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Citing risk for respiratory depression or death, the American Academy of Pediatrics, in a clinical report, urges clinicians and parents to stop giving codeine to children. Highlights of the report include:
Genetic variation in codeine metabolism can lead to excessive morphine levels in some children, and is a particular concern in those with sleep-disordered breathing. From 1965 to 2015, the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System recorded 64 children with severe respiratory depression and 24 deaths (most in children younger than 12 years) associated with use of codeine.
Despite warnings against its use from the FDA (Physician's First Watch Dec 11 2015), World Health Organization, and European Medicines Agency, codeine continues to be widely used …