Pholcodine

[doctor diesel]

According to Wikipedia, Pholcodine is a modified opiate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opiate) cough suppressant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cough_suppressant) (antitussive) that acts primarily on the central nervous system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_nervous_system) (CNS) causing depression of the cough reflex (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cough_reflex), partly by a direct effect on the cough centre in the medulla (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medulla). It also has a mild sedative (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedative) effect, yet has little or no analgesic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analgesic) action. It is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastrointestinal_tract) and freely crosses the blood-brain barrier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood-brain_barrier). It is metabolized in the liver (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver) and its action may be prolonged in hepatic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatic) insufficiency.


I'm not aware of this substance ever being discussed on the opiophorum, but correct me if I'm wrong.
There is much discussion of loperamide and its possibilities as a euphoric, but no talk of pholcodine.
Here we have a substance that appears to be chemically similar to codeine, and freely crosses the BBB, yet for some reason has no analgesic properties, and presumably no euphoric ones either.
Any of you chemists know about this stuff, or what could be done with it to make it more entertaining? It is available in chemist's shops all over the place.

Laters.


Doc D

[Paregoric Kid]

I've read it doesn't do anything. I'm surprised it doesn't produce large amounts of active metabolites but apparently there is only a trace amount converted to morphine. on a fact sheet on pholcodine it lists "KNOWN SYMPTOMS OF OVERDOSAGE AND PARTICULARS OF ITS TREATMENT: Restlessness, excitement ataxia and respiratory depression may occur with overdosage. Treatment is symptomatic. Respiratory depression may be reversed with Naloxone." so maybe it is active in large doses, I have no idea. it would probably only be useful as a precursor to morphine or something else.
http://forum.opiophile.org/showthread.php?t=676&highlight=pholcodine
http://forum.opiophile.org/showthread.php?t=128&highlight=pholcodine&page=2