Some cough syrups could be made prescription-only amid addiction fears
Some cough syrups could become prescription-only amid addiction fears in plans floated by medicine safety regulators.
A brown glass bottle of sticky, cherry-flavoured over-the-counter cough syrup has been a staple of medicine cabinets for years.
But the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says it has received 116 reports of drug abuse, dependence and/or withdrawal from it.
This includes codeine linctus, an oral solution or syrup that is slightly stronger than the usual cough medicine found on supermarket shelves.
It contains the dry cough-suppressing ingredient codeine. (As much as it’s widely considered the most effective treatment for a cough, experts aren’t so sure.)
MHRA officials are now debating whether to reclassify codeine medicine as prescription-only and launched a public consultation today.
The agency says it has received Yellow Card reports – a way for healthcare professionals to report adverse drug side effects – about cough syrups.
Some reports claim that people are using it recreationally for its opioid effects that offer short-term pain relief.
MHRA chief safety officer Dr Alison Cave said: ‘Codeine linctus is an effective medicine but as it is an opioid, its misuse and abuse can have major health consequences.’
There were also 277 serious and fatal adverse reactions to medicines containing codeine in 2021 and 243 in 2022 – there have already been 95 cases this year.
President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Professor Claire Anderson said that 60% of people are genetically predisposed to opioid dependence.
‘We welcome the MHRA consulting in this area, to understand the impact of this potential change on pharmacists, pharmacy teams and the public,’ she said.
‘Medicines should maximise benefits to patient health with minimum risk. We believe there is insufficient robust evidence for the benefits of codeine linctus in treating coughs safely and appropriately.
‘We also have significant concerns about its misuse and addictive potential, as well as the risk of overdose.’
Anderson added that there are many non-codeine-based products available for those suffering from a dry cough.
The MHRA consultation is open until August 15.
Brits spent some £572,000,000 on cough and cold medicines last year.
Coughs tend to linger for about two weeks as the cold virus trickles down people’s throats from the upper airways.
In theory, cough medicine, a type of antitussive drug, blocks the body’s cough reflect. Others thin the mucus to make it easier to decongest.
But health experts have long been divided about how effective some of these treatments actually are.
Some studies suggest cough medicines work no better than a placebo, while one researcher labelled codeine’s reputation as a cough-buster a ‘myth’.
As the American Chemical Society (ACS) once put it: ‘This is one of those more-research-is-needed type situations.’
Instead, the society recommends lots of water, honey, a humidifier and patience.
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