The Nation Newspaper

Tag: codeine

  • The scourge of drugs: at what cost?

    In a recent national survey about drug abuse, the drug problem in Nigeria has been confirmed to be massive. In clearer picture, it means the rate at which young persons and adults are using psychoactive drug substance (popularly referred to as ‘getting high’) is more than the global average rate at 15% Nigeria’s and 5.6% global. This was revealed by National Bureau of Statistics and Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse.

    Previously, the prevalence was among adults and young adults, but most alarming and worrisome now is the rate at which under-age teens are embracing drugs freely and unchecked. Worst still, young people are generating their mixtures, using conventional substances with unusual elements to create their own formula for severe drug intake – they are often called ‘science students’ for these practices.

    This means that drug intake has graduated from the use of sedatives like cocaine, heroin and cannabis that we used to know, to potent mixture of several drugs to attain fatal overdose.

    For example, a cocktail of drugs like codeine, tramadol, rohypnol, cannabis with juice or soft drink is called ‘gutter water’. More crude is the smoking of lizard part, manure (dung), sniffing of petrol, glue, urine and sewage as inhalant. It is really that bad!

    I am utterly worried because this is gradually eating deep into the flesh of our society like cancer. Actually, drug abuse is not new to the modern society, but very bothersome is the alarming rate at which youngsters are embracing hard substance, unchecked.

    Do you know that four out of every 10 teenagers you meet on the street now abuse drugs? And if this goes unchecked, seven out of every 10 young persons on your street would become drug addicts by the year 2030 particularly in the major cities?

    Crimes such as spontaneous shootings triggered by drug related poor mental health may become a regular occurrence in our society such as you see it happen in a place like America?

    Recently, a news station picked a very disturbing drug abuse scene by an under-aged, with bottles of hard drugs littering the sight. The rate at which young boys and girls are being introduced to dangerous narcotics calls for serious concern.

    Now, young boys and girls display proudly their love for dangerous drugs and even get endorsements from some of our local musicians thereby promoting this dangerous trend.

    While we agree that the inflow of opioid is not limited to Nigeria alone, but our rate has surpassed ‘normal’ percentage. Last year, two major high profile raids led to seizure of over half a billion tablets of Tramadol. And apart from the imports, the local pharmaceutical companies are also riddled with high level of corruption related to boosting of illicit supply of codeine-based cough syrups to these drug users. Often time, a teenager will drink complete bottle of cough syrup at once to get ‘high’.

    This case was worsened by the fact that our healthcare system is not adequately equipped to contain consequences of disorders emanating from drug abuse, leaving victims to degenerate into complete decadence and irreversible mental states. It is not surprising why the rate of depression and anxiety induced suicides is on the increase.

    I can say authoritatively that this problem is not getting the attention it requires both from government and our communities. In the past, it is a taboo to smoke marijuana (popularly called weed) in the public. But now it is a trend and thing of pride among the youth.

    Systemic consumption of drugs by adults makes them see nothing bad in youth drug abuse. The rate at which young criminals are paraded on the television is alarming but we can stop the menace before it gets to that stage.

    Young people now have free access to dangerous weapons as much as they have to drugs, making the situation more dangerous. We are in the ‘blue tongue’, ‘purple tongue’ and ‘red tongue’ era with our youths consuming drugs freely at will. When cultism meets drugs, the result is that most rubbery gangs now consist of below 24 years old youth.

    In addition to previous and predominant crisis in the country, can we cope with drug menace given our population and energy?

    So what can we do?

    My experience in the health sector has proven that there is need for more severe laws at the federal level to prevent drug abuse with tactical check on the inflow and free distribution of illicit drugs in our society.

    Nigeria may need to borrow a leaf from countries with severe penalties against illicit drug peddling to check imminent catastrophe looming on the nation. This truth is bitter though, but can we cope with the consequences of this societal hazard as we are beginning to experience?

    Religious institutions should focus more on messages that can help revamp the society. Unfortunately, we have few organisations championing cause for prevention of drug abuse in the country. We need more.

    Prevention, they say, is better and cheaper than cure. For those already addicted, there are various forms of restorative approach in the society. But the most potent solution is to break the chain…that is where the biggest success is.

    Drug addiction is a preventable. Research has shown that preventive programmes that involve the family, schools, communities, and the media are effective in reducing drug abuse.  It is necessary, therefore, to help youth and the general public to understand the risks of drug abuse and for teachers, parents, and health care professionals to keep sending the message that drug addiction can be prevented if a person never abuses drugs.

    Above all, we need to check the music too!

    • Olulade is a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Epe Constituency II

  • ‘FG to spend over N1bn as compensation for codeine seizures’

    Prof. Moji Adeyeye, the Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Monday said the Federal Government would pay more than N1 billion as compensation to the companies that had their codeine impounded more than a year ago.

    Adeyeye disclosed this on Monday in Lagos at a news conference to debunk a newspaper report that 70 per cent of medicines in Nigeria are fake.

    Adeyeye said that there were about 2.5 million seizures of codeine made across the country, adding that government is working out compensations for the affected companies.

    “It is about a year ago when the documentary about codeine was made which led to the Ministry of Health banning the product.

    “Since that time, we have been having series of meeting with many government agencies and committees such as National Security Adviser group, the Presidency and the Ministry of Health.

