otc codeine in canada without caffeine?

[cutlery69]

Canadians - AC&C without the caffeine

I've seen so many people bitching about how the OTC codeine sucks here because of the caffeine that's mixed in. I've searched around this site quite a bit, and while everyone knows about the cold water extraction method (which does not remove the caffeine) hardly anyone seems to know how to extract pure codeine from these babies.

FYI what I'm talking about here is AC&C (325mg aspirin, 15mg caffeine, 8mg codiene / pill). If you do, say, 30 pills with a cold water extraction you've got 240mg of codeine, but 450mg of caffeine which really takes away from the experience. I'll outline the method here to take the caffeine out. You can get these from any pharmacy over the counter, just ask for 200 AC&C and it only costs $10-15 (that's 1600mg of codeine, equal to 53 tylonel3s for comparison) . The smaller independent pharmacies are usually cheaper than the bigger ones like Shoppers and Pharma. You rarely get asked any questions.

I think the main reason this method isn't popular is because it only works with aspirin based pills. If you have the pills with acetaminophen or ibuprofen your only choice is the CWE which won't remove caffeine.

Anyway, if you can get the AC&Cs, screw the CWE method. You'll need one of those oral syringes they use for measuring liquid medicine. You probably have one lying around your house, and if not I'm sure you could get one for free from a pharmacy. The syringe I use is 15ml so adjust accordingly. The measurement on the syringe actually only goes up to 10ml but there's an extra 5ml unmarked so.... take that into account.

Start by grinding 15 pills up in a glass bowl using an empty beer bottle. Once you've got powder, it's time to prepare your syringe. Take one 'square' of toilet paper, and fold it 4 times. Soak it under some cold tap water, then push it into the top of your syringe. Using the bottom of a pencil crayon, jam the piece of toilet paper into the bottom of the syringe so you've got a nice 'plug'. Now, using a funnel to make it easier, pour the powder into the syringe. Using the pencil crayon again, jam the powder down as much as possible. About 2/3 of the syringe should now be powder. Pour some cold water into the top of the syringe until its full. Now place the plunger in and slowly push down. The reason I use a beer bottle is because my syringe fits nicely on the top of the bottle, so I can leave it and press down on the plunger every once in a while. Otherwise you can just hold it and let the liquid drip into a cup. It should be dripping out slowly, and it will take a few minutes.

Once all the water has processed threw, wala! You have pure liquid codeine. This method is much safer for removing the Aspirin as it's nearly impossible for any to make it through. Nearly all the caffeine is taken out as well. Swish the clear liquid down with a chaser (it tastes incredibly bitter) and enjoy. Getting the nasty white powder remaining in your syringe out can be a bit of a pain. Just use some scissors to scrape it all out, discard it, then you can go through the process again until you reach your desired dose.

 

[InvisibleEye]

Hey, thanks for the tutorial! Looks much easier that way...
BTW, the liquid medicine syringes you're talking about are definitely available in CDN pharmacies, but they're not free (at least not in my area, QC) -

 

[cutlery69]

No problem! Happy to help.
Oh okay yeah I wasn't sure about the oral syringes. Regardless I'm sure they're not very expensive.

 

[danceofdays]

I made almost this exact same topic in Trip Reports a few weeks ago. Here's my writeup for posterity:

NSFW:

I originally stumbled upon this tek somewhere online and, through various trials, have modified it to make it as fast and brainless as possible. Using this technique you can get somewhere between a gram and a gram and a half of relatively pure codeine phosphate for $8, one 200 count bottle. You'll have to bear with me when it comes to describing the syringe, I don't know the technical terms for any of that stuff.

INGREDIENTS:
- one 200ct bottle of generic AC&C tablets (I use the Stanley brand from a Rexall-affiliated pharmacy. "Life" brand pills from Shopper's Drug Mart work too. when I tried with the Safeway generics, it didn't work, so shop around for the good ones). they NEED to be AC&C, Tylenol #1s won't work.
- one 30cc oral syringe
- paper towel
- a sink
- one small container for liquids (like a shot glass or small prescription bottle)
- one larger container for liquids (like a small cup)
- [optional] a Magic Bullet

PROCEDURE:
- grind up the pills into a fine dust. I use a Magic Bullet blender to pulverize the entire bottle at once, but I used to just go at 'em with a rock hammer until they were all ground up and it worked fine. make sure it's all finely ground, no chunks.
- take a 1.5x1.5in square of paper towel and fold it in half twice to make a smaller square. moisten it with the sink.
- remove the plunger from the syringe and use any stick-like instrument to poke the paper towel square down to the bottom of the syringe, creating a porous plug between the soon-to-be-contents and the opening.
- carefully pour approximately 20 pills worth of powder into the barrel of the syringe, on top of the paper towel. this should fill about 10-15cc worth of the barrel. you can use anywhere from 15-25 pills, making sure to adjust the amount water of accordingly.
- gently tap the syringe on something flat a few times to settle the contents. this should leave the top of the powder at about the 8-12cc mark on the side of the syringe. don't compress it too much or the extraction WILL NOT WORK. a few taps is enough.
- run the sink as cold as it will go. collect a small amount of cold water in your shot glass or whatever you're using.
- this next step needs to be done as one fluid process. while holding the syringe upright (exit hole facing downwards) over top of your larger collection container, pour about 4-5cc of cold water from the shot glass into the barrel of the syringe. it will sit on top of the powder layer, but will start seeping into it quickly. right after you pour the water in, reinsert the plunger into the top of the syringe and start squeezing the water through the powder and out into the larger container. keep the syringe upright the entire time. the first few drops might "sizzle" a little but they should turn clear after 5-10 drops. after maybe 60 drops have gone through, they will start to look white and opaque and start bubbling and sizzling as they come out of the syringe. stop collecting at this point.

You should, at this point, have a container with about 1/6 shot of water in it. Dissolved in that water is (hopefully) the vast majority of the original codeine (160mg), a tiny amount of caffeine (<50mg), and no aspirin. The reason this works is because the aspirin isn't soluble in cold water at all, and while caffeine is, you can't fit that much in such a small amount of water. The solubility of caffeine in 25 degree water is 22mg/ml and it goes down as the water gets colder. Since you're only using ~5ml of water, the most caffeine that could fit in there is about 100mg, and that's if you fuck around and don't use COLD water (it should be icy cold). Shoot that shit down and prepare for the worst taste your mouth has ever experienced. If 160mg isn't enough to float your boat, repeat the entire process again to get 320mg. I usually do two extractions like this and take 320mg, which feels more like somewhere between 200 and 300 (you're bound to lose a little codeine, but it's better than nothing). I've tried 480mg twice, the first time I had a histamine reaction and was extremely itchy and hot, but high enough that it wasn't that uncomfortable. Second time I popped 25mg of diphenhydramine half an hour after taking the codeine and just got really high. The first time I did this it took about 20 minutes. Now that I'm good at it, it takes about 5 minutes per 20 pill extraction.

 

[curiosity]

does anyone know the brand names of any otc codeine/acetamophen mixes or any other mix where i can extract the codeine from all the other contents in it usng a cwe? also if so how much codeine do they have?

 

[amapola]

You can eliminate all the caffeine with a chemical extraction or most with AC&C (aspirin, caffeine, codeine) by using a syringe column thing.

NSFW:

Over the years, I have developed my own technique for extracting codeine from OTC aspirin products. [Such products are over the counter (OTC) in places like Canada and the United Kingdom--not the USA -Ed.] I have read the FAQ and think that the cold water method is a good process, but that my process is better since it eliminates the bulk of the caffeine and is much easier to do. The only drawback of my process is that it doesn't work with Tylenol containing tablets. Thus the procedure below only is useful with AC&C type tablets from Canada.

Advantages:

* Removes almost all the aspirin.
* Leaves very little caffeine in the product.
* Is faster to prepare.
* Requires no power, refrigeration, or complicated equipment.
* Has built in filtration.
* Necessary equipment can fit in a small pouch or bag.
* None of the equipment is restricted.

Disadvantage:

* Doesn't work with tablets containing Tylenol.

The equipment needed is readily available and will fit into a relatively small pouch or bag. I will list the equipment below:

* 20 cc or 30 cc syringe, either glass or plastic (available at hobby or craft stores)
* Small piece of paper towel about 3 x 3 inches
* Mortar and Pestle (to grind tablets, or suitable substitute)
* Funnel
* Water
* Small collection bottle

Procedure:

Take the small piece of paper towel and fold it up so that it forms a plug about 1/8" thick that will fit the circular area of the 20 cc syringe that you have chosen. Get it soaked with water and push it down to the bottom of the syringe. Insert the syringe plunger and push it all the way down and press the paper at the bottom. The paper should form a plug that fits the shape of the syringe about 1/8 inch thick. Your filtering syringe is now ready for use. You only have to do this part once.

Grind about 20 AC&C tablets (160mg codeine) into a fine powder. I use a thick walled juice glass about 2 inches tall and a steel rod about 1/2 inch in diameter and 6 inches long. I place the 20 tablets in the bottom and break them each by placing the end of the steel rod on each tablet and pressing while twisting. After all are broken up, move the steel rod around against the walls for about a minute to grind into a fine powder. It is important that a fine powder be obtained. Note: AC&C tabs come from basically 2 manufacturers. One makes a little larger tablet that is much easier to grind. I get this one as a brand name called "Life". The other maker usually is the "Big V" brand. Both work well, the slightly larger tabs just grind easier.

Pour the powder into the open syringe. It should go in evenly. Use a funnel or a paper water cup with the bottom cut off to pour it in. In a 20cc syringe, it will fill about 10cc or so. Gently tamp down the surface of the powder about a quarter inch or so to make a firm surface. I use the steel rod to do this. Pour down the sides about 5 to 8cc of room temperature water. Pour it down the sides as to not break up the surface of the powder. Gently insert the plunger into the syringe and apply gentle pressure. You want the water to take about a minute to travel evenly through the powder. It is important that it travel evenly, if not then you made a mistake in grinding, pouring, or packing the powder. As the water travels through the powder, codeine's large solubility makes it concentrate in the leading edge of the water inhibiting the dissolution of the aspirin and caffeine.

Collect about 3 to 4 cc of the solution, about 60 to 80 drops depending on the syringe tip. This small volume of solution will have virtually all of the codeine and very little of the aspirin and caffeine. When done, withdraw the plunger. Then, many times, you can blow hard on the end of the syringe and the plug of aspirin will come out making it ready for next time.

This solution can be sterilized and IM injected or just taken orally. I usually do 2 of these batches into a 20cc small bottle. For oral use, I'll fill the rest of the bottle with water so that I can judge the dose more accurately. For IM injection, I'll put one batch in the bottle and add an equal volume of water. Then loosen the lid to allow pressure to escape and put it in the microwave for 10 to 60 seconds depending on the oven. Watch through the window and stop it when it starts to boil. Allow it to cool and it is ready for injection into one of many enjoyable spots. A fine point for IM, they put an acidic powder in the tabs which makes the product solution irritating when injected. This can be neutralized with a very small amount of baking soda. Don't add too much though, if the solution goes basic in pH it will be much worse than the original. If the solution doesn't fizz when you add the baking soda, you've added too much.

This simple technique is fast and efficient. I can perform this procedure in a couple of minutes. If you try this with tabs containing Tylenol, it will form a solid plug of powder and no matter how hard you apply pressure you won't be able to get any solution out. For Tylenol products, use the FAQ cold water technique.

by Focketman © 1998

Another option is Mersyndol (9.75mg Codeine, 450mg Paracetamol, 5mg Doxylamine succinate) which has the sedating dozylamine succinate instead of caffeine but I don't know its solubility.

