Rescheduling of codeine

As of the 1st of February 2018, all medicines containing codeine will no longer be available without a prescription.

Codeine is used to provide relief from a number of conditions, including:

• mild to moderate pain
• severe pain (when combined with aspirin or paracetamol)
• dry irritating cough
• diarrhoea
• cold and flu (when combined with antihistamines and decongestants).

The decision to reschedule codeine was made after public consultation indicated that many consumers used these products to self-treat chronic pain. Low dose codeine-based medicines are not intended to treat long-term conditions. Regular long-term use can result in overuse and dependence, which is an increasing problem in Australia. The United States, Germany and Japan have already restricted over the counter sales of codeine-based medications.

Some of the products that will be affected include:

• combination analgesics such as Panadeine®, Nurofen Plus®, Mersyndol® and generic pharmacy pain relief products
• codeine-containing cough, cold and flu products such as Codral®, Demazin® and generic pharmacy cough, cold and flu medicines.

Codeine concerns

If you are concerned about your own or a friend's use of codeine and the rescheduling of codeine to prescription only, there is confidential help available:

• Talk with your doctor or other health professionals
• Call the Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) in your state or territory.

Further information

• Codeine
• Codeine Information Hub – Therapeutic Goods Administration
• Codeine rescheduling FAQ – NPS Medicinewise
• Codeine: Community toolkit – Scriptwise