In July 2017, a member of staff observed that a bottle of
codeine was not as thick as it was expected to be and three bottles were removed and tested.
'On Sunday, August 13, 2019 at about 2.00 a.m., the operatives of the Headquarters Strike Force Zone A intercepted one truck laden with dreaded
codeine, Tramadol and other controlled pain killers along Maryland, Ikeja.
And Annette Tweedley said: "Why would a doctor prescribe methadone to come off
codeine? That's insane."
The 50-year-old, from the Isle of Bute in Scotland, began to buy
codeine online, was eventually put on methadone and later got hooked on heroin "to try to keep the depression away".
A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) panel heard that on one occasion Phelan, who was employed via Amber Care Agency, prescribed 100 15mg tablets of
codeine to a patient who came in complaining of facial pain.
"When I first became aware of the use of excess
codeine she was on over the years, I had tried to reduce her dosage - she was on eight to begin with.
There is limited data on levels of prescribing of
codeine, consumption levels and prevalence rates of
codeine use, misuse and dependence in South Africa.
"But patients should treat
codeine with the utmost respect.
He said, 'Honestly, this is a welcome development because
codeine is being abused by youths who are supposed to be our future leaders.
Labeling for the medications also is being updated with additional safety information for adult use--including an expanded Boxed Warning, the FDA's most prominent warning, notifying about the risks of misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose and death, and slowed or difficult breathing that can result from exposure to
codeine or hydrocodone.
The agency also is requiring companies to add a boxed warning to drug labels for prescription cough and cold medicines containing
codeine or hydrocodone about the "risks of misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose, death, and slowed or difficult breathing," according to an FDA safety announcement.