Razavi Journal of Medicine

Razavi Journal of Medicine

Acute Pancreatitis Induced by Codeine: A Rare Case

Document Type : Case Report/Series

Authors
Hassan Babaee 1
Alireza Samimi 2
Tooraj Zandbaf 1
Negin Davari 2
Narges Mesbah 2
1 Department of General Surgery, MMS. C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
2 Innovative medical Research center, MMS. C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
10.30483/rjm.2025.254639.1415
Abstract
Background: Acute pancreatitis caused by drugs is rare but clinically important. Among pain relievers, codeine has only occasionally been linked to this condition. Recognizing such cases can help physicians avoid misdiagnosis and prevent future attacks.
 
Case presentation: A 19-year-old man was admitted with sharp epigastric pain, nausea, and repeated vomiting. His serum amylase and lipase levels were high, and abdominal CT showed an enlarged pancreas with surrounding inflammation. The patient had been taking an acetaminophen–codeine combination regularly for headaches. There was no history of alcohol use, gallstones, elevated triglycerides, hypercalcemia, or a family tendency to pancreatic disease. Considering these findings, codeine-induced pancreatitis was the most reasonable diagnosis.
 
Conclusion:This case draws attention to codeine as a possible but uncommon cause of acute pancreatitis. It reminds clinicians to ask about opioid-containing drugs, especially in young adults who have used them for a long time and lack other risk factors.
Keywords
Pancreatitis
Analgesic opioid
Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
Case Reports

Acknowledgements: We have taken the help of artificial intelligence to correct the grammar.

 

Availability of data and materials: The data supporting this research are available from the author(s) on reasonable request.

 

Conflicts of interest: Not applicable.

 

Consent for publication: Written informed consent to publication (including images, personal and clinical details of the participant) was obtained from the patient..

 

 

Ethics approval and consent to participate: The patient’s written consent was obtained for the publication of this case report.

 

Financial disclosure: Not applicable.

 

Author contributions: AR, SH, TZ, and NM wrote the manuscript and reviewed the literature. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

 

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Razavi Journal of Medicine
Volume 14, Issue 1
Winter 2026
Pages 78-83