Codeine Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Codeine - Research Paper Examplef the ancient tool kit in medicine for its therapeutic effects, and hence euphemistically called as the plant of joy. Codeine has a number of medicinal uses besides as pain reliever, such as antitussive (to suppress coughing), anti-hypertensive (lower blood pressure), anti-anxiety, to help control diarrhea, delay previous(p) labor contractions, as a sedative (helps in relaxation and sleeping), and for its hypnotic properties too. Its availability as an oral medication (as opposed to injectable medication) make it the widest prescription(prenominal) drug, with about 157 million written prescriptions annually and its sales reached approximately $3.3 billion in 2005 alone, and still continues to gain in popularity.However, identification of the chemical composition of codeine as a distinct compound is fairly recent it was first identified in 1832 by the French chemist Pierre-Jean Robiquet which closely followed the first identification of morphia a few y ears earlier, back in 1806 by German pharmacist Friedrich Wilhelm Adam Serturner (Kane & Triggle, 2007, p. 10). Codeine is isomer of morphine, which means both have the same molecular components just now are structured different hence it is known for its chemical name, 3-methylmorphine. It can be made or manufactured in the laboratory in mercantile quantities from morphine, using a semi-synthetic process.Morphine is the most abundant alkaloid (the chemical compounds that contain basic nitrogen atoms) found in opium, at 8 to 17% by weight, and followed by codeine, at .07 to 5%. Codeine is the chemical precursor of most opioids (any compound that acts care morphine) such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and tramadol. It is classified similar to opioids produced by human bodies like the endorphins and enkephalins (ibid. p. 13). Although it has many legitimate uses in medicine, codeine has a potential to be misused and abused as a recreational drug because of a high notion it generates am ong drug users that feeling is