Codeine: FDA Examines Possible Risks Associated With Cough Medicine In Children

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now investigating risks associated with giving children cough medicines that may include codeine; this comes after two years issuing a strong warning label against giving the drug to children following surgery.

"We are evaluating all available information and will also consult with external experts by convening an advisory committee to discuss these safety issues," said an announcement posted Wednesday on the FDA website.

Codeine can be particularly dangerous due to the potential for breathing difficulties and children with pre-existing breathing problems, such as asthma, may be more susceptible to the breathing-related side-effects associated with the drug.

"Parents and caregivers who notice any signs of slow or shallow breathing, difficult or noisy breathing, confusion, or unusual sleepiness in their child should stop giving their child codeine and seek medical attention immediately by taking their child to the emergency room or calling 911," the agency advised.

Codeine works by converting the drug's compounds into opioid morphine that bring release from pain. However, since people's bodies convert codeine at different speeds, overdose potential can be rather high, resulting in damaging levels of morphine in the blood.

However, as it stands, over 870,000 prescriptions are written each year for children in the United States, alone, according to recent findings published in the journal Pediatrics. 

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