Side Effects Of Codeine

Feel good drugs flood Zimbabwe

By Gugulethu Nyazema, Senior Writer   

Drug peddlers in Zimbabwe are making a living by selling popular drugs in the high density suburbs of Harare and their trade has attracted prominent people. Histalix and Bron cleer cough syrups are among the most popular “feel good drugs.”

These cough mixtures are being sold on the parallel market after being legally purchased over the counter and being smuggled into Zimbabwe from South Africa by drug peddlers. Susan, a drug peddler and resident in one of the high density suburbs told the Daily News on Sunday that the selling of these recreational drugs is boosting her income.

“I bought my car with the profit I made from selling Histalix and Bron cleer. I was introduced to this drug by my brother who is now late. I sell an average of ten bottles a day at $8 each for Histalix. The Bron cleer is cheap because of its purchase price. It costs $3 dollars a bottle.

For Histalix one needs a prescription to buy the cough mixture but my contacts can easily supply me the cough mixture without a prescription,’’ said the 32-year-old Susan. Buoyed by the high returns that she is getting from trading the cough syrup, Susan now makes the trip to South Africa to get her own supplies. This plan seems to be working.

As the Daily News on Sunday was carrying this interview several people including law enforcement agents and members of a certain religious sect could be seen walking away with bottles of the coveted syrup.

A man identified as ‘‘Mpostori’’ came into Susan’s house halfway through our interview. He said he wanted the syrup because his entire family was suffering from a cough.

“Kanjani asikana, tipewo zviya zviya, mhuri kumba uko dzaakutofa ne chikosoro (hello young lady, please can I have that stuff. The whole family is sick with a terrible cough),” Mpostori said in a joking manner as he handed Susan her cash.

Everything goes at Susan’s house. Moments after Mpositori left some police officers walked in and asked for seats at the back of the house so that they could smoke weed and share a bottle of Histalix.

“This is the kind of stuff you need after chasing criminals all day,” said one of the officers in a joking manner while taking in a gulp of the “feel good drug” and smokes a pipe of weed which briefly makes him cough before handing it over to his colleague.

Another one of Susan’s customers known as Pablo said that he had been taking Histalix for several years now and is considering becoming a drug peddler to help sustain himself and his family.

Codiene Effects

The accepted medical effects of codeine are for pain relief. The drug is found most commonly in pain relievers (usually in combination with acetaminophen). A second use is as a cough suppressant. Other effects of codeine are considered side effects, although whether they are wanted or not depends on who is taking the drug.

In illegal use, addicts seek a relaxed euphoria from the drug. The dizzy, drowsy buzz from codeine alone isn’t as all-consuming as it would be with the related drugs – heroin, morphine and oxycodone. Because of its milder effects, some addicts think of it as a safe alternative to harder narcotics. They may also combine it with other drugs (marijuana or alcohol) to alter the experience.

The main effects from codeine come from its conversion into morphine in the body. As much as 10% of an oral dose is changed through metabolism into morphine and if the dose of codeine is high enough, there is little difference in being addicted to one over the other.

Common unwanted effects are the same as with other opioids: Nausea, vomiting and constipation. A high percentage of the population is allergic to codeine and this would be considered a serious side effect in some patients.

The narcotic effects of codeine are drowsiness, loss of coordination and stupor. Very high doses can cause a decreased breathing rate, coma and death. Death can also occur in overdoses where the victim vomits while unable to react and the stomach contents are then taken into the lungs, causing suffocation.

Although not ranked as highly addictive, codeine is addictive – both physically and psychologically. Because its effects parallel those of oral morphine or heroin, this is no surprise. It is less addictive though, and because of this, codeine containing pain medications are very popular. In some countries they are available without a doctor’s prescription.

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