I am consuming Codeine. Will this affect conceiving?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am addicted to codeine for the past 4 years. After my marriage, my wife had conceived but that time we did not want it. So, we aborted and it has been 2 years. Now we are trying to conceive but it is not happening.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliiq.com.

I read your query and understand your concerns.

First of all I would like to inform you that Codeine can be stopped in gradual manner. Scientifically speaking you can go for 10% reduction of original dose every week leading to complete abstinence at the end of 2-3 months. In case this is not possible or you are not able to tolerate the lower dose of Codeine you can get yourself treated form local psychiatrist. We often recommend Clonidine for this purpose which helps in the withdrawal symptoms of Codeine. The medication dose is decided depending on the dose of Codeine, age of the patient, duration of abuse and blood pressure.

I mean to say that this is high time to say "NO TP ADDICTION" and take this opportunity to come out of this addiction without delay. I understand that your concern is not addiction but inability of your wife to get pregnant despite repeated efforts. But we need to understand that addiction and infertility are related to some extent and removal of one risk factor might pave for fathering a child. In addition it is also important to get semen analysis done for yourself and follicular study for your wife to rule out other causes.