Codeine-containing drugs - a drug or a medicine?

In pharmaceutics, codeine is known to be an effective analgesic, therefore, along with such components as analgin, amidopyrine and caffeine, it is part of preparations for the treatment of neuralgic and other types of pain. Is an opium-containing drug. Codeine is produced by the methylation reaction of morphine.

Not so long ago, codeine was considered a completely innocuous component of drugs, the main side effect of which were insomnia and increased excitability. The fact that the codeine-containing drugs are addictive for a long time even the doctors could not guess. The first anxiety was scored by American doctors, drawing attention to the fact that patients who took cough syrups complained of irritability, loss of appetite, and digestive problems after the end of treatment. Unpleasant symptoms disappeared, it was necessary to resume taking medications. Of course, addiction to codeine does not occur in a single day, but even a couple of weeks is enough to form a dependency. Codeine is especially dangerous for children and adolescents. Recall that the list of codeine-containing drugs includes such fashionable drugs as "Nurofen" and "Solpadein."

Of course, physical dependence on codeine is not as dangerous as psychological. Especially when it comes to taking the drug in therapeutic doses. This dependence is treatable, although it will take time and money to do this. But it is much more terrible, when the codeine-containing preparations in large doses the person starts to take consciously, trying to avoid problems.

The pronounced effect of taking codeine is excitability, talkativeness, speech disinhibition. In many ways, its effect is similar to cocaine: energy is the key, you do not want to sleep at all. A turbid state of consciousness does not allow us to evaluate reality. Naturally, any life problems recede into the background. The use of shock doses of codeine after a few doses is addictive.

Codeine-containing drugs, in fact, are the same drug as all the others. Uncontrolled, unregulated use of dosage forms containing codeine often leads to deep depressive conditions. It also detrimental to the body, destroying it from the inside and outside. It is difficult to get rid of the psychological craving for codeine. This requires a long rehabilitation course. But the biggest danger is that most drug addicts to heroin and desomorphine come through "wheels" and "grass". Over time, they need large doses of the drug to forget and disconnect.

Use codeine-containing drugs not for the intended purpose started today. Drug addicts have long discovered the method of obtaining desomorphine in artisanal conditions, and it is codeine that is the raw material for it.

In the opinion of the chief narcologist of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Bryun, a quarter of all Russian drug users take desomorphine. As you know, this substance is very toxic, therefore the dezomorphic man's age is very short. The drug causes rapid addiction, often enough one - two injections. It sounds terrible, but to date, dezomorfin or, as it is called, "crocodile" - one of the most accessible drugs. Components for it can be bought at any pharmacy, and the manufacturing methods are detailed on the Internet.

Statistics are very disappointing - in most cases, young people from the age of twenty to thirty take dezomorfin. Cure of desomorphine dependence is more difficult than from addiction to heroin.

Codeine-containing drugs have been decided on the list of prescription drugs. European and American pharmacists have long been keeping a strict record of patients taking painkillers, antidepressants, and codeine-based antitussives. In Russia, the restriction on the sale of codeine-containing drugs is introduced from June 2012. However, physicians already express concern today that the new legislative acts will not stop the growth of drug addiction, but will create huge problems in the work. After all, the list of codeine-containing drugs is quite extensive, and the number of patients who need constant administration of painkillers is very high. The introduction of restrictions on the sale of drugs containing codeine, will certainly lead to the emergence of queues in polyclinics. Given the level of salaries of our doctors, abuse on their part can not be ruled out. But the fact that today anyone can buy a narcotic drug in a pharmacy can be worried by a society no less.