Opioids Why is dihydrocodeine used to treat dyspnea when other opiates depress respiration?

[Zeon]

Question is pretty much just what's in the title. DHC is listed as being used for dyspnea, but when you look at the other opiates they depress respiratory depression, and I was warned by medical staff about using codeine/ other opiates if I was having an asthma attack. This makes no sense to me whatsoever. I really don't understand the mechanism through which DHC could help with dyspnea.

 

[Lorne???]

Any mild opioid could be used for that, like the codeine derivatives. Why they have utilized dihydrocodiene specifically not sure, however it is just the way it is; doubt it has a special property over similar medications. It presumably is rare, and seems somewhat experimental, though apparently it can help

 

[Scrofula]

I get the impression that dihydro-codeine is similarly mild and suitable for OTC cold remedies in some countries. Opioids in general are good for suppressing cough*, so this particular one just got marketed as a not-gonna-get-you-too-high treatment for spasmodic breathing.

Not the same thing as respiratory depression that comes with opiate overdose.

*Trying to figure out alkaloids in Poppy Seeds, I learned that the low levels mean some places just feed the seeds to dogs to treat kennel cough.