Addicted To Codeine. How To Get Rid Of This Addiction?

Posted on Mon, 11 Feb 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 Answered on

Mon, 4 Mar 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I am addicted to Codeine. This started many years ago when I was prescribed codeine by a doctor for many years. How can I get rid of this addiction. ?

Answered by Dr. Sundar Gnanavel (1 hour later)

Hello
Thanks for your query. Codeine is a weak opioid and to put in layman's words a weak form of heroin. There are effective agonist medication available like methadone and buprenorphine as well as antagonist medication like naltrexone. After weaning you off codeine I would suggest counselling sessions including relapse prevention techniques. This would prevent re initiation if codeine. I would suggest you XXXXXXX an addiction medicine specialist to decide on choice of drug and regimen. Hope you gained some clarity. Do clarify anything else you may wish to.
Regards
Dr Sundar
Addiction medicine specialist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar