Codeine cough syrup can be addictive if not taken properly. [Photo: codeine.com]The Pharmacy and Poisons Board on Tuesday stopped over-the-counter sale of codeine syrup due to increased abuse.The board said all medicines that contain codeine will now only be available on prescription, to minimise the risk of abuse and addiction.Fred Siyoi, the board’s deputy registrar, said most Kenyans do not use codeine for its intended purpose.“We have had issues in Northeastern and Mombasa, where some people are using drugs containing codeine to get 'high'. Some people even go to the extent of using it with miraa.” Siyoi is quoted by the Star.He added that patients will only have access to the drug with a valid prescription from a doctor, containing the patient’s name, address and age, the doctor’s name, address and their registration number from the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board.It will also contain the medicine’s name, strength and their dosage form, the quantity prescribed in words and the figures in brackets, the signature of the doctor will be hand written using indelible ink.No refill will be allowed for prescriptions with medicines that contain codeine.Codeine is an opiate drug used to treat mild to moderate pain. It is a key active ingredient in cough and cold syrup and pain medication and is only supposed to be used for three days.“The labels on the primary and secondary packages must indicate the risk of addiction, and the importance of taking the medicines for not more than three days,” Siyoi said.Manufactures have six months to change the packages of medicines that contain codeine.

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