    “The final point is that we recalled about 2.5 million bottles of codeine and then put them on hold. This is sad because some companies did not commit the crime.

    “So we put all the codeine on hold including the powder that they are using to the syrup. It will cost about N1 billion plus to reimburse these manufacturers,” she said.

    Adeyeye said that government was already working on the reimbursement plan, adding that the agency is working round the clock to stem the manufacturing, distribution and use of substandard and fake drugs in the country.

    Read also: Three Nigerian students die of tramadol, codeine overdose

    “We are working on whatever the Ministry of Health is doing now to reimburse those companies affected. We just called a meeting about last two weeks on it.

    “The amount that is tied to the companies and they will be reimbursed because most of them legally produce the product in spite of the bad distribution channels.

    “In tackling fake and substandard products, we do raids and many a time, our staffs don’t sleep, they keep vigil, mainly to intercept those drugs in concert with the Nigerian Customs Service.

    “We are also working with the local manufacturers to make sure that their products attain the international standard,” she said.

    On yhe fake news attributed to NAFDAC that 70 per cent of medicines in Nigeria are fake, Adeyeye said that the legal department of the agency would see to it.

    She said that a study jointly carried out by NAFDAC, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Department for International Development (DFID) in 2005 revealed that fake medicines stood at 16 per cent.

    She added that a survey conducted by NAFDAC in 2017 and 2018 on some widely used drugs showed that Nigerian medicines were 98 per cent wholesome.

    She therefore described the report as “untrue and grossly inaccurate”. (NAN)

  • The addiction challenge

    Nigeria’s trajectory seems to be ascending an undulating and precarious curve. In the last year, reports of cases of drug abuse and psychiatric problems have been on the increase. First was the alarm over the abuse of codeine by youths, especially in the Northern part of the country. The whistle was blown by an investigative report by the BBC.

    A few months after the codeine report, another drug, Tramadol, was reported to be widely, if not wildly abused. As if a proof was needed, the seizure was announced of more than a dozen container loads of the highly sensitive prescription drug at the Apapa Port, Lagos. The last time we checked, investigation was still on-going as to how such an outrageous quantity of opioid found its way into the country.

    Then last week, the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Abuse (PACEDA) announced that it was working on a proposal that will guide the introduction of random drug tests on employees, students and other persons suspected of using illegal drugs, whether in private or public places.

    Chairman of the committee, Brigadier-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd) had said that the essence of the committee was to identify those that needed help and other forms of assistance and not to criminalise anyone. He lamented the dearth of facilities and personnel to handle cases of drug addiction and other mental illnesses. He also observed that majority of the afflicted are suffering in silence.

    Laudable as the proposed policy may appear, we feel that governments at all levels and the relevant agencies charged with the health of the citizenry have not done very well to prevent the epidemic of drug addiction and the resultant psycho-social crises the country is currently experiencing. Even more troubling is the prospect of a near and distant future blurred and ominous.

    We know that resort to drugs as an elixir of any sort has its roots in ignorance, among other causes. The menace itself is the seed that germinates and which every branch and every leaf thereof portend nothing but socio-economic chaos for the country. The insecurity in the land, the insurgencies, the militancy, the social unrest, the kidnappings and robberies are all offshoots of various levels of drug addiction and substance abuse.

    While we welcome the setting up of PACEDA and its intended role in the fight against drug addiction, we suggest that a more fundamental and comprehensive action must be taken to stem the tendency of the youths, the most vital demographic of any nation, to resort to the use of drugs of any type. Statistics has shown that there is a correlation between illiteracy and the abuse of drugs amongst the youths, especially in Nigeria.

    Illiteracy and ignorance appear to be at the root of most social ills. Most uneducated parents would have limitations in the field of child upbringing. When a child lacks the most fundamental values in a fast changing world, the tendency to pick up habits from the streets is high.

    We therefore urge PACEDA and governments at all levels to draw up a comprehensive blueprint to tackle this menace. This is apart from prioritising formal education and relentless enlightenment programmes.

    There must also be a re-evaluation of policies to integrate skill acquisition and sports into the education curriculum so that those who cannot cope with core academics can acquire viable skills or develop their sporting talents. The country must begin to worry about her huge and fast growing population. An unmanaged population is bound to continue to throw up all manner of socio-economic challenges.

    PACEDA has an onerous task to strive to eliminate the virus instead of seeking to treat the ailment. Drug addiction no doubt portends serious deleterious consequences to the health of any nation.

  • Why codeine is addictive, by ex-pharmacy chief

    A Community Pharmacist and exChairman of Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Lagos State branch, Aminu Abdulsalam, shares some insights with OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA on codeine regulation by the Federal Government. Excerpts:

    The Federal Government recently streamlined production and access to codeine cough syrup because of high rate of abuse, what is your view on this?

    The way the Minister of Health announced the ban of codeine was not appropriate. Codeine is in the World Health Organisation’s model list of Essential Medicines as an important medicine to be provided in all basic health system. Codeine had been in use for a very long time. Therefore; the problem is not about the availability of codeine, but mainly about the chaotic drug distribution system that predisposes vulnerable people to substance abuse.

