Thread: Don’t get caught out by codeine

I wasn't going to bother posting this, but it may be of interest:
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Don’t get caught out by codeine

Don’t get caught out by codeine | Flight Safety Australia

With the cold and flu season upon us, this is a timely reminder that codeine is only available with a doctor’s prescription and is a testable drug under Part 99 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998.

Two people in safety-sensitive aviation roles have recently tested positive to codeine.

The two people are temporarily stood down from their duties until they have been cleared by a medical review officer. They also face a possible fine of $1110 or a maximum penalty of up to $11,100 if the matter is referred to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

If you’re a pilot, engineer, air traffic controller or in any other safety-sensitive aviation position, you should not take products containing codeine without consulting a doctor. This includes products which you might have bought without a prescription before updated rules took effect in 2018.

CASA routinely screens for opiates, including codeine, as part of its alcohol and drug testing program. Codeine is converted into morphine by the body and can impair performance in a safety sensitive environment.

The 2018 rules update affected products which contain up to 30 mg of codeine and had previously been available over the counter in pharmacies. They include brands such as Panadeine, Panadeine Extra, Nurofen Plus, Mersyndol, Aspalgin and Disprin Forte.

Pain relief medicines containing only paracetamol, ibuprofen or aspirin, such as Panadol, Nurofen and Disprin, are not affected by the change.

Originally Posted by W&KO

is there an opportunity to declare medicine taken prior to the test?

At all worksite I’ve been drug tested gove the opportunity, if you don’t declare and you test post it I’ve than you’re gone.

I’ve tested positive to codine twice but declared prior to test, smooth sailing.

My company requires us to declare via our medical group. This must be done at the time you start medicating. For the CASA test, no, you can't declare to the testing officer. Your company must know about it from the outset, as it forms part of the company's DAMP policy. It's a bit hazy to me, but if you are taking something like codeine and present a positive result, you are removed from duty until a confirmatory test returns a false positive AND the company has it on record that you are medicating. You can't fess up on the day.
I was on codeine (irregularly) back in 2008. I let my company know, and they were fine about it.