Can You Snort Codeine?

What Is Codeine?

Codeine is used to relieve mild to moderate pain. It is also used to reduce coughing, usually in combination with other medications. Codeine will help relieve symptoms but will not treat the cause of symptoms or speed recovery. Codeine belongs to a class of medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics and to a class of medications called antitussives. When codeine is used to treat pain, it works by changing the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain. When codeine is used to reduce coughing, it works by decreasing the activity in the part of the brain that causes coughing. [1]

Codeine may be habit-forming or may cause drug addiction. You have to take Codeine precisely as directed. Do not take more of it, take it more often, or take it differently than your doctor directed. While taking Codeine, discuss with your healthcare provider your pain treatment goals, length of treatment, and other ways to manage your pain. Tell your doctor if you or anyone in your family:

Codeine can cause serious or life-threatening breathing problems, especially during the first 24 to 72 hours of treatment and at any time when your dose is increased. The risk of developing breathing problems may be higher if you are an older adult or are weak or malnourished due to disease. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately or get emergency medical treatment: slowed breathing, long pauses between breaths, and shortness of breath.

When codeine was used to treat pain or a cough in children, serious and life-threatening breathing problems such as slow or difficult breathing and deaths were reported. This drug should never be used to treat pain or a cough in children younger than 18.

Certain medications taken during your treatment with codeine may increase the risk that you will experience breathing problems or other severe and life-threatening breathing problems.

While using codeine to treat your pain, you should be aware that consuming alcohol or using illicit drugs can increase the risk of experiencing some serious side effects. Do not drink alcohol or use street drugs while you are taking codeine. There may be an isolated case with the likes of co-codamol.

Co-codamol is a combination of two drugs – paracetamol and codeine. Paracetamol works by interfering with substances the body makes in response to injury. These substances are called prostaglandins, which cause nerves to be more sensitive, increasing the pain sensation. By reducing the number of prostaglandins in your system, you feel less pain or none.

Can You Snort Codeine Pills?

Yes, abusers do snort Codeine, but it is highly dangerous. After a certain point, codeine in pill form can no longer produce a noticeable effect, so users must find ways to intensify the effects of the drug. Snorting codeine greatly intensifies the drug’s effects and can satisfy a person’s dosage “requirement” up to a point. [2]

Snorting drugs is one of the most popular methods of abuse. It’s usually relatively painless, compared to methods such as injection, because it delivers the drug directly into the bloodstream. This is often viewed as a preferred method to insinuate drug use because it’s easier and attracts less attention than smoking.

The speed at which a drug enters the brain depends on several factors, including the method of administration. Snorting drugs results in the highest concentration of drugs reaching the brain, followed by smoking and injection.

The use of Codeine as an alternate delivery method for medicine is legal, but it is never recommended. Always take your medication as directed by a medical professional, and do not crush or chew pills.

Taking any kind of drugs other than those prescribed by your doctor is dangerous and can be life-threatening. Although you may become dependent or addicted to the drug by taking it orally, snorting Codeine opens a new set of dangers. Snorting Codeine is used to achieve a more intense effect from the substance. However, snorting Codeine pills or any drug can irreversibly damage your nasal cavities.

The same case goes for snorting cocodamol. Bruising, bleeding gums or nose bleeds, increased risk of infection, mild allergic reaction, mood changes, and headaches are some of the side effects of taking co-codamol. Hence, snorting cocodamol will amplify the users’ risks in doing so.

What Happens If You Snort Codeine?

Can Codeine be snorted? Continuously snorting Codeine dramatically increases a person’s risk of liver damage, sinus infection, and eventual drug overdose. The dangers of snorting codeine, as with all opiate-based drugs, brain cells not only grow more tolerant of codeine’s effects but also become less sensitive in the process.

Effects Of Snorting Codeine Pills

Unfortunately, addicts found another way of absorbing medication pills. In reality, Codeine, an opiate, should be swallowed and digested when prescribed by a doctor or professional healthcare. However, snorting codeine pills brings it directly into the bloodstream, which will relieve pain faster than ingesting it. This is the main reason abusers snort Codeine and become more inclined to have a drug addiction.