    I was expecting the Minister to use the opportunity provided by the codeine abuse saga to address the chaotic drug distribution system, which is fundamental to medicine abuse and misuse in Nigeria. We all know that addiction to any substance does not develop overnight, and addiction is not a matter of choice, but a matter of process. Therefore, banning any form of codeine preparations is not a solution to the problem of abuse. It is a well-known fact that there are many banned substances that are still in circulation in medicine distribution chain. As long as the demand is there, and our distribution remains in chaos as we currently have, illegal supplies will find their way to all the illegal drug markets across the country.

    How do you think the minister should have handled the matter after the BBC report?

    Rather than just placing blanket ban on codeine cough preparations in Nigeria, I expected the Minister to first place a temporary suspension of dispensing use, sales,  importation and manufacture of codeine cough syrup so as to pave way for thorough investigation by the relevant regulatory agencies; this should be followed by inventory of the codeine preparations in the value chain. The inventory should include those raw materials already on the way to Nigeria from overseas after the approval has been given. Then a stakeholder forum called, made of representatives of all stakeholders in the distribution chain to brainstorm on the issue and proffer solutions to the problem. The outcome of such forum could have perhaps produced a more objective solution that could save the nation from further embarrassment of such international dimension. The pronouncement of the minister was just an emergency save-face approach which does not solve the problem.

    Can you shed more light on what codeine is?

    Codeine belongs to a class of drugs called opiate because it was derived from opium poppy plant. It is in the same class as morphine, which is highly controlled, heroin and opium which are classified as illicit or illegal drugs. Codeine is also in the class of Narcotics because it depresses the central nervous system, like other narcotics, it slows down the messages travelling between the brain and the body. Codeine is in the World Health Organisation’s model list of essential medicines as an important medicine to be available in all basic health system. It is considered to be the safest and least addictive among the opiate drugs, which accounts for its being the most widely used medicine within this category of pain killers. Codeine has been in use in Nigeria for a very long time.

    Under what condition is codeine useful?

    Codeine is a very old medicine. It has been used effectively to treat mild to moderate pain, severe pain when combined with other pain medicines, like paracetamol and ibuprofen. Codeine presented as cough syrup suppresses a dry irritating cough. But we have to know that cough is usually a symptom of underlying disorder, such as asthma, gastro esophageal reflux disorder, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, to mention a few.

    Where there is no identifiable cause, cough suppressant like codeine cough syrup may be useful, especially when sleep is disturbed. It is important to know that the advantage codeine has in stopping one’s cough can also be seen as its danger, since cough reflex is there for clearing the throat to allow for unrestricted breathing. When this reflex is suppressed unnecessarily through the abuse of codeine, one runs the risk of suffocation during sleep or when lying down on bed. It may also cause sputum retention and this may be harmful to patients with chronic bronchitis, asthma and other related disorders. Codeine has also been used to treat diarrhea. Please note that codeine is relatively safe on the condition that it is used as recommended by qualified healthcare providers.

    You said codeine had been in use for a long time, why has it become so bad to have necessitated its regulation by the Federal Government?

    As stated earlier, codeine will continue to be of benefit to the users only on the condition that the users adhere strictly to the official recommendation by qualified healthcare providers. Unfortunately, many Nigerians have formulated other benefits that are turning codeine against their own health through abuse. One would not have problem with codeine if used at the recommended dosage, frequency   and for a specified duration. It is now evident that the global epidemic of opiate abuse is very much with us, because many Nigerians are now using codeine habitually, not for the treatment of any identified disease but rather to alter mood, consciousness and body functions unnecessarily.

    This habit constitutes drug abuse and it is a self-damaging habit, which could lead to tolerance, dependence and addiction. Apart from these, it could also lead to serious physiological injuries, such as damage to body’s vital organs, like liver, kidney and heart or psychological harm such as dysfunctional behavioral pattern and or death. This situation is so bad, apart from the international embarrassment from the documentary on the abuse of codeine.

    Substance abuse in Nigeria is now known to be playing significant roles in many social problems, such as drug driving, insurgency, kidnapping, armed robbery, child abuse, rape, loss or missed works and schools, homelessness and other criminal activities. Therefore, there is need for action to save the future of the youths of this country. However, outright banning is far from being the solution.

    How  tolerance, dependence and addiction are related to drug abuse.

    Substance abuse disorder is not a matter of choice, but of process. It is a chain of reactions with one process leading to another. When one keeps taking codeine repeatedly, it can lead to tolerance. Tolerance is said to have developed if there is decrease in response to drug after repeated use. That is, higher dose would subsequently be required to achieve the same effect, leading to taking overdose and consequently toxicity, organ damage and possibly death.

    Dependence on drug use is an adaptive state, which develops from repeated drug use, leading to withdrawal effects if the use of such drug is stopped without medical supervision. That is to say, individual who depends on drug would subsequently need one or more drugs to even function normally. After tolerance and dependence, if there is no effort to manage the situation, it will lead to addiction, which is a very serious disease state. Addiction is a compulsive out-of-control drug use despite the negative consequences. Note that craving or intense feeling of compulsion to use a drug is the dividing line between addiction and dependence. An addict can do anything to get the drug he or she is hooked on.

     Why is codeine so addictive?

    Codeine is said to be the least addictive among the opioids. However, regular use of any product containing codeine  in whatever form, tablet or syrup is as dangerous as regular use of  illicit drugs like heroin or any other opiate drugs, the difference being that it might take a longer period of continual use  of codeine to become addicted  compared to heroin. But once addicted, the withdrawals and the road back to where one was before starting the use of codeine is usually arduous and painful and to have successful outcomes, it usually requires professional rehabilitation.

    The answer why opioids are so addictive is said to be in human brain. Opioids are known to activate several brain reward systems, including one that motivates a person to take more of the drug. The motivation to take more of the drug is the euphoria associated with the use of the drug. Euphoria is an overwhelming feeling of happiness, satisfaction, joy and a state of wellbeing. People experiencing euphoria may feel care free, safe, bold, confident and free of stress. This emotion can either  be a normal reaction to happy events, like sex, delicious meal, achievements, etc,  or symptom of substance abuse.

    But because we all want to feel good at all time, users get into the habit  of taking the drug repeatedly. At the same time opioids cause changes in another part of the brain that limits a person’s ability to stop taking the drugs. The limiting factor here is the uncomfortable withdrawal effects when users attempt to stop taking the drug. Anxiety, profuse sweating, sleeplessness, rigour, pain, tremor nausea, diarrhea, hallucination, psychosis, suicidal and homicidal tendency are some the uncomfortable withdrawal effects that may put the users under compulsion to go back to the drug.

    When these two brain processes work in combination, that is, the motivation to take more of the drug in one  part of the brain and the limit of person’s ability to stop taking the drug in another part of the brain, the  effect is like hitting the accelerator in a car-without having any brakes. A person addicted to codeine feel intense urge to take it again, and also has a hard time resisting that urge.

    The longer someone misuses  codeine and other opoids the higher the chance of it taking over the chemistry of one’s brain and the less self-control one  will have; it gets more and more difficult to resist taking the drug, or to follow through on a resolution to quit. The drugs diminish the person’s ability to make a different choice. Taking the drug becomes a priority and even linked to survival. The brain of such addict is like a car that, besides having no brake, has a steering wheel that works poorly or doesn’t work at all.

    Considering all you have said  about codeine, what is your advice on its use?

    One should always use codeine as prescribed by the authorised healthcare providers because it is an opioid can affect a person in such negative ways to the extent of ruining a bright and promising future, permanent disability and untimely journey to the grave. It is also important parent monitor their children lifestyle and closely mark their relationship with their peers, and report any strange behaviors of their children.

    You have said so much about the addictive properties of codeine and the likes, is there any other side of codeine that is important for the public knowledge?

    Like many other drugs, codeine is associated with various adverse effects, especially when abused or when an overdose is taken. The common adverse effects associated with the use of codeine apart from euphoria include constipation, urinary retention, respiratory depression, diminished sexual drive, and apathy and memory loss. Respiratory depression (not being able to breathe) is a potentially serious adverse effect. This effect is said to be dose related and potentially fatal consequence of over dose.

    Those who abuse codeine cough syrup are also at risk of over dose of other non-addictive components of the preparation which put the vital organs to damage. While it is an effective cough suppressant at low dose it is said to be a weak pain reliever, and needs to be converted to morphine in the liver of the user. According to a report, morphine is responsible for the pain relieving and the euphoria effects of codeine. The report indicated that there is genetic variation in the individual ability to change codeine to morphine. On one side, there are those in the population who have innate ability to change codeine to morphine rapidly, those are more predisposed to codeine toxicity within a short time. At the other end, there are those who are naturally very slow in changing codeine to active morphine, such people are less likely to develop toxicity within a short time of use. Therefore, reactions to codeine abuse vary from individual to individual. In order words, your brother may develop sign of toxicity very much earlier than you, even if you were exposed to the same dose at the same time if your brother is a rapid metaboliser.

    It is expected that drug with such a high potential to cause injury to users should be strict controlled. It is obvious there is no adequate measure to control its use…

    Honestly, there are adequate control measures in our system to prevent or reduce the extent of abuse of drug. Unfortunately, the problem is poor implementation or enforcement of those measurers. One of the measures was the establishment of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) by Decree 15 of 1993, NAFDAC ACT CAP N1 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004. The agency is responsible to  ensure that foods, drugs, cosmetics circulating in the country are of good quality and safe, and to ensure that all regulated products are used rationally in our communities.

    Nigeria is a party to many treaties under various international conventions to regulate the use of narcotics and control substances. The treaties under the various International Conventions are aimed at combating drug abuse by a co-ordinated international action. It is expected that each party gives special attention to substance abuse and take all practicable measures for the prevention of drug abuse and for the early detection, treatment, education, after-care rehabilitation and social integration of the persons involved. NAFDAC is the agency saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that Nigeria fulfills all the control obligations under various international drug control conventions. Unfortunately, there was a square peg in a round hole, as arrowhead, which caused a very serious setback to the good left behind by the late Prof. Dora Akunyili. What we are experiencing today on drug abuse could be a fall out of wrong appointment into the agency, which spanned close to 10years. Honestly speaking, it is quite dangerous to appoint a wrong person into an agency responsible to safeguard the health of the people. However, the current government must be appreciated for correcting the wrong appointment by recently appointing a highly qualified professional person, a pharmacist to the position of the Director-General to lead the agency once again.

