Safe use of codeine in the recovering alcoholic or addict.

The effect that codeine has on the process of addiction and recovery is unclear. Confusion about definitions, study endpoints, and a lack of well-controlled clinical studies has led to this uncertainty. Codeine addiction is uncommon in people who do not have existing vulnerability to addiction, including alcoholism. Codeine use can sustain addiction or increase the risk of relapse in patients afflicted with addiction. The risk of relapse must be considered when treating conditions such as pain or cough in a person recovering from addiction. Codeine use may be circumvented with the appropriate use of alternative treatments for pain or cough. If codeine use becomes necessary, cautious prescribing and reliance on the patient's recovery support network become imperative.