Codeine is a prescription narcotic medication used to alleviate mild to moderate pain symptoms in patients. This medication can also be used in combination with other drugs to decrease coughing symptoms. Medications that contain a combination of codeine and promethazine should not be given to children under the age of 16. Discuss codeine side effects in children with your doctor or pediatrician before giving your child this type of medication.
Drowsiness or Dizziness
After your child takes a dose of codeine, she can appear unusually drowsy or fatigued and may fall asleep shortly after treatment, explain medical professionals at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Certain children also experience dizziness as a codeine side effect, which may cause them to appear unstable when walking. Your child might begin to complain that her head hurts or that her vision is blurred due to side effects of light-headedness caused by codeine. Contact your child's pediatrician immediately if vision changes persist after your child receives a dose of codeine.
Upset Stomach
Your child may complain that his tummy hurts after he takes a dose of codeine. This medication can cause stomach-related side effects that include nausea, vomiting or stomach pain, warn health officials at Medline Plus, a medical website provided as a service of the National Institutes of Health. Certain children may also develop constipation, which can lead to difficulty producing a bowel movement. Constipation can also contribute to abdominal cramping or pain in some children. To limit the occurrence of these side effects, it can be helpful for your child to eat a small snack or meal before taking his dose of codeine, and to be sure that his diet includes plenty of fluids and foods rich in fiber.
Breathing or Heartbeat Irregularities
Treatment with codeine can lead to breathing or heartbeat irregularities in some children. If your child has difficulty swallowing or breathing or develops an abnormally rapid heart rate, contact your pediatrician immediately for further evaluation and care. These side effects could indicate a severe reaction to codeine that requires immediate medical intervention.
Death
Health professionals at AboutKidsHealth, a website established by The Hospital for Sick Children, report that a study published in the August 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that codeine can be life-threatening in some children. If your child has a specific gene mutation, she might have an increased risk of rapidly accumulating codeine byproducts in her body, which can be fatal. Talk with your child's doctor about these risks before allowing your child to be treated with codeine.
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