Codeine extraction

Opioids available without a prescription have always been in high demand, and they are sold in the form of analgesics. Codeine in all respects resembles a narcotic substance, it causes addiction, allows you to achieve euphoria, but even if you refuse it, a pronounced withdrawal immediately begins in a person. Addicts use codeine orally, the first minimum dosage to achieve the effect is 0.08 g. Experienced drug addicts receive desomorphine from the tablets containing it, which is similar in its action to morphine, but is 15 times more toxic than heroin. 

Cold water extraction usually involves taking a mixture of substances, dissolving them in hot water, and then rapidly cooling the resulting mixture. The insoluble precipitates, while the soluble remain. The entire solution can be separated by filtration. The most well-known codeine-containing drug is Nurofen+, which contains 12.8 mg. codeine phosphate and 200 mg. ibuprofen. 

The first extraction step is to place 200x unground AC&C in a beaker, top up with hot water, stir for 30 minutes and make sure the tablets have dissolved, then chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours, and 360 ml decanted into a second beaker and add 200 ml. hot water. Stir for 5 minutes and refrigerate again for 4 hours. Decanted 190 ml. into the 2nd glass – this means that 92% of the total amount of codeine was extracted into a net volume of 750 ml, we do not need the rest. 

We heat the second glass, but do not boil, to avoid the decomposition of codeine ~ 85 degrees. The room will fill with a faint smell of vinegar. We get rid of slags with coffee filters, we make sure that no solid particles remain in the solution. Then again reduce to 50 ml and cool in the refrigerator, then filter. After such processing, more than 75% of codeine remains.

What’s left is a solution of codeine. It can be evaporated to a powder that looks like brown sugar but is very bitter. This is the relatively concentrated form of codeine phosphate you need.

A dried product was obtained after extraction with cold water. The final extraction should contain only codeine, with a small amount of ibuprofen remaining. Although this method is capable of providing a recreational dose of codeine, it cannot be considered safe. Many pharmaceutical techniques have been developed, but none have been directed towards the cold water extraction method.

This method does not use acids or organic solvents, but the potential toxicity of over-the-counter analgesics must not be overlooked. The cold water extraction process itself is simple, not only because of the simplicity of the method, but also because all the necessary items can be found in an ordinary home. Extraction of controlled substances from prescription substances may be illegal in some countries.