IV'ing codeine will "kill you" ??

[Ickyuck]

I just read a bunch o' posts in some other drug forum where there were repeated posts saying that shooting codeine will kill you. WTF, can someone please illuminate me on this fuckery?

PS: I'm not saying that I believe this just cause I read it on the internetz obviously

[Morfiend]

William S. Burroughs did it and so did his friend and they didn't die according to Junky... was just really uncomfortable

[Chipper]

I know someone who has done it quite a few times but it can result in quite a few complications like pulmonary edema and even pneumonia. That's what the docs told me.

[nick]

Shooting codeine IV CAN be deadly,not WILL be deadly.

[Ickyuck]

Thanks guys.

[edhorfin]

pulmonary edema is, as mentioned, the really bad thing that can happen....I've done it, and lived, but the histamine reaction is the suck. Hives, bad ones, itchy esp at site, face flushing and itchy, almost anaphylactic throat swelling...and no rush, a little pins and needles...

[insaneike]

Like everyone has already said, nope it probably won't kill you, but it's still a possibility that it could. I remember about 6yrs ago back in High School there was this one chic I used to party with decided to bang a couple fiorinal and codeine tabs one day when we were in WDs and didn't have shit but worthless stuff like lortabs n codeine, which surprisingly didn't ease my WDs one bit really, and back then my toler was so low that a single roxi 30mg would blister my ass into noddy land. Anywho she prepped two Fiorinal capsules and two Tylenol #4 tabs I believe. Maybe one more of one of them I forget, but she prepped them like she would an oxy or Demerol tab. She didn't really get much relief, or high for that matter, but it seemed to take away the worst part of WDs and kept her from going into full blown WDs. She didn't have any noticeable negative side effects other than a small amount of pain at the injection site. Now what she did was very stupid and far from safe and NO ONE SHOULD EVER TRY IT! Just because someone else lived and was okay from shooting fiorinal/codeine doesn't neccisarily mean you will be. This same girl also shot plain codeine a couple times when again, in WDs with no signs of anything bad come from it.

I personally don't see much of a point in banging codeine really.. Plus if you have any kind of toler chances are you won't be able to feel shit from codeine. As codeine has a ceiling dose, where after a certain dose any more won't give any effects. I believe the ceiling dose was around 400-500mg for codeine but not entirely sure.

Oh, and didn't the pharmaceutical company Lilly used to make a Codeine Phosphate solution for injection? I'm not sure when this was produced or when/if production was stopped, but I'm almost certain Lilly used to make an injectable form of codeine phosphate..

later

[Swellin]

I fuckin hate codeine worst drug in the world, the reason i say that is because when i was 6 i had broken both bones in my left arm and i was given IV codeine and it nearly killed me! Turns out im allergic to it. Im actually glad because now that i need pain meds the docs always, always give me morphine they say they would have given me codeine but since im allergic its morphine time!

[longduckdong]

^ Although I agree with you that I do not like codeine.... It's not the absolute worst.
I'd put darvocet and ultram (trams whatever) below codeine. But just slightly.

[turkz]

Hi...

I have noticed that many people 'research' IV codeine but there aren't any real users replying. That's where Peter and Lucy, a couple somebody told me about. comes in.

They have used codeine, thrice daily for 11 months straight sometime in the past, while they were overseas.

There are two types in their expertise, phosphate and hydrochloride, the latter is stronger on a per mg basis. The following descriptions are true for both types.

First off: As a rule, will you die if you use codeine IV? Not likely. They have OD'd several times and ended up with an ambulance or at hospital with heroin in any given year but never with codeine.

Dose - They think about 400mg is a ceiling - but if your a beginner this would make you ill, and probably scared for your life... may vary. They felt as though anything more than 300 didn't tickle them more in a cost effective manner.

How is the high? Nothing like heroin. Some euphoria but very subtle. Not worth the hassle of IV in retrospect. Note: They do say that drinking codeine may provide a more pronounced yet different high, and I believe them.

