New Fears for Hydrocodone ER Painkiller
Move over OxyContin. Drug manufacturers that include Zogenix, Egalet, Cephalon and Purdue Pharma (the maker of OxyContin) are currently developing a new form of hydrocodone drug – that will be, it is said, ten times more powerful than the widely used prescription drug – Vicodan.
At present, drug companies are not allowed to supply pure hydrocodone tablets as a painkiller in the USA. Painkillers that rely on hydrocodone currently have to be made up in combination with a non- opioid painkiller, such as paracetamol (acetaminophen).
Hydrocodone is a synthetic opioid drug, similar to oxycodone that is the ingredient of OxyContin. Hydrocodone is made up from thebaine and codeine, two of the synthetic drugs that can be made up out of the opium poppy.
Vicodan, sometimes described as being the most widely abused painkilling drug today comes with acetaminophen. The problem is that if drug abusers take too much Vicodan, they can inadvertently overdose on acetaminophen. The maximum safe dose of acetaminophen is no more than 4,000mg per day. Too much on a regular basis causes rapid, and fatal liver damage.
The risks of inadvertent overdose when using combination painkilling drugs has been known for some time. For example, a person using Vicodan might think that they can take a few Tylenol painkillers as well as their Vicodan. Tylenol is only a brand name for acetaminophen – therefore you could easily be taking a fatal dose of acetaminophen by using Vicodan and Tylenol drug, at one and the same time.
It needs to be remembered that acetaminophen, although not an opiate, can also be addictive as a painkiller. Many people have started on opiate abuse that began by abusing Tylenol.
As regards the current moves to get extended release hydrocodone painkillers onto the market, two comments have been made, in the context that there is currently a $10 billion per year market for prescription narcotics in the USA.
Peter Jackson, co-founder of Advocates for the Reform of Prescription Opioids, says:
“It is like the Wild West – the whole supply- side — is set up to perpetuate this massive unloading of opioid narcotics, on the American public.
April Rovero, president of the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse is concerned:
This could be the next OxyContin – we just don’t need this on the market. It seems that the proposed new hydrocodone tablets will be able to be crushed, and abused in the illicit drug market, in a similar manner to OxyContin ER tablets.
The statistics available on prescription painkiller use and abuse indicate a considerable and increasing problem of adverse events arising out of prescription painkiller abuse.
Originally, other non-opioid drugs were mixed with hydrocodone to discourage abuse. The result has been widespread abuse and toxicity of the drugs that have been combined with hydrocodone.
Whereas the drug manufacturers are prepared to launch this new formulation of hydrocodone, government statistics show that abuse of Vicodan and other prescription painkillers is widespread, affects young children still of school age – and is a frequent cause of death.
The justification that drug companies use to market these drugs is that no one with a legitimate need for strong pain relief should be denied a remedy – just because an unruly element of society diverts these prescription narcotics to illicit recreational use.
What has not yet been addressed by drug manufacturers to date, is the incidence of people becoming addicted when using their drugs as prescribed. There is said to be an intention to have doctors attend special training courses to administer opioid painkillers on prescription, to avoid people becoming addicted.
Probably the best that doctors who insist on using opioid painkillers can achieve, is to recognize opioid addiction when it first sets in, and stop prescribing that particular drug to their patient.
Once a person has a taste for opioid drugs, it can lead very rapidly to dependence and addiction.
Both governments and drug companies have had over 15 years to observe the tragic results in the community of widespread opioid drugs.
When there are alternative, and effective methods for pain relief available, other than opioid drugs – perhaps it is time that governments stopped exposing the general public to a real risk of addiction and death by its continued support of widespread, and indiscriminate prescription opioid drug use.
The links between chronic stress and pain need to be further explored, with a view to healing pain by use of natural stress relief methods. Drug use would appear long term, to interfere with healing, and be a contributing factor in the experience of long term chronic pain for which there appears to be no “cause”.
While governments fail to explore safe and natural avenues for the relief of chronic pain – they are only adding to the problem of widespread opioid addiction in the community.
If we have not learned from Oxy Contin, then we as a society are doomed to keep repeating the same mistake. Use opioid painkillers for pain relief – and we will have widespread opioid addiction in our communities.