    There is also the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) established by Decree 91 of 1992, now PCN Act Cap P 17. Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004, charged with the responsibility of ensuring that only certified and licensed persons  and premises engaged  in manufacturing, importation, distribution, sales, and dispensing of medicines.

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) established by Decree 48 of 1989, now Act of Parliament to enforce laws against the cultivation, processing, sale, trafficking and use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and to suppress the demand for illicit drugs and other substance of abuse.

    The revised National Drug Policy document of 2005 is comprehensive enough to address many of the problems if implemented. Unfortunately, most of the expectations were unrealised due mainly to lack of political will by the past governments and the absence of a well-structured monitoring system.

    Government needs to fund and give all the agencies maximum power to enforce the relevant laws. Adequate funding and collaboration among the relevant agencies can make our lot better. It is important that each agency must have adequate power of enforcement. There is the saying that a ‘chain cannot be stronger than the weakest of its links’.

    We have heard that chaotic drugs distribution and sales in the open market are responsible for the circulation of fake drugs, irrational drug use and abuse, why has the situation not been addressed?

    Acknowledging the fact that the drug distribution system in Nigeria was in chaos and portends serious negative consequences, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has a very long history of tackling the Federal Government to address the distribution problem in Nigeria.

    It was not until 2009, when the call for structured medicines distribution in Nigeria by PSN was heeded to, and the process of developing the National Drug Distribution Guidelines commenced as a collaborative effort of the Federal Ministry of Health, Presidential Committee on Pharmaceutical Sector Reform, almost by all the relevant stakeholders in the industry. By the first quarter of 2011, the committee had produced very comprehensive drug distribution guidelines, acknowledged to be well researched and with very broad scope of consultation.

    The main attraction of the guideline was that drugs would no longer be hawked, sold in cluster, market places or by unqualified persons, all inconsonance with the National Drug Policy. The guidelines put orderliness in drug distribution in Nigeria. According to the document, the implementation of the guideline was to commence in July, 2012.

    While the National Drug Distribution Guideline had gone through several reviews after its production in 2011, the light of implementation has been dimmed by the government persistent lack of political will to address the problem. Between 2012 to date, the goal post of implementation flag-off had been shifted four different times. When 2012 failed, 2014, 2015, 2017 were all target dates of implementation of the guidelines, but respectively, no implementation took place. The new date of flag-off, according to the Minister of Health, is January next year. It is our hope that the new date would be a reality.

    Sequel to the BBC documentary on codeine abuse in Nigeria, the senate responded promptly by proposing two bills; Mental Health Bill to establish National Council for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and National Drug Control Bill to establish National Council for the Regulation of Control Substances. Do you think such agencies can solve the problem of drug abuse in Nigeria?

    We must appreciate the senate for promptly coming up with two bills to tackle the problem. However, as I had mentioned earlier, we already have a system in place to tackle the problem. What the government needs to do is to adequately fund all the relevant agencies: Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN); National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and encourage effective collaboration among the relevant agencies.

    Information available is that these agencies are operating far below capacity, as a result of poor funding. Establishing two agencies at the sametime under the Federal Ministry of Health where the existing ones are not adequately funded can be a misplaced priority. The government should also implement all the relevant health and drug policies, including the National Drug Distribution Guidelines.The journey to drug abuse free society starts from a well-structured drug distribution system.

  • Police arrest ex-employee for ‘codeine’

    The police in Lagos have arrested a former employee of a pharmaceutical company, Maduike Chukwunonye, for alleged attempt to sell codeine to a correspondent of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

    Chukwunonye, the police alleged, also sold the drug to unauthorised persons since his disengagement from the company in May.

    The suspect, alleged to have been caught on camera selling the drug to an undercover journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, alias Mr. Nohson, was said to have tried fleeing the country when he noticed he was being hunted.

    Parading the suspect yesterday, Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal said Chukwunonye had been trailed since May 1, after the pharmaceutical company reported a case of unlawful distribution of controlled substances in breach of the drug laws.

    Edgal said: “The company alleged that while in its employ, the suspect had access to limited quantities of its product with codeine for the purpose of distribution to licensed retail pharmacies under his assigned territory.

    “But due to his greed, the suspect knowingly supplied the controlled drugs to persons who are not supposed to have access to them, contrary to the dictates of the laws.

    “He has been on the run since May, but was eventually arrested at Idi-Iroko border, Ogun State, by operatives of Area ‘D’ Command while he tried to flee to Cotonou in Benin Republic.

    “In his statement, he averred that he was only trying to meet his sale target and that the BBC man was introduced to him by one Pascal as a genuine businessman without verifying the former’s identity as a pharmacist. He regretted selling the controlled substances to unauthorised persons.”

  • ‘Over 23,000 workers to lose jobs over ban on codeine’

    The National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE) has warned that over 23,000 workers would lose their jobs due to the blanket ban on codeine by the Federal Government.

    Specifically, the union said many big pharmaceutical companies would be forced to close shop, and this could cause over 23,000 workers to lose their jobs.

    NUCFRLANMPE lamented that the number of workers that would be affected would be colossal as many companies manufacturing cough and pain-relieving drugs that use codeine as raw materials may have to shut down.

    Instead of the blanket ban, the union advised the government to find a way of controlling the use of codeine, as done in the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom.