Addiction? Yes it's addictive. Only when they found smack on return to their home country did they forget about codeine. The addiction is mainly manifest in warding off physical symptoms in the short term, which include the classic opiate related palette but the mental/emotional addiction should be noted as the prominent and long term battle.

Why do people say don't IV codeine? Refer to next question.

What can and has gone wrong? Note: When answering this question, they may have introduced side-effects associated with acetominophen because the CWE method used to isolate codeine is not 100% efficient.

Feeling cold. In contrast to Heroin, which makes you feel warm, all high - high doses of codeine make you shiver 20 minutes after IV, at the howl of a chilly wind.

You can get swelling... your face and hands basically swell - the dangers of this they don't know? But I have read it is dangerous - but without elaboration as to why?

Upon injecting high doses, you can get a painful tingling sensation across your body, part of the pleasure for some they say - feels like somebody is kicking their CNS - not sure?

Your skin goes red, suddenly, just like that on extra-high doses. All over your face, back, etc. - some say this is the histamine reaction.

Scariest is, they say, you can get a thumping sensation on your temple as the blood pumps through your veins on your head! This may be related to blood pressure, definitely felt like a dangerous state to them but occurred on random, rare occasions.

And last but not least... On several occasions the following has occurred - if there are any Doctors on this forum, they would appreciate a preliminary diagnosis.

After, about 2 hours of IV, with the dose not being especially high, on rare occasions the injectors have had involuntary spasms of all bodily muscles. Jaw chattering, back twitching, arms and fingers shaking. Lasting less than 1 hour on each occasion. This was a complete debilitating experience not to be displayed in public.

Final point they would like us to note as important is the issue of liver/kidney damage due to use. Apparently through two tests in the period aforementioned both the kidney and liver managed to avoid any damage of concern. However, I should point out that they did perform a CWE every time before IV use.

Conclusion of IV codeine:
IV codeine, based on Peter and Lucy's experiences, seems to provide no significant high - yet poses unpleasant (at the least) side effects, some of which are debilitating. The file, however, can not be fully closed until a medical expert comments on those side effects. I feel, strongly though, that IV codeine is not likely to 'kill' in the context of dangerous drugs, however - the chance of death through complications of the mentioned side effects do indeed seem like a distinct possibility.

Please think twice about IV codeine, as the road to addiction can be swift and the highs not so rewarding.

Peace out.

[30_Units]

The problem with codeine is that with such a strong histamine reaction, when it's pumped in iv, allergic reactions are common. The thing about anaphylactic reaction is that it only takes a tiny amount of an allergen to start a whole cascade of bodily reactions, ranging anywhere from throat swelling (which can kill), as has been mentioned, to the hives, the the risk of pulmonary edema, if you read close to the beginning of the thread, which is where your lungs fill with fluid, which I'm pretty sure can kill you.

So no, none of that, "it's as dangerous as shooting powdered glass" nonsense, but it's still not safe and not to be encouraged on a harm reduction oriented forum.

[Woody Bear]

The problem with codeine is that with such a strong histamine reaction, when it's pumped in iv, allergic reactions are common.

Thats the reason. Codeine produces a stronger histamine reaction that morphine, and pulmonary edema is a common enough reaction to IV codeine, that IV codeine isn't allowed medically. There are codeine preparations suitable for IM injection, but codeine isn't safe to use IV.

It's the same with Dihydrocodeine also, which is another opioid which is not safe to use IV.

As with codeine, intravenous administration should be avoided, as it could result in anaphylaxis and dangerous pulmonary edema.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrocodeine

[whiterobot122]

I can't imagine fluid in my lungs.

[Ickyuck]

Jeez who would wanna rez up this old thread?

[ShamanicHaze]

Originally Posted by whiterobot122

I can't imagine fluid in my lungs.

You don't want to.