Either way as this is a regionally specific question it belongs in North & South American Drug Discussion.

OD >>> NASADD

 

[Knarf]

edit:

been cleared up already

 

[curiosity]

thanks although im not sure if theres a hobby/craft store where i live but they dont sell syringes at the pharmacy?

 

[chinky]

codeine is garbage man..find something better then that..theres a reason why they sell it OTC

 

[Johnny blue]

Let's try and keep our tolerance dicksizing out of here. Heroin users tend to be against all other forms of opiates OP so don't let it bother ya.

 

[Tommyboy]

codeine is garbage man..find something better then that..theres a reason why they sell it OTC

You wouldn't be saying that if you were dopesick, and it was the most readily available drug to you. I would CWE a bottle of codeine in a heart-beat (although it would take more like 30 mins).

 

[curiosity]

codeine is garbage man..find something better then that..theres a reason why they sell it OTC

ive used it twice and although its not the strongest i still enjoy it and it has no bad hangover or anything nor do you really become very dependant on it not to mention the fact that im only 17 and i do have an addictive personality so i think its best i keep to the weaker opiates and even if i did want something stronger i dont have access to better opiates

 

[chinky]

i was just messing with you..what i should say is your 17..leave the harder shit alone as long as possible..opiate addiction is a hell of a thing..i started doing dope when i was like 22 or 23..i couldnt imagine it at 17

 

[paranoid android]

thanks although im not sure if theres a hobby/craft store where i live but they dont sell syringes at the pharmacy?

They sell syringes at all pharmacies in Canada or atleast as far as i know. I have never been turned down on them that's for sure.

You wouldn't be saying that if you were dopesick, and it was the most readily available drug to you. I would CWE a bottle of codeine in a heart-beat (although it would take more like 30 mins).

Fucking right it certainly has saved me from being super sick when coming off morphine.

 

[Tommyboy]

You can't shoot codeine though, correct? OP, I hope that's not what you were getting at when asking about syringes.

 

[Opiated Bliss]

why wont it work for T1's?
I just use a small amount of water and squeeze it thru 7 coffee filters with my hands and works just fine. same principle I suppose

 

[curiosity]

You can't shoot codeine though, correct? OP, I hope that's not what you were getting at when asking about syringes.

no its for an extraction method

 

[curiosity]

Your options for OTC codeine with no caffeine are:

Mersyndol. Contrary to what is reported above, it contains 8mg codeine, 325mg acetaminophen, and 5mg doxylamine. You skip the caffeine, but in higher doses you hallucinate...

Robaxcet-8. 400mg methocarbamol, 325mg acetaminophen and 8mg codeine. No caffeine, but too much methocarbamol will make you feel nauseated.

--
Otherwise,

There is also a formulation with 8mg codeine and 15mg caffeine and 325mg aspirin.

These products are all fairly expensive. The 8mg codeine/15mg caffeine/325mg apap can be picked up at a hospital pharmacy for about $3 however... I think it's 30 pills they give you? they also come in 50s, and I think 100 is the biggest size. For the rest, just go to a regular pharmacy. I've bought them with no problem, though you must ask for them - typically the pharm tech shows them to the pharmacist, the pharmacist nods, and then they sell them to you. Sometimes they will ask if you have used it before - say yes. That's it. This stuff has no recreational value though, though I'm thankful for it when I have legit pain.

Apparently, in Canada we also have:

Robaxisal-8, which is the same as robaxcet-8, except with aspirin. I have never bought this however.

whats the name of the formulation with 8mg codeine/15mg caffeine and 325mg aspirin

 

[amapola]

whats the name of the formulation with 8mg codeine/15mg caffeine and 325mg aspirin

"AC&C" 200 pills for 10 bucks or so depending on the pharmacy. Just ask for aspirin with codeine.

 

[Johnny blue]

You can't shoot codeine though, correct? OP, I hope that's not what you were getting at when asking about syringes.

Nope codeine is a prodrug