Drug info - Where Can OTC Codeine Be Had in the U.S.

[jd1516]

Is codeine available in any form OTC in the U.S.? (I'm guessing not)

[Solinari]

I don't live in the US and i am not familiar with the laws regarding this but from what i had read there are no states in which codeine is available over the counter. Never the less i had a look at Wikipedia's Codeine Article which states...

In the United States, codeine is regulated by the Controlled Substances Act. It is a Schedule II controlled substance for pain-relief products containing codeine alone or more than 90 mg per dosage unit. In combination with aspirin or acetaminophen (paracetamol/Tylenol) it is listed as Schedule III or V, depending on formula. Preparations for cough or diarrhoea containing small amounts of codeine in combination with two or more other active ingredients are Schedule V in the US, and in some states may be dispensed in amounts up to 4 fl. oz. per 48 hours without a prescription. Schedule V specifically consigns the product to state and local regulation beyond certain required record-keeping requirements (a dispensary log must be maintained for two years in a ledger from which pages cannot easily be removed and/or are pre-numbered and the pharmacist must ask for a picture ID such as a driving licence) and also which maintain controlled substances in the closed system at the root of the régime intended by the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 -- e.g. the codeine in these products was a Schedule II substance when the company making the Schedule V product acquired it for mixing up the end product. In locales where dilute codeine preparations are non-prescription, anywhere from very few to perhaps a moderate percentage of pharmacists will sell these preparations without a prescription. However, many states have their own laws that do require a prescription for Schedule V drugs. Other drugs which are present in Schedule V narcotic preparations like the codeine syrups are ethylmorphine and dihydrocodeine.

So it appears that some preparations with codeine (apparently ethylmorphine and dihydrocodeine too) are available from a pharmacy without a prescription, but i suspect these products will have a very low concentration of codeine (or ethylmorphine and dihydrocodeine). From what i have gathered it may be that questions and even maybe ID will be asked by the pharmacist and since some of this is decided at a local level, it may well be it isn't available at all in some states or area's.

[jd1516]

Can CWE be performed on either of these drugs?