'Left side' of Codeine

Mai Ha

Codeine can cause chronic sleepiness or drug overdose signs in newborns. Food and Drug Administration - FDA warns that this is rare but the codeine side effects are very serious. In the 2006 FDA report, there was an infant who died when his mother was assigned codeine to relieve pain while using a closed incision procedure at birth.

Subsequent gene testing revealed that the maternal body transformed the codeine into morphine faster and more fully than the average person. This leads to a much higher level of morphine in breast milk.

While the conversion of codeine to morphine is a rare side effect in some women, it may have consequences that are high and unsafe in their blood and milk. This is an FDA warning.

Based on the risk of genetic factors, FDA recommends that doctors should prescribe women with very small amounts of codeine in the shortest time. At the same time, doctors should also monitor more closely both mother and child after birth.

FDA added that, in young children, signs of overdose besides morphine or sleepiness are also symptoms of difficulty breastfeeding or difficulty breathing and weakness. Women who are breastfeeding also have overdose manifestations such as very sleepy, often confused, confused, deep breathing or constipation.

Codeine is an ingredient in many pain relievers and syrups. The FDA has also asked pharmaceutical companies to specify more information about potential risks for pregnant women with young children who have extremely fast codeine metabolism.