Naloxone treatment for codeine-induced gastrointestinal symptoms.

Codeine often causes gastrointestinal cramping and pain. Treatment for such symptoms is usually symptomatic and supportive. Although naloxone is commonly used to treat other medical problems due to opiates, its use in treating such cramping has not been previously reported. The authors present four cases in which naloxone (Narcan) was used with success in relieving gastrointestinal side effects that were apparently due to codeine. It is suggested that patients with gastrointestinal symptoms and a history that strongly implicates codeine as the etiology be treated with naloxone.