The only thing I know is they are all in the same family of pain relief medication. Codeine in used for mild to moderate pain and the other 2 are for moderate to severe pain. Hydrocodone is so strong compared to codeine! I've been prescribed both of these medications before. I've never had much issues with codeine, but I can't handle hydrocodone at all. Codeine is an opiate analgesic and cough inhibitor like hydrocodone. Codeine does not treat the cause of symptoms, but helps relieve symptoms. Codeine vs Hydrocodone As both, hydrocodone and codeine, are being narcotic analgesics, it is us eful to know the difference between codeine and hydrocodone. Hydrocodone is a semi-synthetic opioid synthesized from codeine, one of the opioid alkaloids found in the opium poppy. It is a narcotic analgesic used orally as an antitussive/cough suppressant, but also commonly taken orally for relief of moderate to severe pain. Codeine vs. Hydrocodone. Pain is highly subjective and a very individual experience. However, humans have developed several drugs to manipulate the body’s ability to control pain. What’s interesting when comparing codeine vs. hydrocodone is the fact that while hydrocodone is more potent, for many people codeine withdrawal is more uncomfortable than hydrocodone withdrawal. Both codeine and hydrocodone can have dangerous interactions with many of the same substances as well. Codeine and hydrocodone are prescribed for different types of pain. Codeine is typically used for mild to moderate pain, while hydrocodone is more potent and used for more severe pain. When it comes to a codeine vs. hydrocodone conversion, people should realize that hydrocodone is a lot more powerful than codeine. This makes it more effective for pain relief, and it means fewer allergy-like side effects, but it also increases the risk of things like addiction and overdose. Hydrocodone and codeine are NOT the same chemical compound; they're two different drugs. Codeine is the 3-methylether of morphine. It's almost inactive on it's own, and needs to be converted into.