As of December 1, tramadol and codeine will only be dispensed upon presentation of a secure prescription. A way to limit the misuse of these two powerful painkillers, according to the Haute-Vienne pharmacists’ union.
Following recommendations issued by the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), tramadol and codeine, two powerful painkillers, will only be delivered under secure prescription from December 1.
The maximum prescription duration has also been revised. Tramadol and codeine can no longer be prescribed for more than three months without requiring a new secure prescription.
1. What are tramadol and codeine?
Until 2017, codeine was still available over the counter, but over time, alerts increased. In 2017, all medicines containing codeine were subject to prescription.
For tramadol, the number of tablets and the maximum prescription duration were reduced from 2020. As a reminder, tramadol and codeine are opioids, that is to say whose physiological effects are similar to those of opium.
On the drug scale, they are at step 2, just below narcotics and morphine. Tramadol is prescribed for moderate to severe pain and codeine for the treatment of dry coughs.
2. What are the risks associated with these medications?
“Tramadol is particularly addictive. When the patient stops taking it, there is a real withdrawal effect. Especially since when you stop taking it, somatic and neurological pain occurs. Some people then take tramadol again to relieve this pain,” explains Olivier Teillier, director of the Addictions France 19 and 87 association.
“When you take tramadol, the body gets used to it and you have to gradually increase the doses. But it is also important to gradually reduce the doses until the intake is completely stopped,” adds Nicolas Verguet, co-president of the Haute-Vienne pharmacists’ union.
For these two professionals, these medications can become the gateway to other addictions or even be mixed with other substances such as alcohol. “People must also understand that we do not share our box of tablets. Such a medicine is prescribed for the specific treatment of a patient. Medicines must be used in a supervised manner and within a therapeutic framework,” reminds Nicolas Verguet.
3. Why secure prescriptions?
“These are the drugs for which we have the most counterfeit prescriptions
. We always ask for confirmation from the prescribing doctor,” assures the co-president of the pharmacists’ union. These drugs are then resold on the black market.
A platform should emerge in 2025 so that doctors can directly submit their digital prescriptions.
A person deliberately modifies elements, such as the name of medications, or even the date, before going to a pharmacy to obtain the medications they want even though no doctor has prescribed them for them.
Limoges: in need of heroin and cocaine, he falsifies his son’s prescription (archive May 2024)Emilie Montalban
France
