 |
|
Codeine not safe for all breastfeeding moms and their babies
August 21, 2008Using pain treatments which contain codeine may be risky for some breastfeeding mothers, according to researchers at The University of Western Ontario, and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto. Lead author Dr. Gideon Koren published research in the journal, Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics which suggests that the codeine used in some pain relief drugs can actually have harmful and even fatal results for infants when ingested by some breastfeeding mothers.
"With nearly half of all infants in North America being delivered by caesarean section or after episiotomy, there is clearly a requirement for pain relief for mothers," says Koren. "However, our study confirms that codeine as a treatment for pain may be unsuitable and cannot be considered safe for all breastfed infants."
Koren holds the Ivey Chair in Molecular Toxicology at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario, and is a professor of pediatrics at both Western and the University of Toronto. He is also a senior scientist in the Child Health Evaluative Sciences program at SickKids Research Institute, and director of The Motherisk Program.
Codeine is commonly used for pain relief and is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics as being compatible with breastfeeding. Following numerous reports through the Motherisk counseling service and the tragic death of an infant who died from an overdose of morphine acquired from breast milk, Koren and his team, located at SickKids and The University of Western Ontario, investigated these negative reactions.
Codeine is a 'prodrug' which means that on its own it is relatively inactive. The pain relieving attributes are only activated when it is metabolized, or transformed by the body into a more active pain relieving compound, morphine. Some individuals have a genetic variance which causes them to metabolize codeine at a rapid rate, producing significantly more morphine in their system than most of the population. While this genetic predisposition is rare, women who possess it and who take codeine for pain while breastfeeding can end up exposing their babies to high levels of morphine through their breast milk. This can cause babies to experience central nervous system depression as a result.
"The good news is that those breastfeeding children who were exposed to these high levels of morphine showed dramatic improvement once they were taken off the morphine tainted breast milk," says Koren. "By removing the exposure, most children will demonstrate a complete reversal of symptoms and show no long-term adverse effects."
University of Western Ontario
Codeine is commonly used for pain relief and is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics as being compatible with breastfeeding. Following numerous reports through the Motherisk counseling service and the tragic death of an infant who died from an overdose of morphine acquired from breast milk, Koren and his team, located at SickKids and The University of Western Ontario, investigated these negative reactions.
Codeine is a 'prodrug' which means that on its own it is relatively inactive. The pain relieving attributes are only activated when it is metabolized, or transformed by the body into a more active pain relieving compound, morphine. Some individuals have a genetic variance which causes them to metabolize codeine at a rapid rate, producing significantly more morphine in their system than most of the population. While this genetic predisposition is rare, women who possess it and who take codeine for pain while breastfeeding can end up exposing their babies to high levels of morphine through their breast milk. This can cause babies to experience central nervous system depression as a result.
"The good news is that those breastfeeding children who were exposed to these high levels of morphine showed dramatic improvement once they were taken off the morphine tainted breast milk," says Koren. "By removing the exposure, most children will demonstrate a complete reversal of symptoms and show no long-term adverse effects."
University of Western Ontario
Codeine Current Events and Codeine News RSSIbuprofen is as effective as acetaminophen with codeine to treat pain in children with arm fractures
Children with arm fractures fared as well with ibuprofen to control their pain as acetaminophen with codeine, according to a new study by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and Children's Research Institute.
Chinese acupuncture affects brain's ability to regulate pain, UM study shows
Acupuncture has been used in East-Asian medicine for thousands of years to treat pain, possibly by activating the body's natural painkillers. But how it works at the cellular level is largely unknown.
Oxycodone effective against shingles pain
The painkiller oxycodone is effective at treating the acute pain of shingles, an illness that often causes severe pain which can become long-lasting and sometimes even permanent.
Caltech engineers build mini drug-producing biofactories in yeast
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have developed a novel way to churn out large quantities of drugs, including antiplaque toothpaste additives, antibiotics, nicotine, and even morphine, using mini biofactories--in yeast.
Why don't painkillers work for people with fibromyalgia?
People who have the common chronic pain condition fibromyalgia often report that they don't respond to the types of medication that relieve other people's pain.
Anxiety before surgery complicates recovery in children
Children who are anxious before surgery experience a more painful, slow, and complicated postoperative recovery, according to a Yale School of Medicine study published this month in Pediatrics.
Transporter is possible target for safer pain medicine
A transporter that silences one of the body's natural pain killers holds promise for new powerful, non-addictive pain medicines as well as understanding AIDS patients' increased pain perception.
Codeine may be no cure for cough
Scientists at the University of Manchester's North West Lung Centre have found that codeine-a standard ingredient in cough remedies - could be no more effective than an inactive placebo compound at treating cough.
Opiate drugs increase vulnerability to stress
A new study has found that opiate drugs such as morphine leave animals more vulnerable to stress. This means that stress and opiates are in a vicious cycle: Not only does stress trigger drug use, but in return the drug leaves animals more vulnerable to stress.
Chocolate ingredient could put a stop to persistent coughs and lead to new, more effective cough medicines
Researchers have discovered that an ingredient present in chocolate could help stop persistent coughs.
More Codeine Current Events and Codeine News Articles
 |
Frigid Stars by Codeine |
 |
The White Birch by Codeine |
 |
Olbas Cough Syrup - 4 fl oz by Olbas Swiss Made - Dr. Ehninger's Herbal Formula A pleasant tasting and effect |
|
Codeine - Barely Real (Ep) Codeine (Performer) | |
 |
Solaray Huperzine A 50 mcg 60 ea by Solaray, Inc. Hup A From Chinese Moss with Support Herbs Solaray Guarantees that NO ingredients othe |
 |
Codeine Diary: True Confessions of a Reckless Hemophiliac by Tom Andrews (Author) When mathematician Tom Andrews slips and breaks his ankle on an icy Ann Arbor street, it is no ordinary fracture: for Andrews, a hemophiliac, the fall begins a "bleed"-that is, the pooling of blood beneath the skin that can cripple a hemophiliac. During his agonizing hospital-bound convalescence, he is doped up on codeine, a drug that sends him spiraling into reveries about his disease and the way he'd combated it with the seemingly self-destructive pursuits of his adolescence. Yet there was a family illness that overshadowed even his: his brother's terminal kidney disorder. In order to get his parents' attention, Andrews threw himself into breaking world records (for hand-clapping), motorcycle racing, competitive skateboarding, punk rocking, and other foolhardy pursuits that only... |
 |
Spiderland by Slint Although this Kentucky combo had a short lifespan, its influence has been extraordinary, presaging the underground "math-rock" revolution and spawning spinoffs such as Tortoise and Gastr Del Sol. But don't go thinking that the foursome is a mere footnote: The bracingly dense, dizzyingly complex songs that vein this, their second full-length release, perfectly capture the smarter face of early-'90s thug-rock. Yes, Slint's sound is descended from punk, but its members--particularly guitarist Brian McMahan--never subscribed to the "keep it simple, stupid" philosophy. Spiderland is so rife with breakneck tempo changes, off-kilter chord progressions, and bizarro-world themes, you'd be hard-pressed to go a listen without discovering something new. --David Sprague |
 |
The White Birch Codeine (Primary Contributor) |
 |
Codeine Velvet Club by Codeine Velvet Club |
 |
Frigid Stars Codeine (Primary Contributor) |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |