The US health officials have warned breast-feeding mothers who take codeine, an ingredient in many prescription pain relievers and over-the-counter cough syrups. The drug very quickly breaks down into morphine in the body and may put their infants at higher risk of a morphine overdose.
The Food and Drug Administration has said morphine overdoses in infants are very rare but serious. The agency has advised nursing women who are taking codeine to watch their babies for signs of morphine overdose such as increased sleepiness and difficulty in breathing.
Mothers also may experience symptoms such as extreme sleepiness, confusion, shallow breathing or severe constipation. The agency has urged doctors to prescribe the lowest dose of codeine for the shortest amount of time to nursing mothers to relieve pain or a cough. Also, manufacturers of codeine products have been asked to add information about the potential for morphine overdoses to the drug labels.
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