You’ve probably had some codeine in the cough syrup that your doctor prescribed. It’s a short-acting narcotic that partially transforms into morphine when you ingest it. It makes you tired, and it can lead to addiction and the need for drug substance abuse treatment. Moreover, there’s the potential for suffering severe codeine side effects.
Who Abuses Codeine?
Have you heard of Purple Drank or Lean? It used to be the drug of choice for 1980s rappers and hip-hop artists. It contains soda as well as cough syrup with codeine and promethazine, which is an antihistamine. The drug is still going around in clubs, at raves, and with younger users.
Others abuse the codeine-containing medication on its own for the way it makes them feel. Like other narcotics, the drug tampers with the brain’s reward center. You feel euphoric. Maybe you like the way that the drug makes you mellow out and lets you sleep.
Developing a codeine addiction in which you’d need a substance abuse treatment facility is easy. Eventually, however, there are codeine side effects that might worry you. It starts with dizziness and feelings of vertigo. However, there are more serious ones, too.
Serious Codeine Side Effects
Constipation is a side effect that codeine shares with other opiates. If you overdo the dosage, you may encounter a breathing slow-down. Oxygenation of your organs becomes insufficient. You may be at risk for asphyxiation.
At the same time, your blood pressure plunges. Your heart begins beating erratically. You might not realize what’s going on because you may be going in and out of consciousness. It’s now possible to slip into a coma or die.
You’re also at risk of suffering these problems when you mix codeine with alcohol. If your doctor doesn’t know what medications you take, they may have prescribed a codeine-containing product in error. This would be the case when you’re taking certain antidepressants.
Deal with a Codeine Dependency Now
No matter how you developed a codeine dependency, it’s time to get help. Addiction is a disease that calls for professional intervention. Don’t put it off because codeine isn’t morphine or one of the opioids that are in the news. Side effects are just as dangerous.
Work with a rehab facility where therapists work with you to overcome the habit. Possible treatment delivery methods include:
- Residential care that takes place entirely at the facility
- Extended care, which lets you go past the traditional 30-day stay for healing
- Partial hospitalization that turns rehab into a full-time job from which you return home in the evening
- Intensive outpatient program participation that lets you undergo a part-time treatment setup
- 12 Step meetings, which are a method of relapse prevention during treatment and after graduation from the program
No matter which delivery method you select, you receive good-quality psychotherapy, drug addiction treatment, and similar care. Don’t wait until codeine side effects get life-threatening; seek help at a prescription drug abuse rehab now. At a top-notch addiction treatment facility, therapists routinely work with people just like you. Reach out to an addiction rehab center now to connect with a caring expert.