Pholcodeine Stats & Data
Chemical Class
medicine
Psychoactive Class
Depressant
Pharmacology
DrugBank
Half-life 45.0 hours
Protein binding 23%
Mechanism of Action
The mechanism of action of pholcodine is directly performed in the medulla oblongata. In this site, it exerts analgesic properties on the peripheric reflexogenic receptors. This site is commonly known as the "cough center."
Metabolism
The metabolism of pholcodine seems to be very slow and due to the elimination profile, it is thought that most of the administered dose undergoes metabolism. There is some evidence in preclinical trials that indicate that morphine is a minor metabolite of pholcodine and that it accounts for 1% of the administered dose.
Effect Profile
Curated
Opioid
5.1
Strong euphoria with moderate itching/nausea, mild sedation
Euphoria / Warmth×3
9
Analgesia×2
0
Sedation / Relaxation×1
5
Itching / Nausea×1
6
Based on reports from:
Tolerance & Pharmacokinetics
drugs.wikiTolerance Decay
Full tolerance
1d
Half tolerance
21d
Baseline
~35d