Following a safety review of cough and cold products containing opioids, Health Canada is advising that children and adolescents (under 18 years of age) should not use cough and cold products containing codeine, hydrocodone and normethadone, as a precautionary measure.
Health Canada’s safety review found that there is limited evidence to support the effectiveness of these products in children and adolescents (under 18 years of age). In addition, while the review did not find any strong evidence linking cough and cold products that contain opioids with opioid use disorders in children and adolescents, it did find that the early use of opioids may be a factor in problematic substance use later in life.
In Nigeria, codeine is widely available without a prescription in low-dose formulations to treat cough and cold.
Source: Health Canada, Important Safety Information, February 18, 2019