Codeine-containing cough medicine dangerous for children

Drug Administration: Check the dangers of cough medicine

04/13/2014

Medicines containing codeine may have some life-threatening effects on children and adolescents. The European Medicines Agency has now launched a review procedure aimed at reassessing the relationship between the benefits and risks of such cough medicine.

Reassess benefits and risks
Because of possible risks, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) wants to restrict the use of codeine-containing cough medicine. Especially for children and adolescents, these medicines should be life threatening. As announced on Friday, at the request of the BfArM, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) initiated a similar investigation. This is intended to reassess the relationship between benefits and risks in the treatment of children.

Several deadly or life-threatening cases
The codeine, which has been known for decades, is used for the treatment of pain as well as for the treatment of irritating cough. Codeine works by being converted to morphine by an endogenous enzyme. However, patients with a specific genetic predisposition convert the drug to morphine very quickly. This can lead to symptoms of poisoning and, for example, impair breathing. Therefore, the use of codeine-containing medicines for the treatment of pain in children had already been significantly reduced in 2013. Since then it is no longer allowed to use these funds in children under twelve years. Treatment with codeine may cause the breathing in children to flatten or even stop altogether. Before the restrictions were several fatal or life-threatening cases of respiratory depression, so a significantly slower breathing in children become known.

Parents should be advised of the risks of codeine treatment
As the BfArM explained, the new risk assessment procedure should minimize the risk of treating coughs as well. Accordingly, the new method also includes codeine-containing medicines for colds. However, unlike some other European countries, these are not allowed in Germany. Doctors are advised to prescribe codeine only after careful benefit-risk assessment at the lowest effective dose and for the shortest possible duration of treatment. In addition, parents should be advised of possible risks before coughing their children with codeine and should inform a doctor immediately if breathing is slowed down.

Home remedies for cough
In many cases, it does not seem appropriate to take medicines immediately when coughing, since they prevent natural coughing as a defense against the immune system. However, there are numerous home remedies for cough that offer good and tolerable help. It is important to drink a lot, preferably warm water or tea. For the relief of coughing, there are also various wraps, full baths with essential oils as an additive and inhalation with salt. In the well-known home remedy hot milk with honey, however, caution is advised, since milk should only be drunk when the cough is still dry. Because once mucus has formed, milk would only increase mucus production and thus make the cough worse. (Ad)