Codeine or methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive and antidiarrheal properties. It is marketed as the salts codeine sulfate and codeine phosphate. Codeine hydrochloride is more commonly marketed in continental Europe and other regions.
Codeine is an alkaloid found in opium in concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 3.0 percent. While codeine can be extracted from opium, most codeine is synthesized from morphine through the process of O-methylation. The chemical name of codeine phosphate is 7,8-Didehydro-4,5alpha-epoxy-3-methoxy-17-methyl morphinan-6alpha-ol phosphate (1:1) (salt) hemi-hydrate.
Codeine Dosage & Administration:
Each soluble tablet contains 30 mg (0.074 mmol) or 60 mg (0.15 mmol) of codeine phosphate. Codeine is safe at dosage from 10-60mg at once. However, when Codeine is used recreationally it is between 60mg to 400 mg in one shot. If an individual uses more than 400 mg in one shot, it exceeds the amount of drug the liver can metabolize at once which means that it will be wasted. Codeine is usually taken orally, rectally (via the anus) and is also given as a shot. It is never, however, be snorted, smoked or injected intravenously.
Codeine Prescription:
Codeine is medically prescribed for the relief of moderate pain and cough suppression. It is made into tablets either alone or in combination with aspirin or acetaminophen (i.e., Tylenol with Codeine,). As a cough suppressant, codeine is found in a number of liquid preparations. Codeine is also used to a lesser extent as an injectable solution for the treatment of pain.
Codeine Abuse:
Codeine products are largely diverted from legitimate sources to the illicit market where it forms the daily dose of a large chunk of drug abusers. Prescription drug abuse involves multi-billion dollar market in the US alone and codeine is a significant ?contributor? to it!
Euphoric effects associated with opiates are one of the major reasons for wide spread codeine usage. Easy availability of codeine further promotes its use for recreational purposes. Codeine can be obtained either over the counter in low doses or through prescription combination drugs.
Effects of Codeine Abuse:
Just like any other prescription drug abuse, Codeine abuse is largely reflected in the physiological state of health of a drug abuser. There are many common adverse drug reactions that are associated with the use of codeine. These include - euphoria, itching, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dry mouth, miosis (pupil shortening), orthostatic hypotension, urinary retention and constipation. Compared to morphine, codeine produces less analgesia, sedation, and respiratory depression, and is usually taken orally. However, as with most other drugs, prolonged use of codeine results in development of tolerance to many of its effects and thus, abuser also becomes tolerant to its therapeutic effects.
Prescription Laws:
In the United States, Codiene is regulated by the Controlled Substances Act. It is a controlled substance for pain-relief products containing codeine alone or more than 90 mg per dosage unit. Preparations for cough or diarrhea containing small amounts of codeine in combination with two or more other active ingredients may be dispensed in amounts up to 4 fl. oz. per 48 hours without a prescription. In locales where dilute codeine preparations are non-prescription, anywhere from very few to perhaps a moderate percentage of pharmacists will sell these preparations without a prescription.
Codeine Testing:
There is diverse array of techniques available to test for drug abuse and codeine is no exception. It can be detected using any of the following methods:
?Urine based codeine testing ?Hair follicle based Codeine detection ?Gas Chromatography based Codeine detection ?Mass spectrometry based Codeine testing ?Codeine-specific Antibody based detection kits
Most of the codeine is excreted within 24 hours. However, 5% to 15% of codeine remains unchanged and some part may also exist as a product of glucuronide conjugates of codeine and its metabolites which may be detected by above said methods.
These are the mild analgesic agents of the opioid category which are frequently used to treat mild to moderate pain. These are also used as antitussive i.e. a medicine used to suppress or relieve coughing.
Use & Abuse:
Dextropropoxyphene, like codeine, is a weak opioid. However, approximately 10-20% of the Caucasian population is unable to metabolize codeine, so dextropropoxyphene is particularly useful with such people. In pure form, dextropropoxyphene is commonly used to ease the withdrawal symptoms in people addicted to opioids. Being very weak in comparison to the opioids that are commonly abused, dextropropoxyphene can only act as a "partial" substitute. It does not have much effect on mental cravings; however it can be effective in alleviating physical withdrawal effects, such as muscle cramps.
Dextropropoxyphene has been a subject to some controversy. While many physicians prescribe it for a wide range of mildly to moderately painful symptoms as well as for treatment of diarrhea, many others refuse to prescribe it, citing its highly addictive nature and limited effectiveness.
Tylenol:
It is a popular American brand of drugs for relieving pain, reducing fever, and relieving the symptoms of allergies, cold, cough, and the flu. The active ingredient of its original, flagship product, acetaminophen (called "paracetamol" outside North America), is marketed for headaches, fever, muscle and body pain, arthritis, and joint pain. Like the words "acetaminophen" and "paracetamol", the brand name is derived from the chemical name for the compound, N-acetyl-para-aminophenol (APAP). It is available over the counter without prescription, has few side effects, and reacts with very few medications. Acetaminophen is also found in other narcotic based analgesics such as Percocet which contains oxycodone. However, some classes of stronger pain relievers also contain codeine.
Darvon:
Darvon is a pure dextropropoxyphene preparation available in the U.S. that does not contain acetaminophen (Tylenol). It was made by Eli Lilly. It came under heavy fire in 1978 by consumer groups which said that Darvon was associated with suicide. Darvon was never withdrawn from the market, but Lilly has waged a sweeping, and largely successful, campaign among doctors, pharmacists and Darvon users to defend the drug as safe when it is used in proper doses and not mixed with alcohol.
Darvocet:
In the United States, dextropropoxyphene hydrochloric acid is available as a prescription formulation with acetaminophen (Tylenol) in ratio anywhere from 30mg / 600mg to 100mg / 650mg, respectively. These are usually named as Darvocet.
Dextropropoxyphene/Acetaminophen Testing:
A diverse array of techniques is available to test for drug abuse and Dextropropoxyphenes and/or acetaminophen containing compounds are no exception. As shown in the figure below, some amount of acetaminophen remains unchanged while rest of it forms different metabolites. Same is true for Dextropropoxyphenes and derivative compounds like Darvon.
Tylenols & Darvocets can be detected by acetaminophen specific methods while Darvons can be detected by Dextropropoxyphene specific methods, be it urine or hair drug testing based, GC/MS based diagnostic techniques or Antibody based kits.
These unchanged Dextropropoxyphenes & acetaminophen compounds and their metabolized products can be detected using any of the following methods:
?Urine based Dextropropoxyphene/acetaminophen/metabolite testing ?Hair follicle based Dextropropoxyphene/acetaminophen/metabolite detection ?GC based Dextropropoxyphene/acetaminophen/metabolite detection ?Mass spec based Dextropropoxyphene/acetaminophen/metabolite testing ?Dextropropoxyphene / acetaminophen / metabolite-specific antibody based diagnostic kits
Tarun Gupta has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Medical Condition and Health. This Article is written by Tarun Gupta, the author of , a longer version of this article is located at. Tarun Gupta's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.