Codeine Street Prices | How Much Does Lean (Purple Drank) Cost?

Codeine is a prescription opiate (natural opioid). It’s prescribed in tablet form to treat pain. It’s also an ingredient in various prescription cough syrups, often in combination with the antihistamine promethazine. 

Some people abuse promethazine-codeine syrup by mixing it with soda and hard candy. This concoction is usually called “Lean.” Other names for it include “Purple Drank,” “Purple Stuff,” “Sizzurp,” and “Dirty Sprite.”

Codeine tablets, codeine cough syrup, and Lean are often sold on the black market and abused. 

Codeine Street Prices

The street price of codeine depends on the form.

Codeine Tablet Prices

On the street, codeine typically costs between $3 to $10 per tablet. The tablets come in 15 mg, 30 mg, and 60 mg strengths. Generally, the higher the strength, the higher the price. 

Codeine Cough Syrup Prices

Cough syrup that contains codeine usually costs between $250 and $600 per pint. As mentioned above, this syrup is often used to make Lean. Premade Lean sells on the street for up to $1,000 per pint.

Location 

The cost of codeine tablets, codeine cough syrup, and Lean can vary depending on your location. In most cases, street drugs cost less the closer you live to a big city. That’s because big cities tend to have higher supplies of street drugs, and higher supplies generally lead to lower prices.

Dangers Of Codeine Abuse

Like heroin, oxycodone, and other opioids, codeine poses serious health risks when abused. Codeine abuse occurs when you use the drug in a manner not prescribed by a health care provider. 

While drinking Lean is probably the most popular way to abuse codeine, some people also abuse codeine tablets by:

• taking them more often than prescribed
• taking higher doses than prescribed
• taking them without a prescription
• mixing them with other drugs
• crushing them into a powder and snorting it

The most well-known risks of codeine abuse are increased side effects, overdose, and addiction.

Increased Side Effects

The most common side effects of codeine include headache, stomach pain, and trouble urinating. The drug can also cause more serious side effects, such as:

• dizziness
• shallow breathing
• heartbeat changes
• loss of appetite
• nausea and vomiting
• diarrhea
• irregular menstruation
• changes in sexual desire or ability
• fever
• confusion
• hallucinations 
• seizures

Overdose

Like other types of prescription drug abuse, codeine abuse can lead to overdose. Common symptoms of a codeine overdose may include:

• trouble breathing
• cold, clammy skin
• bluish lips and/or fingernails
• confusion
• dizziness
• nausea and vomiting
• constipation
• loss of consciousness

If you or someone you know experiences these symptoms, seek medical help right away. When left untreated, a codeine overdose can be life-threatening. 

Addiction

Drug addiction (also called substance use disorder) is a serious disease that makes you feel unable to control your drug use. Like other opioids, codeine is highly addictive, especially when abused.

The most common symptoms of codeine addiction are tolerance and physical dependence. Tolerance means that over time, your body gets used to the effects of codeine. You will then need increasingly larger or more frequent doses of the drug to feel the desired effects. 

Physical dependence means your body starts relying on codeine to function. If you stop using it without the guidance of a doctor, you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as:

• sweating
• chills
• anxiety
• irritability
• difficulty symptoms
• faster heart rate
• nausea and vomiting
• diarrhea

Other symptoms of codeine addiction may include:

• loss of motivation
• loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
• avoidance of friends and family members
• trouble performing at work or school
• sudden decline in personal hygiene

Like other types of addiction, codeine addiction requires professional help. 

To learn about treatment options, please contact an Ark Behavioral Health specialist. We offer a wide variety of inpatient and outpatient treatments, including medical detox, mental health counseling, and support groups.