An announcement on the regulatory agency’s website says that evaluation of all the available information is being done by experts and advice from external experts will also be sought.
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FDA also advises parents and caregivers to read the product label enclosed in the medicine box to determine if a drug contains codeine and discuss with the child’s pediatrician or pharmacists if there are any questions and/ or concerns.
In 2013, the FDA added its strongest warning against prescribing codeine after surgery to remove tonsils or adenoids in children. Wednesday’s announcement urged parents, or the primary caregiver, to watch for signs of adverse reactions to codeine. Presently, FDA examines possible risks associated with cough medicine, raising awareness over the fact that codeine brings side effects that could prove threatening to children’s lives.
Despite all of these warnings, a research project has pointed out that many doctors are sill using the drug. About 870,000 prescriptions for codeine cough syrup were written every year for children of all ages. The study mentions that the risk group includes children aged 8 to 12.
Our bodies convert Codeine into opioid morphine, but they there is no standard for how fast the transformation actually is. Others metabolize it too quickly. Of course, both of these regiments can lead to overdose. Doctors typically recommend patients to take this drug in conjunction with other over-the-counter and prescription medications.
Caution should be used when prescribing children codeine-containing medications for cough and cold, the FDA warned.
Cough syrups and codeine pills that fight against severe cough seizures are very popular and represent the best and easiest way to set us free from the unnerving effects of the affection. Those sleepless nights of coughing up a lung are replaced with a drug-induced haze. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended against prescribing codeine to children since 1997.
This decision was made after the statement issued by European Medicines Agency in April.
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The FDA announced that cough syrup must not be used by children under the age of 12 or by children between the ages of 12 and 18 who suffer from chronic breathing problems. The agency cited side effects such as “slowed or difficulty breathing” as the chief reason for the recommendation.
