Summary
Dihydrocodeine is a semi-synthetic morphinan opioid analgesic prescribed for pain, or as an antitussive (either alone or compounded with paracetamol or aspirin). It was developed in Germany in 1908 and first marketed in 1911.
Dose Information
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 50-100mg | 100-150mg | 150-200mg | 200mg+ |
Light
Common
Strong
Heavy
Onset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Peak | After Effects | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 30-45 min | 3.0-4.0 hrs | 1.0-8.0 hrs | 180-0 min |
Tolerance
Build-up
develops within days of regular use; analgesic tolerance faster than respiratory depression tolerance
Reset
7–14 days for partial reset; full reset may take weeks — tolerance loss greatly increases overdose risk
Cross-tolerance
Effects
Positive
- Analgesia
- Physical euphoria
- Cough suppression
Negative
- Motor impairment
- Nausea
- Dry Mouth
- Sedation
- Itchiness
- Relaxant
- Difficulty urinating
Positive
- Reduced anxiety
- Euphoria
- Mood lift
- Cognitive euphoria
- Anxiety suppression
- Cognitive Euphoria
- Anxiety Suppression
- Dream potentiation
Negative
- Constipation
- Compulsive redosing
Positive
- Visual geometry
- Increased music appreciation
Negative
- Appetite suppression
- Decreased Libido
- Appetite Suppression
- Spatial disorientation
- Dulled perception
- Internal hallucinations
- Internal hallucination
- Visual and auditory hallucinations