# No more promethazine and codeine cough syrup?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-promethazine-and-codeine-cough-syrup/968990>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 2, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-promethazine-and-codeine-cough-syrup/968990 "2022-08-02T21:21:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-promethazine-and-codeine-cough-syrup/968990/1 "2022-08-02T21:21:10Z")

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I just saw a sign at our local Rite Aid saying they would no longer carry promethazine plus codeine. This is a cough syrup formula I’ve used for decades (by scrip) for chronic bronchitis. This is for all Rite Aid stores, they tell me.

What’s the deal with this? Is it going to become unavailable at other stores too? What are we supposed to do?

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-promethazine-and-codeine-cough-syrup/968990/2 "2022-08-02T21:27:45Z")

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Other pharmacies may have it. Prometh with codeine is heavily abused, especially in conjunction with other drugs, for a hallucinatory effect. Most likely, there’s a “pill mill” doctor in the area who will write prescriptions for anyone, no further questions asked, and this is, to put it lightly, causing problems at that store.

Could your doctor prescribe the same dose in tablet form if you can’t get the syrup?

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**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-promethazine-and-codeine-cough-syrup/968990/3 "2022-08-02T22:00:04Z")

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You can get promethazine by itself, because I have a scrip for it for nausea with migraines. If worse comes to worst, you can probably get promethazine and codeine prescribed separately, and take them together.

The pills work pretty fast for nausea.

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**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-promethazine-and-codeine-cough-syrup/968990/4 "2022-08-03T06:31:16Z")

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Go to a site like GoodRx and see who has it near you:

[https://www.goodrx.com/promethazine-codeine](https://www.goodrx.com/promethazine-codeine)

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**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-promethazine-and-codeine-cough-syrup/968990/5 "2022-08-03T11:19:44Z")

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> [@PastTense](#):
>
> Go to a site like GoodRx and see who has it near you:

They say Rite Aid has it, which Rite Aid disputes.