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02/20/2013 04:00 PM EST
Children are often prescribed codeine for pain relief after surgery to treat chronic tonsillitis or sleep apnea. However, some children have died after being given codeine in amounts that are within the recommended dose range.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking new steps to warn about the use of codeine to relieve children’s pain after surgery to remove their tonsils or adenoids. A new boxed warning —FDA’s strongest warning—will be added to the drug label of codeine-containing products about the risk of codeine to manage pain in children after a tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy.
Read this Consumer Update to learn what puts children at risk and what symptoms are signs of trouble.


