From Pharmacy News (AU):
Tighter controls on over-the-counter codeine combinations will not address the problem of misuse of the products and will put significant pressure on pharmacists, say the profession's peak bodies.
Both the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) have expressed disappointment with the National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee (NDPSC) decision to upschedule OTC combination analgesics containing codeine (CACC) to Schedule 3 in a bid to address concerns of misuse and abuse of the products.
The Guild said the scheduling changes would only mask the problem and were unlikely to influence individual misuse behaviour.
It said it was regrettable that the committee rejected its proposal to adopt real-time monitoring and reporting of these products through its NotifyRx technology, calling it a "missed opportunity". ...more
Showing posts with label codeine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label codeine. Show all posts
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Use of Codeine Products by Nursing Mothers
From Health Canada:
Health Canada is advising the public, especially nursing mothers, about the very rare but serious health risk to breastfed babies posed by codeine use in mothers. Once ingested, codeine is converted by the body into morphine. Some people convert codeine into morphine more rapidly and completely than others. The babies of nursing mothers who rapidly metabolize codeine may be at increased risk for morphine overdose due to higher-than-expected morphine levels in breast milk.
Codeine is found in prescription and non-prescription products used to relieve pain or to treat coughs. Despite the common use of codeine products to manage postpartum pain, reports of adverse events in infants are rare. However, awareness of this new information is important because in severe cases, infant death can occur.
For Health Professionals
For the Public
Health Canada is advising the public, especially nursing mothers, about the very rare but serious health risk to breastfed babies posed by codeine use in mothers. Once ingested, codeine is converted by the body into morphine. Some people convert codeine into morphine more rapidly and completely than others. The babies of nursing mothers who rapidly metabolize codeine may be at increased risk for morphine overdose due to higher-than-expected morphine levels in breast milk.
Codeine is found in prescription and non-prescription products used to relieve pain or to treat coughs. Despite the common use of codeine products to manage postpartum pain, reports of adverse events in infants are rare. However, awareness of this new information is important because in severe cases, infant death can occur.
For Health Professionals
For the Public
Saturday, August 23, 2008
MD wants codeine banned at hospital
From the Globe and Mail:
Canada's obstetricians say a study showing how a popular pain reliever can turn a mother's milk into a toxic brew for newborns has raised warning bells, with one doctor asking the country's busiest maternity hospital to yank the product off its shelves.
"My suggestion is that all obstetric units across this country remove T3s [Tylenol 3] from their obstetric formulary," said perinatologist Peter von Dadelszen, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of British Columbia.
"... I've actually contacted the hospital leadership [at BC Women's Hospital] asking that it be yanked completely so we no longer have it available."
Also yesterday, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada said it will meet next week with the Canadian Pediatric Society to discuss the best and safest pain relief for nursing mothers - with an eye to having a guideline on the subject by 2009, said its executive vice-president, André Lalonde.
"We don't want to panic people here. There's kind of a warning bell going out there, but we need a lot more studies to see it," Dr. Lalonde said in an interview from Ottawa. "The general advice is to take the smallest dose possible." ...more
Canada's obstetricians say a study showing how a popular pain reliever can turn a mother's milk into a toxic brew for newborns has raised warning bells, with one doctor asking the country's busiest maternity hospital to yank the product off its shelves.
"My suggestion is that all obstetric units across this country remove T3s [Tylenol 3] from their obstetric formulary," said perinatologist Peter von Dadelszen, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of British Columbia.
"... I've actually contacted the hospital leadership [at BC Women's Hospital] asking that it be yanked completely so we no longer have it available."
Also yesterday, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada said it will meet next week with the Canadian Pediatric Society to discuss the best and safest pain relief for nursing mothers - with an eye to having a guideline on the subject by 2009, said its executive vice-president, André Lalonde.
"We don't want to panic people here. There's kind of a warning bell going out there, but we need a lot more studies to see it," Dr. Lalonde said in an interview from Ottawa. "The general advice is to take the smallest dose possible." ...more
Codeine bad for some breast-fed babies: study
From the Globe and Mail:
Nearly one-quarter of babies whose mothers took codeine while breastfeeding showed signs of central nervous system depression, according to a new study, suggesting the drug can transform mother's milk into a troubling brew.
Specifically, 17 of 72 babies became sedated or experienced abnormal breathing, including one who narrowly avoided a tragic reaction, according to Hospital for Sick Children researchers in collaboration with the University of Western Ontario.
“You cannot continue to give it [codeine] like candies,” Gideon Koren, lead author of the study published in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, said in a telephone interview. “… In some cases, this can be life-threatening.”
Codeine is extremely prevalent: Dr. Koren estimated as many as 120,000 Canadian women a year receive the drug after childbirth. And although it has been known that some mothers carry multiple copies of a gene capable of converting the common pain reliever into strong concentrations of morphine, he said the study suggests the pharmacological phenomenon is broader than initially thought. ...more
Nearly one-quarter of babies whose mothers took codeine while breastfeeding showed signs of central nervous system depression, according to a new study, suggesting the drug can transform mother's milk into a troubling brew.
Specifically, 17 of 72 babies became sedated or experienced abnormal breathing, including one who narrowly avoided a tragic reaction, according to Hospital for Sick Children researchers in collaboration with the University of Western Ontario.
“You cannot continue to give it [codeine] like candies,” Gideon Koren, lead author of the study published in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, said in a telephone interview. “… In some cases, this can be life-threatening.”
Codeine is extremely prevalent: Dr. Koren estimated as many as 120,000 Canadian women a year receive the drug after childbirth. And although it has been known that some mothers carry multiple copies of a gene capable of converting the common pain reliever into strong concentrations of morphine, he said the study suggests the pharmacological phenomenon is broader than initially thought. ...more
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Codeine-laden painkillers stay on sale
Note: Nurofen Plus is a combination of ibuprofen and codeine.
From News.com.au:
Heavy-duty painkillers containing codeine will remain available over the counter but pack sizes could be reduced to stop drug abuse, a government committee has ruled.
Doctors and pharmacists have welcomed a decision not to reclassify codeine combination medicines such as Nurofen Plus as prescription-only.
The drug class was under investigation due to mounting claims of serious medical complications among addicted Australians, with one online forum suggesting 7000 people were hooked.
A report released last month linked high use to serious side-effects, like perforated stomach ulcers and renal failure, and death. ...more
Monday, August 20, 2007
Codeine can be toxic to breastfed babies: FDA
From CTV News:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning that nursing infants may be at risk of morphine overdose if their mothers take codeine and have a genetic mutation that makes them ultra-rapid metabolizers of the painkiller.
The agency issued the warning Friday after reviewing information on the subject, including a medical journal report about the death of a 13-day old breastfed infant who died from morphine overdose.
The morphine levels in the mother's milk were found to be abnormally high after taking small doses of codeine prescribed to treat pain for an episiotomy (a procedure to enlarge the vaginal opening before childbirth.). ...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning that nursing infants may be at risk of morphine overdose if their mothers take codeine and have a genetic mutation that makes them ultra-rapid metabolizers of the painkiller.
The agency issued the warning Friday after reviewing information on the subject, including a medical journal report about the death of a 13-day old breastfed infant who died from morphine overdose.
The morphine levels in the mother's milk were found to be abnormally high after taking small doses of codeine prescribed to treat pain for an episiotomy (a procedure to enlarge the vaginal opening before childbirth.). ...more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)