Codeine- What a pain.

More warnings this week over the very popular painkiller codeine as fears keep growing over its safety. Around 27 million packets of codeine containing painkillers are sold over the counter each year in the UK with brands such as nurofen plus, solpadeine max, panadol extra and syndol. The problem may be that too much codeine which is broken down in the body to morphine may be unsafe, addictive, ineffictive and should not be used by children who metabolise drugs differently to adults. It is feared that many people become addictive to these types of drugs with some people taking up to 70 tablets a day. The problem is the unpredictability in each person in the way we handle codeine and several cough medicine products have been shown not to relieve coughs especially in children. Indeed, many such products routinely sold in chemists are like this as most minor coughs and colds clear up in  a few days anyway. Perhaps it is time to try more of a natural way to beat sore throats an colds such as a hot lemon drink with ginger and honey- even if it doesn’t work it won’t hurt you!

Kevin 26/10/10