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Re: cough syrups with codeine - what's the beef?

In a message dated 10/16/99 4:54:43 PM !!!First Boot!!!, 
writes:

<< I have no problem with Tylenol with codeine for severe pain  >>

I guess someone has to bring this up but how do you know that you are really
prescribing the codeine/narcotic for the child instead of for the parent, if
you know what I mean.  It won't help the child if the parent uses
it.......which happens more oft than we would like to think.  I rarely
prescribe a narcotic/codeine for a child.......not because I am insensitive
nor desire a child to suffer.....but because I find that the vast majority of
the time it is simply unnecessary and there are plenty of satisfactory
alternatives and it is a bad habit (excuse the pun) to start, IMHO.  Once you
start it, it is hard to stop and becomes too easy to continue doing it.  It
sound altruistic and commendable to say that you are prescribing APAP with
C/narcotic because you want to give the child relief from their pain but do
you really think that is really necessary most of the time?  I don't think
so.  I find that it is sort of like being Democrat or Republican or whatever,
you believe what you are going to believe and we can discuss this matter
until the cows come home but it is not really going to change any of our
prescribing habits.  You are either a narcotic prescriber or you are not.
When you start prescribing codeine/narcotic for every little ache & pain, it
becomes your style.
Andrew