    NUCFRLANMPE President  Comrade Babatunde Olatunji said: “Codeine is an analgesic with uses similar to those of morphine, but it is much less potent as an analgesic and has only mild sedative effects. It is also used in the treatment of cough, diarrhoea as well as other chronic conditions such as arthritis and migraine’’.

    “It is obvious that some criminality minded people are using this product as addictive substances as done all over the world, including advanced countries like US and UK, but codeine is also an important raw material in the production of pain relieving and cough suppressant drugs.”

    He called on the government to adopt a system in which prescription of the drugs will be strictly adhered to so as to prevent closure of many pharmaceutical companies in the country and the attendant job losses.

  • Fed Govt recalls 2.4m bottles of cough syrup containing codeine

    THE Federal Ministry of Health has recalled 2.4 million bottles of cough syrup containing codeine after a recent audit of the substance carried out by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    According to a statement yesterday by the ministry’s Director Media and Public Relations, Mrs. Boade Akinola, in Abuja, the recall demonstrated the Federal Government’s resolve to stem the abuse of codeine and other substances.

    Akinola said the minister had recently received the final report of the 22-man stakeholders committee set up by the ministry to address the worrisome menace of codeine abuse.

    She quoted the Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole as saying that the audit and subsequent recall of the substance was part of recommendations of the committee to address codeine abuse.

    The minister said the committee members were drafted from a broad spectrum of the health sector in collaboration with relevant agencies as part of pharmacovigilance and renewed effort to monitor drug distribution channels and sanitise the system.

    The minister recalled that the committee was an offshoot of the statement issued by the ministry on the temporary ban of Codeine production and distribution.

    He said the committee has Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Christianah Adeyeye, as the chairman. Other members include Muhammad Abdullahi, Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Elijah Mohamed, the Registrar of Pharmacists Council of Nigeria; Mr. Moshood Lawal, Director, Food and Drugs Services, Federal Ministry of Health; Ahmed Yakasai, President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) among others.

    On May 1, the Federal Government banned the production and importation of codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough syrup preparations to check substance abuse among Nigerians.

    The minister directed NAFDAC to ban the issuance of permits for the importation of codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations.

    He directed the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) and NAFDAC to supervise the recall for labelling and audit trailing of all codeine containing cough syrups nationwide.

    The federal government had also banned the sale of cough syrup containing codeine without prescription.

  • 35 containers of tramadol seized at ports – NAFDAC

    Prof. Moji Adeyeye, Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says the agency has seized not fewer than 35 containers of tramadol at various ports in the country.

    Adeyeye disclosed this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

    She said nine out of the seized containers of tramadol were released to NAFDAC by the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS), and had been destroyed by her agency.

    “We are seriously working with the custom on this and each time they seize any container, they usually invite us to come and see the containers with tramadol.

    “So far, 35 containers were seized and only nine of them have been handed over to NAFDAC which we have destroyed,” she said.

    She, however, decried the delay by the custom in handing over the rest of the containers to her agency.

    The NAFDAC boss stated that tramadol was a restricted drug but had been abused by Nigerian youths who use it without prescription.

    According to Adeyeye, who is also a professor of pharmacology, the drug destroys children’s brain thereby threatening the future generation of the nation.

    She lauded the present administration for placing an embargo on codeine, which she said, like tramadol, should only be given only by prescription as done in advanced country.

    The director general said the agency was more determined and committed than ever to stem the menace of illicit and fake drugs in the country. (NAN)

  • Codeine responsible for high rate of mental cases, says Kano

    Kano State government yesterday attributed the  increasing rate of mental illness and other forms of deviants acts in the society  to the excessive use of codeine and other illicit drugs mostly consumed by  youths in the society.

    Speaking shortly after routine raid of suspected locations where codeine are illegally sold, Secretary of the  Pharmacist Inspection Committee of the state Ministry of Health, Pharmacist Samaila Ciroma, said his Committee is determined to stamp out the illegal use of codeine and other illicit drugs from the state.

    Ciroma, who restated the Committee’s readiness to wage total war against illegal use of codeine, said they would leave no stone unturned in the fight against selling or possession of codeine by pharmaceutical companies, retail shops or individuals in the state.

    This is coming on the heels of the directives by the Federal Government for immediate commencement of retrieval of all codeine-based preparation in circulation.

  • Codeine and Tramadol alternative medicine options (3)

    Nigeria’s war on Codeine and Tramadol is still raging like an inferno. Hundreds of defaulting pharmacies and patient medicine stores have been shut, contraband with triple digit millions of Naira have been seized at the ports, few arrests have been made, radio and television talkshows, like newspaper reports, are still right on the mark, and the drugs law enforcement agencies have promised to keep cracking the nuts in Lagos State.

    The government has promised to build a rehabilitation centre for people who are to be weaned off drug abuse.

    Three weeks ago, this column began to contribute its quota to the resolution of what appears like corruption and bad governance, to be tearing the society apart. The series, which will be concluded today, is examining options in Alternative Medicine and Traditional Medicine to Codeine and Tramadol.

    The second feature ended in the exploration of natural cough recipes. The third continues from there.

    We cannot assemble Alternative Medicine recipes for cough without providing a place of pride on the shelf for Bryophillum pinatum, which goes by interesting common names.

    Among them are Air plant, Life plant, Miracle plant and Resurrection plant. This plant is called Air plant because it appears to draw its sustenance from the air.

    If you place one of its leaves on a table, it would begin to sprout and grow within a few days. It does not matter if you place that leaf between two pages of a book and close the book. The leaf would grow. Besides, it would appear to be a long-living plant, which is why it may have been seen and called Everlasting plant or Life plant.

    I had a whole flower bed of Air plant for more than 10 years when I lived at Awuse Estate in Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos. When I moved house to my present residence where I have lived for more than 10 years, I took them all along.

    It doesn’t surprise me that they are all still doing well. Afterall, aren’t they Life plant or Everlasting plant?

    In my early days at Opebi, I knew this plant more as an hypotensive plant, that is a plant which knocks down hypertension. And I approached it with caution lest an overdose of it knocks out a person like me who has a tendency to be hypotensive at a 110/70 blood pressure which, these days, even tend to plumet to 90 something over 60 something when I tend to overdo certain herbs. One day, I learned that these herbs could be good for asthma as well. One woman who was passing by my residence sighted it in the flower bed outside the house and sought my permission to pick a few. When I asked her what she wanted it for, I got this new insight. I was later to learn that this herb is well known in many villages.

    In these villages, mothers use its juice to treat ear ache in infants and children. They find it useful, also in the treatment of umbilical cord pain. How is it used for these conditions? The leaf has a juice walled in on all sides by the leaf which thickens towards the exterior. The juice may be obtained by washing the leaves clean of dust and germs, usually in Saline (table salt) solution, rinsing them in clean plain water and, then, placing them on the cover of a pot on a lit stove or gas cooker. The indirect heat in no time softens the leaf like an ice cube in the scorching, tropical African sun. The juice is then easily pressed out into a container. In the village, it is mopped with cotton wool and, from this dispenses, pressed into the aching ear in small amounts or dropped in the troublesome navel and massaged into the skin. This has led me to suggest that adults who are challenged with umbilical hernia may try it as a recipe.

    As a cough remedy, the juice may be mixed with honey or with lime or lemon or any other helpful juice, or even palm oil.

    I may return to this later, meanwhile, I would like to say that I have not mentioned why Byophillum pinatum is called a Miracle plant. This was to prevent the overwhelming of its use as a cough remedy by its other beneficial uses which, in some herbal medicine literature, number more than 100. Yes, more than 100; one of these uses is the treatement of leukemia or cancer of the blood, in which Byophillium pinatum may go well with Bone Marrow Meal and Stinging Nettle, for example. Another beneficial use is in the treatment of kidney stones. Other conditions it may help include Vaginal Infections, Headaches, Hypertension, Boils, Urinary tract disorders, bleeding, diarhoria, white nails, liver challenges, ear ache, heart conditions, tooth ache, intestinal worms, diabetes, constipation, chest cold, shortness of breath, bronchitis, insect bites, skin bruises, ulcers, excess mucus and eye pain (when the juice is rubbed on and around the closed eyelids).

    From the foregoing, this is, indeed, a Miracle plant, a Life plant, an Everlasting plant and Air plant, and a plant which goes by many more accolades. Although Euro-American historians of medicinal plants gives its origin to Madagasca, Nigerian villagers knew of this plant and used it long, long before they knew of the existence of Madagascar.

    It is a pity that, in the general laziness which envelopes the nation today, and which Nigerians vehemently protect against when they are told that they are a lazy people, this country does not have larger agricultural medicine plantations of this plant, as we find them in Asia, Europe and the Americans.

    From one leaf of this wonderful plant, it is possible to generate millions of its leaves in one year.These can be industrially processed into powder, tincture, tablets, capsules, water extracts (and what have you) to meet specifications of whatever treatment it is intended for.

    Rather, we would, like mentally colonised persons, prefer to input Codeine and Tramadol which are now laying to monumental waste the brains and mind and health of our people, young and old.

     

    Pain

     

    Inflammation of tissue causes pain, and inflammation comes from irritation. Thus, in addressing pain, blocking or suppressing it is not the ideal therapy. The ideal approach is to remove causes of irritation and then to support the body’s anti-inflammatory process. Clearing irritation has to do with detoxification, a subject always addressed by this column, some agents of detoxification often mentioned include Chlorella, Cilantro, Wheatgrass, Chlorophyll, Chelated Zinc, distilled water, reverse Osmosis water, alkaline water, lime and lemon juices, Apple cider vinegar, detoxification diets, fasting etc. Anti-inflammatory support for detoxification of irritants in pain therapy benefits form. Omega -3 fatty acids in either fish oil, Flax seed oil, Udo’s oil or Hemp (not Indian hemp) oil. There are, besides them, anti-inflammatory herbs, such as Orange peel powder, Wheat grass, Chlorella, Alfalfa, Bromelain from Pineapple, and of course, Caspicum from red Pepper. This is not to mention the armoury of essential oils and cell or tissue salts.

    We cannot forget dear, old Small flowered Willow herb, that anti-inflammatory and anti-pain plant which Europeans have taken for centuries to shrink enlarged prostate glands, a component of many proprietary blends, old and new, of prostate health formulas and, last but not the least, the source of modern -day anti-coagulant, anti pain Pharmaceutical drug, Aspirin.

