By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) says it is developing a plan to force pharmacies that dispense medicine to digitally record the identity numbers of people who have been given medications, that include codeine which is used as pain relief medicines and cough mixtures.
The plan comes in response to high levels of codeine abuse particularly amongst the youth as they use it to get high.
Research conducted in four township schools in Mpumalanga and the Free State found about a quarter of Grade 10 to 12 pupils, who were surveyed, said they had used codeine-based cough mixtures to get high.
Pupils who tried it typically started when they were 15 to 17 and were largely unaware of the side-effects.
In large doses, codeine can induce a range of warm, fuzzy, and euphoric feelings, but it can also come with health complications, particularly when used over a prolonged period.
These include confusion, breathing problems, damage to the liver and gastrointestinal issues, like constipation, bleeding and peptic ulcers (sores that line the stomach or small intestine).
People can also die from overdosing, something Sahpra highlighted as a concern.
It is for this reason health professionals have long been looking for ways to stem the abuse of codeine, which is found in both prescription and over-the-counter medicines in South Africa.
Codeine-containing cough syrups, which can be bought without a script, are a particular target of misuse, especially among the youth.
The syrups are frequently mixed with fizzy drinks like Sprite so that large amounts of the often unpleasant-tasting formula can be downed (the combination is sometimes referred to as lean).
“The initiative aims to ensure that all persons who are dispensed codeine medicine are recorded on a system that is available across pharmacies and other dispensaries to curb pharmacy hopping, clinic hopping or doctor hopping by persons who abuse codeine,” said SAHPRA’s spokesperson Madimetja Mashishi.
He said the initiative also aims to ensure that people are only dispensed the legal limit to assist various ailments that they may be facing, including coughs and pain management.
Codeine-containing products are scheduled 2 to 6 depending on the dose and whether they contain additional active ingredients (for instance, schedule 2 codeine-containing products must be combined with other substances like paracetamol).