According to a new report, the dangers of medicines containing codeine were not made clear enough on the packaging.
Ireland’s healthcare products regulator is leading an EU inquiry into a controversial combination painkiller, reports The Mirror.
It continues to research serious side effects – including deaths – in people who have developed a dependence on the drugs.
According to one report, in addition to the known “toxicities” of the anti-inflammatory products in the over-the-counter drugs, there is also a risk of serious kidney damage with long-term use.
It described the development of “severe hypokalaemia in the setting of renal tubular acidosis” after continued use or abuse of codeine drugs.
The report said this was an “new concern” that was not adequately addressed in the product information for codeine-ibuprofen combination drugs. He said the condition occurred in patients who had “prolonged chronic abuse.”
The HPRA said that health care providers need to be informed of the risk and patient awareness raised about “the potentially significant consequences of codeine addiction”, reports The Mirror.
The report described a large number of cases where patients had suffered serious problems due to overuse of the medication codeine.
The report added: “[These] represent otherwise healthy patients in whom an addiction to codeine is resulting in serious clinical outcomes as a result of exposure to chronic high doses of ibuprofen,” reports The Mirror.
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