Codeine is one of the UK’s most familiar painkillers, yet the same dose can be helpful, useless or risky depending on how a person’s body processes it.
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From painkillers to nasal sprays, some over-the-counter medicines carry hidden risks when used incorrectly or for too long.
No parent wants to see their child suffer and untreated pain can have health consequences. But parents may have concerns about use of opioids for their child’s acute pain. Here are tips for safer use.
Many countries have banned over-the-counter sale of codeine. The UK is not one of them.
Poppy seeds can become contaminated with opiates during harvesting. For the US Defense Department, invoking a ‘poppy seed defense’ may not be enough to rule out a positive drug test result.
The combination of codeine and ibuprofen is considered safe by many consumers, but inappropriate use can lead to health problems.
We researched how much difference opioids like codeine, oxycodone or morphine make to osteoarthritis pain. We found they helped about as much as paracetamol. Yet they are far more dangerous.
The pharmaceutical waste from Buffalo City dump sites reveals that the sale of over-the-counter drugs remains vastly unregulated and under-researched.
When codeine became a prescription only drug in 2018, the number of overdoses dropped, our new research shows. But restricting sales of codeine is only one way to reduce harm from opioids.
Buyers think you can tell the purity of a substance by looking at on an app – evidence shows they’re mistaken.
Trust Me I’m An Expert: The science of pain
The Conversation58.7 MB (download)
Our podcast Trust Me, I'm An Expert, goes beyond the headlines and asks researchers to explain the evidence on issues making news. Today, we're talking pain and what science says about managing it.
Australia is facing a critical public health issue of poorly managed pain. The result is more opioid-related deaths than the road toll.
The claim there is no evidence painkillers combined with lower doses of codeine are more effective in treating pain, is misleading. As are others in this debate.
Dependency on opioid painkillers reflects what we already know about life in the small towns of Australia - people tend to have poorer health.
About 8% of the population is unable to metabolise codeine, and a small number metabolise it at a much larger extent.
I’ve previously made the case that all codeine-containing pharmaceutical products be sold with prescriptions. In summary, there is mounting evidence that over-the-counter, codeine-containing medications…
Australia’s drug regulator is looking into reclassifying codeine-based drugs as prescription-only. This is a good idea because the easy availability of these pinkillers is causing substantial harm.
Commonly used over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen will usually be strong enough to alleviate common aches and pains. But if you’re suffering from acute pain from dental…
Earlier this week the ABC reported that a handful of pharmacists in Tasmania had engaged in community policing. They’re tracking the purchase of codeine-based painkillers, sharing information with their…
Top contributors
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Conjoint Clinical Associate Professor, Deakin University School of Medicine and Specialist Pain Medicine Physician, Deakin University
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Associate Professor in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University
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Honorary Professor, Pharmacology, University of Sydney
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Professor, University of Sydney
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Professor and Deputy Director, Monash Addiction Research Centre, Monash University
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Senior research fellow, Monash University
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Vice-Dean, Faculty of Pain Medicine, ANZCA, Flinders University
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Professor, Pain Management Research Institute, University of Sydney
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Professor, Forensic Medicine, Monash University
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Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Canberra
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Bradley Distinguished Professor, Adelaide University
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Lecturer, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University
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Doctor of Medicine, Griffith University
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Honorary Postdoctoral Associate, Macquarie University
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Catedrático de Farmacología y Vicerrector de Investigación y Ciencia, Universidad Camilo José Cela