute abdominal problems may not be able to see the doctor or follow-up.

Special-Risk patients: Codeine should only be given to the elderly and debilitated, as well as those with severe impairment of their renal or liver function, hypothyroidism and Addison’s disease, prostatic hypertrophy and urethral stricture.

Codeine phosphate can cause liver or kidney dysfunction.

Information for the Patient

Codeine can impair mental and/or physically abilities necessary for performing potentially hazardous tasks like driving a car, or operating machinery. Codeine taken in combination with other narcotic pain relievers, phenothiazines or sedative hypnotics and alcohol can cause depressant side effects.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy Category A Animal reproduction studies with codeinephosphate have not been done. It is unknown if codeinephosphate can cause fetal harm or affect reproduction. There is no evidence that codeinephosphate can cause fetal abnormalities. This is based on the history of its use throughout pregnancy. A pregnant woman should only be given codeine phosphate if she is clearly in need.

Delivery and Labor

It is possible for codeine phosphate to prolong labor during obstetrics. It may pass the placental barriers and cause depression of respiration in newborns. If severe depression is present, it may be necessary to provide emergency care.

Mothers of Nursing

Codeine can be found in milk from nursing mothers. It is important to be cautious when codeine is administered to nursing mothers.

Overdosage & Contraindications
DO NOT OVERDOSE

Signs and symptoms

Codeine is metabolized into morphine, and the effects of codeine are similar to those experienced with morphine and other opioid analgesics. Overdose symptoms include respiratory depression, sedation, miosis, and other common symptoms such as sedation. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting and skeletal muscle flaccidity. Children can experience apnea and even death after taking as little as 5 mg/kg. A noncardiac cause of pulmonary edema is opioid overdose. It may be possible to monitor your heart pressure and prevent further complications.

Treatment

The Certified Regional Control Center can be a valuable resource to get the most current information on overdose treatment. In the beginning of Physicians GenRx, you will find a list of telephone numbers for certified poison control centers. You should be aware of the possibility that your patient may have multiple drug overdoses or interaction with other drugs. Also, take into consideration unusual drug kinetics.

Naloxone blocks most effects of codeine. Naloxone can cause vomiting, so protect your airway. Naloxone is less effective than codeine in terms of its duration of action. Repeated doses may need to be taken. If naloxone is administered to patients who are addicted to opioids, withdrawal symptoms may occur. It may cause yawning, tearing and restlessness as well as dilated pupils, dilated pupils or diarrhea. This condition usually disappears quickly once the effects of Naloxone wear off.

Protect the patient’s lungs and provide ventilation. Monitoring and maintaining the patient’s vital indicators, blood gases, and serum electrolytes within acceptable limits is a must. Giving activated charcoal to the patient may reduce drug absorption. In many cases, activated charcoal is more effective than emesis and lavage. The elimination of certain drugs that have been absorbed may be accelerated by repeated intakes of charcoal. When using charcoal or gastric emptying, ensure that the patient has a clean airway.

For an overdose of codeine, it is not recommended to use hemodialysis or force diuresis.
CONTRAINDICATIONS

Hypersensitivity to codine
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY

Codeinephosphate is a centrally activated analgesic. 120mg of codeinephosphate is administered parenterally and produces the same analgesic effect as 10mg of morphine. Other actions include respiratory depression, depression and activation the vomiting center, antidiuretic hormone release, activation the vomiting center, pupillary constriction, a decrease gastric, pancreatic or biliary production, a reduction of intestinal motility, an increase of biliary pressure, and an amplitude of urinary contractions.

In between 10 and 30 minutes, you will feel analgesia after intramuscular or subcutaneous injections. The effects last for between 4 to 6 hours.

A majority of a codeine dose is excreted in 24 hours. The remaining 5% to 15% is unchanged codeine, and the remainder is glucuronide conjugates.