Effects of Codeine Abuse in Adolescents

One of the main reasons codeine abuse is prevalent is because of its easy availability.

Codeine, generally classified as a narcotic, is an opiate that is, also, known as methylmorphine. Often used as a painkiller, codeine is a narcotic because it slows down the functioning of the body. It can even be bought from pharmacies. Codeine is typically taken orally, as either a tablet of pure codeine or a pill that combines aspirin or acetaminophen with the narcotic. Young adults and college students are often in an accident, which requires them to take painkillers such as codeine.

When a person consumes codeine it is partially converted into morphine by their body, to increase the effectiveness of the drug. Codeine abuse side effects include analgesia, pain relief, euphoria, itchiness, nausea, vomiting, miosis, urinary retention, and depression. Codeine may result in sexual dysfunctions. Prolonged use of codeine leads to the development of a tolerance to the side effects. The narcotic is known to also cause respiratory depression in a person, depending on the dose taken. An addict is liable to develop a physical dependency to the drug, which will lead to withdrawal. If taken in large doses, drug addiction to codeine can be potentially fatal.

The majority of people struggling from codeine abuse are young adults, or college students. It is crucial to get any codeine addict help because it will disrupt the person’s entire life. Traditional drug rehab treatment methods for codeine addiction – include therapy along with medicinal treatment to lessen the pain of withdrawal. After the first year, less than 10% of people stay sober . The Weismann method of Detoxification is done under anesthesia. This offers a humane and effective treatment solution for the patients, including the correction the chemical imbalances, psychological evaluations and latest medical advancement to control cravings. Rapid drug detoxification, known as Accelerated Neuro Regulation, has the highest success rate in treating opiate dependency. In this treatment, the body’s opiate receptors are cleaned while the patient is anaesthetized. Codeine detoxification can be difficult because the drug is an opiate, causing both long-term mental and physical addiction.

There are therapeutic communities located in residential settings that use a hierarchical model that have proven themselves successful in treating codeine addicts. The treatment stages reflect increased levels of personal and social responsibility. Taken exactly as prescribed, codeine can be used to manage pain effectively for a short period of time. Many studies have shown that properly managed medical use of codeine is safe and rarely causes clinical addiction.

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