title: Codeine for acute cough in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Owing to Health Canada's recent recommendations to avoid the use of over-the-counter cough and cold medications in preschool children, I was looking at other antitussive medications for acute cough. Codeine was recommended in the past for this indication. What is the evidence for its use and how effective and safe is it?
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cough is one of the most common symptoms in children, and the opioid codeine has known antitussive qualities mediated by a central nervous system pathway. However, current evidence finds codeine to be no more effective than placebo for acute cough in children. Its safety profile and recent advances in understanding codeine's variable effectiveness prohibit recommending codeine for cough in children.
authors.affiliation: BC Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Room K4-226, Ambulatory Care Bldg, 4480 Oak St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4. rgoldman@cw.bc.ca
authors.forename: Ran D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Goldman
mesh_terms: D000996:Antitussive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003061:Codeine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003371:Cough / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D000996:Antitussive Agents; D003061:Codeine