What codeine is for. Codeine is a type of strong painkiller called an opioid. It\’s used to treat pain, for example after an operation or an injury. Codeine is an opioid pain relief medicine used for short-term pain relief. · It is not usually recommended for the treatment of chronic (long-term) pain. Codeine is one of the UK\’s most familiar painkillers, yet the same dose can be helpful, useless or risky depending on how a person\’s body … 2024 Codeine is an opioid painkiller that works by blocking pain signals in the brain and nervous system. Combined with other ingredients like paracetamol … Codeine may cause serious or life-threatening breathing problems, especially during the first 24 to 72 hours of your treatment and any time your … The tighter controls being introduced to minimise risk of overuse and or addiction of painkillers containing codeine or dihydrocodeine. Regular prolonged use of codeine is known to lead to addiction and tolerance. Prolonged use of a painkiller for headaches can make them worse. These effects … Codeine is a painkiller that is part of a group of medicines called opiates. It can be used to treat pain. It is also used as cough syrup.