Codeine

Many people are prescribed Codeine and come to find that while the medication they are taking is numbing their pain, they also experience the dreamy, disassociative feeling that goes along with the analgesic properties. One way of looking at it is, while the physical pain is being suppressed, so is whatever mental and emotional pain that they may be feeling.

They then begin to take more than is prescribed and they become addicted to Codeine. This is not always the case, nor does every Codeine addict come to take the drug in a medical setting. Some just take Codeine to get high. In the end the result is the same, Codeine addiction, desperation and despair. Once a person is physically dependent on Codeine, when they stop taking it there is a pronounced withdrawal syndrome associated with the detoxification.

Codeine is commonly prescribed because it is an effective analgesic and for its pain relieving properties. Many studies have shown that properly managed medical use of Codeine is safe and rarely causes clinical addiction, which is defined as compulsive, often uncontrollable use.

Taken exactly as prescribed, Codeine can be used to manage pain effectively for a short period of time. Chronic use of Codeine can result in tolerance to the drug so that higher doses must be taken to obtain the same initial effects. Long-term use also can lead to physical dependence - the body adapts to the presence of Codeine and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced or eliminated abruptly.