FDA health advisories linked to lower rates of codeine among postpartum mothers

Following public health advisories from both the FDA and Health Canada, the rate of codeine prescriptions being filled among postpartum women declined significantly. “Some patients are ultrarapid metabolizers of codeine. Nursing mothers who take codeine may be putting their infant at risk if they carry the polymorphisms for elevated activity of CYP2D6. High levels of morphine in breast milk may lead to infant death from drug-induced respiratory depression,” Kate Smolina, PhD, Centre for Health Services and Policy research at the University of British Columbia, and colleagues wrote.