Regularly snorting codeine can lead to addiction, and this can cause you to become restless and irritable when you stop taking the tablets.

Snorting Codeine Side Effects

Snorting Codeine pills can put you at risk and may damage the nose. This damage from snorting Codeine can be permanent and may require surgery in severe cases.

Side effects of codeine snorting include:

• Sinus infection
• Inflammation of the mouth and nose
• Nasal blockage (runny nose)
• Drowsiness
• ​Sedation
• Constipation
• Changes in heart rate

Snorting codeine often involves high amounts of codeine ingestion. This increases your chances of codeine overdose.

Codeine Overdose

In case of emergency, if the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can’t be awakened, immediately call emergency services at 911.

While taking Codeine, you should talk to your doctor about having a rescue medication called naloxone readily available (e.g. home or in the office). Naloxone is used to reverse the life-threatening effects of an opioid overdose. It works by blocking the effects of opiates to relieve dangerous symptoms caused by high levels of opiates in the blood. Your doctor may also prescribe you naloxone if you live in a household with small children or someone who has abused street or prescription drugs. You should ensure that you and your family members, caregivers, or those who spend time with you know how to recognize an overdose, how to use naloxone, and what to do until emergency medical help arrives.

Your doctor or pharmacist will show you and your family how to use the medication. Ask your pharmacist for the instructions or visit the manufacturer’s website to get the instructions. If symptoms of an overdose occur, a friend or family member should give the first dose of naloxone, call 911 immediately, stay with you and watch you closely until emergency medical help arrives. Your symptoms may return within a few minutes after you receive naloxone. If your symptoms return, the person should give you another dose of naloxone. Additional doses may be given every 2 to 3 minutes if symptoms return before medical help arrives.

Symptoms of Codeine overdose may include the following:

• Difficulty breathing
• Slow or shallow breathing
• Excessive drowsiness or sleepiness
• Unable to respond or wake up
• Loss of muscle tone
• Cold and clammy skin
• Fainting
• Dizziness
• Slow heartbeat

Codeine Addiction

The use of codeine as an analgesic is well-recognized, but there are increasing concerns that, for some individuals, continued use may lead to misuse, dependence, and fatalities. Research suggests that those affected may represent a hard-to-reach group who do not engage with formal treatment services. [3]

Codeine is one of the most frequently supplied opioids; it is provided via prescription and over-the-counter pharmacies in some countries. Codeine is a relatively weak analgesic and is commonly coformulated with other analgesics, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen. In addition to the potential for dependence and addiction to codeine, these compound formulations are associated with incidents of hepatotoxicity and gastric bleeding. This has led to the upregulation of codeine; in Australia, the drug was recently removed from pharmacy sale to prescription-only use.

Uncertainty about treatment options suggests that more guidance and support are needed for those affected to help them overcome their problems.

Treatment Options For Codeine Addiction

Clearing Codeine from the body and overcoming withdrawal symptoms is the goal of opioid detox, which is the first step of treatment for codeine addiction. We Level Up comprehensive team is prescribing medications that can alleviate your withdrawal pains while monitoring your health 24 hours during the detox. We prioritize your safety and comfort because this is a fragile and challenging time for you.

Once detox is complete, a new treatment doorway opens up, referred to as a residential level of care. We Level Up residential care program slowly and effectively introduces the individual into an atmosphere of therapeutic growth, marked by master’s level therapists, clinicians, group counselors, psychiatrists, and a community of like-minded individuals with the same aim: to attain sobriety and live a great life.

Some of the many modalities applied and practiced within our residential treatment facility are:

We Level Up treatment tailors the program to the individual and the individual to the recovery program. We begin by assessing our client’s history of mental health, drugs, and alcohol-related past. The needs of each patient are specific and personalized because we aim to provide comprehensive support for mental health, addiction, and dual diagnosis treatment. We Level Up supportive environment is designed accordingly to give patients 24-hour care for sobriety. Most importantly, we hope to have our clients live comfortably within the facility during this crucial and fragile time.