    In his book,  YOU’RE NOT SICK, YOU’RE ONLY THIRSTY, Dr. Batmanghelidj provides the anchorage with the cheapest medicine … Water. YOUR BODY’S MANY CRIES FOR WATER tells us there is no bodily pain rehydration cannot resolve. They cover neck pain, digestive system pain (dyspepsia), lower back pain, false appendicitis pain etc. the process of the occurrence of each pain type is as well medically described as is the relevance of drinking water to resolve it.

     

    Depression

     

    Modern medical science accepts that depression is not madness, a case in which an earth-bound soul or spirit takes over part or the whole brain of a person to subject the victim to a dual personality occasionally or perpetually. An earth-bound spirit is a person who has left the earth through death but who, rather than continuing his or her life’s journey in another sphere of existence in the process of perfecting himself or herself, chooses to or is forced to remain on this earth, without a physical body to indulge in his or her propensities. Such a disembodied, earth-bound person then seeks to use another person’s body to manifest on earth. The opportunity for this is provided, sometimes by depression, or through weakened blood radiations of the victim.

    Doctors help such people through sedation which makes the encroaching soul abandon his or her victims body as unusable in that period. But the encroachment may happen again if the circumstances become favourable, especially when radiations of the stars permit it.

    Today, we speak of sickness in body, Soul and Spirit. Depression does have origin in all these spheres. If the body is not well nurtured, rested or protected from harmful environment, its chemistry may change and alter hormonal profiles in a way that may literally turn the brain upside down. I have seen cases of headaches and depression which clear up when an overload of Candida in the organs or in the bloodstream is cleared up. The same goes for massive yeast infection. According to some American doctors, it takes them about one year of detoxification to obtain good results as candida and other yeast forms, including fungi, are difficult to uproot. A tell-tale candida build-up may be persistent headaches or gray tongue called Oral thrush.Vaginal Candidiasis is another tell tale. So is systemic Candidiasis, when the Candida has taken root in many organs.

    Some signs of depression are tiredness, lethargy, solitude, ingratitude, irritability, mental blankness, large or poor appetite, lovelessness, tendency for violence, soliloquing, (speaking to, or with oneself) fear or schizophrenia, hallucination, suicide thoughts and tendencies, among many others.

    With regard to lethargy and indifference, I have experienced the cases of two women who did not care that they were menstruating, messed up their beds and settees in the newsroom, one was a lawyer who was jilted by her boyfriend. The other one was talked into abortion by her boyfriend when they were university undergraduates, and then jilted. The lawyer could gulp one big bottle of rum in 30 minutes, while you are talking with her. Happily she has picked up the pieces of her life and married. The other girl, too, has emerged from her stupor. I lost contact with the third woman whose father had to ensure no-one kept used engine oil around, because she liked to sniff and drink it. There was, also, a young man who was very close to his father. When the old man died and the remains were buried, the young man lost his mind. He would not agree to wear clothes. So, his mother and siblings organised for him to be locked up in a room in their house.

    Talking about the relationship of bodily health and depression, Maria Treben says in the HELP THROUGH GOD’S PHARMACY that ”the great neurologist Dr. Wagner Jauregg said in his witting, all two-thirds of all mentally ill persons would not go to a mental home had they healthy kidneys”. She adds: … Up to now, I have been able to advise my unhappy people who, through kidney disorders, suffer from depression, delusions and fits of rage and would have ended up in a mental home but for Horsetail Sitz baths for this conditions, besides Yarrow and Stinging Nettle teas, a cup of Horsetail tea should be drunk mornings and evenings”. This is detoxification.What affected the kidney may affect any other organ of detoxification (the lungs, the liver, the intestine and the skin).

    Toxins the kidneys couldn’t flush out in the urine may be disturbing the brain, causing pain and lowering energy output, for which narcotics are sought. What affects the kidneys may affect the adrenal glands situated on top of them. The adrenals help us to cope with stress. If they are stressed up or burnt out, the body and the brain would cave in.

    We cannot address depression on a wider basis today. It is a whole subject, and even more, on its own. I would like to add, nonetheless that our doctors are doing a wonderful job in Psychiatric hospitals to help many affected people reclaim their health and sanity.

    Many of them should suffer no relapse not only if they avoid those circumstances which did them in, but, also, if they support their mind, nerves, body and brain with the right nutrients. It is advisable that they give up bread, milk, refined sugar, fried and processed foods, and add organic fruits and vegetables to their diet. They need for their brains and nerves Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Complex, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Lecithin, Alpha Lipoid Acid, Lion’s Mane Mushroom, Magnesium, Omega – 3 oils. Regarding diet, complex carbohydrates are said to boost serotonin levels in the brain.

    Kale boost Dopamine level in the brain.  S-A denosyl methionine (SAME) helps production of brain chemicals which makes us happy and balance our mood.

    Ginkgo biloba promotes blood circulation to and in the brain, apart from supporting the work of brain chemicals. So do B-Complex vitamins, especially B6, B12 and Folic acid.

    Depression found its way into this concluding part of the series on Codeine and Tramadol because many of the people who abuse them eventually become depressed. As I stated earlier, depression is a huge subject which cannot be fully addressed in literature such as this. So, it will be explode again sooner than later.