Codeine - Overview

Overview

Humans like to experiment. They do this in art, music, medicine, technology, science, and other fields. For thousands of years, some have also experimented with using mind-altering drugs found in plants and animals. The first real evidence of opium poppy use in the historical record dates back 6,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia (the current nation of Iraq). Descriptions of poppy use for pain relief can be found in Egyptian papyrus records. Later, ancient Greek farmers learned that the most potent, or strongest, part of the poppy plant was found in the sap that oozes from the ripened seed bulbs. The word "opium" is actually derived from a Greek word meaning "sap." Historical records also reveal that ancient Romans used opium as a painkiller, a poison, and a means of suicide, varying their doses accordingly.

During the Middle Ages (c. 500–c. 1500) and the Renaissance period (spanning the fourteenth through the seventeenth centuries), physicians and alchemistsThose who study or practice medieval chemical science aimed at discovering a cure for all illnesses. experimented with poppy sap. In 1524, Swiss scientist Paracelsus (1493–1541) created laudanum, a mixture of opium and alcohol. All by itself, laudanum is a bitter-tasting substance. When mixed with wine, better-tasting herbs, or syrups, however, it became one of the most popular cure-alls of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The use of tincturesCombinations of an active drug and a liquid alcohol. and elixirsPronounced ih-LIK-suhrs; medicines made of drugs in a sweetened alcohol solution. containing opium became so commonplace in nineteenth-century Europe that the practice even found its way into literature. Fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930), even visited an opium denDarkly lit establishments, often in the Chinatown section of big cities, where people went to smoke opium; many dens had beds, boards, or sofas upon which people could recline while experiencing the effects of the drug. to solve a crime.

Morphine, the most active ingredient in opium, was discovered in 1803 by a young German pharmacist's assistant, Friedrich Sertürner (1783–1841). The drug was far more powerful than crude opium and also far more addictive. Attempts to lessen the habit-forming aspects of morphine led to further experimentation with poppy sap. In 1832, the codeine compound was separated from the sap for the first time. Its name comes from the Greek word kodeia, meaning "poppy head."

The name codeine comes from the Greek word kodeia, meaning poppy head. The drug is derived from opium poppy sap. Vo Trung Dung/Corbis.
The name "codeine" comes from the Greek word kodeia, meaning "poppy head." The drug is derived from opium poppy sap. © Vo Trung Dung/Corbis.

At first, nineteenth-century scientists thought they had finally found what they had been seeking: a painkiller that did not produce euphoric side effects and was not addictive. However, they were wrong. When taken in large doses, codeine produces the same effects as morphine, including addiction. The only difference is that it is five to ten times weaker than morphine.

Scientists did discover some qualities of codeine that made it popular. It works as a painkiller when taken orally (by mouth). In comparison, morphine and heroin are usually injected or snorted through the nose. Codeine also was effective at suppressing coughs, and it quickly found its way into cough syrups. Like the more powerful opiates, codeine causes constipation by working on the nerves and muscles in the intestines. Therefore, it was used to treat diarrhea.

Throughout the twentieth century, knowledge about opiate analgesics increased. In 1900, codeine could be found in a variety of OTC medications for adults and children. The Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 set new regulations on the sale of opiates, making them illegal unless prescribed to a patient by a licensed physician. Since then, drug companies have developed analgesics that contain combinations of painkillers such as aspirin and codeine, or Tylenol and codeine. A prescription for pure codeine, however, is rarely ever given.

By 2000, all OTC sales of codeine-containing products had ended in the United States. The drug is legally available in America only if prescribed by a doctor, a dentist, or a veterinarian. Nevertheless, it is still manufactured in large quantities. At the turn of the twenty-first century, total codeine production worldwide approached 300 tons.