Doctors warn teens are getting hooked on over-the-counter cough medicine

An alarming new trend has revealed teenagers are getting hooked on codeine-based over-the-counter cough medicine — with doctors issuing a warning about the risks of addiction and even death.

Doctors are sounding a warning about the growing misuse of a common over-the-counter cough medicine as a way to get high.

Young people are mixing the codeine-containing cough medicine Rikodeine with soft drinks as a party drug dubbed “Lean” — and celebrating its use on social media.

Sydney-based addiction specialist Dr Hester Wilson has raised concerns about the misuse of Rikodeine, especially among the young.

“Young people need to know that this is basically an opioid, so they need to know the risk: It is an opioid, and when you take it, your liver converts it to morphine,” she said.

In 2018, codeine — an opioid that has caused serious harm, addiction and death — was rescheduled from an over-the-counter medicine to a prescription-only medicine, but Rikodeine Oral Liquid, which contains dihydrocodeine tartrate (a derivative of codeine), was not included.

Doctors warn that people are using cough medicine to get high, without realising how dangerous it can be.

“Some young people don’t realise what it is — it is a sedative, a painkiller, it depresses the respiratory sensors in your brain in big doses and we do see codeine in overdose deaths,” Dr Wilson said.

“We are seeing some people drinking one or two bottles a day, so they are getting large doses of codeine and they can develop a dependence and addiction.

Rikodeine contains codeine which is highly addictive. Picture: Supplied

Teens are mixing Rikodeine in soft drinks. Picture: TikTok

“They find they need more to get the same effect, and will go to multiple pharmacies because they need the bigger amount, and when they stop they get withdrawal ­symptoms.”

Mixing Rikodeine with alcohol was also a serious issue, she said.

“We see that with any opioid, if you mix it with alcohol, they are both sedatives so it increases your risk of the respiratory sensors in your brain turning off and you stop breathing, your heart stops and you can die,” she said

Dr Rose Cairns, from the NSW Poisons Information Centre, said there had been a doubling of calls in five years and currently the centre received about one call a fortnight regarding Rikodeine’s misuse for recreation.

“They call us where there is some signs of toxicity or if the person is experiencing more effects than they anticipated, like drowsiness, vomiting, and nausea and slowing of breathing that kind of thing,” she said.

“It’s concerning that social media is promoting misuse of medicines.”

Perth-based GP Dr Andrew Leech said “teenagers are mixing it with lemonade, creating a drug called Lean which creates a sense of euphoria, but it has significant risks of overdose.

“They don’t understand the dangers of it and assume being over-the-counter it is safe, when it is not,” Dr Leech said.

Dr Leech has one 18-year-old addicted patient who is drinking 200ml of the cough medicine mixed with lemonade daily.

“She pharmacy shops and goes to different pharmacies so she remains under the radar, she told me openly she is having a bottle a day, so it is really concerning,” he said.

“It is easy to access and tastes good mixed with lemonade, and it because it is so easy to access they must feel it is safe and teenagers do not have the foresight that this is a dangerous drug.

“I think pharmacists have to be a bit more careful in distributing this product to young people. My patient I am seeing is addicted to it, that is an opioid addiction now.

“When I talk to teenagers they all say they know about Lean, I think the cough mixture should be up-scheduled to prescription only.”

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