Summary Safety Review - CODEINE PRESCRIPTION PRODUCTS Indicated for Cough - Further Assessing the Risk of Serious Breathing Problems in Children and Adolescents

Codeine is converted to morphine in the liver. Some people have genetic variations of liver enzymes which cause codeine to be converted to morphine faster and more completely than in other people. These people with genetic differences (ultra-rapid metabolizers) are more likely to have higher than normal amounts of morphine in their blood after taking codeine. High levels of morphine can result in breathing difficulty, which may cause death.

Publisher

Health Canada

Resources

1

Catalogue metadata updated

2024-05-08