Hydrocodone is an orally active analgesic and antitussive Schedule II narcotic that is marketed in multi-ingredient Schedule III products.
Hydrocodone has an analgesic potency similar to or greater than that of oral morphine. Sales and production of this drug have increased significantly in recent years (a four-fold increase between 1990 and 2000), as have diversion and illicit use. Trade names include Anexsia®, Hycodan®, Hycomine®, Lorcet®, Lortab®, Tussionex®, Tylox®, Vicodin®, and Vicoprofen®. These are available as tablets, capsules, and/or syrups. Generally, this drug is abused by oral rather than intravenous administration. Currently, about 20 tons of hydrocodone products are used annually in the United States.
Hydrocodone abuse has been escalating over the last decade. There has been large scale diversion of hydrocodone. For example, an estimated 7 million dosage units were diverted in 1994 and over 11 million in 1997. In 1998 there were over 56 million new prescriptions written for hydrocodone products and by 2000 there were over 89 million. From 1990 the average consumption nationwide has increased by 300 percent. In the same period there has been a 500 percent increase in the number of Emergency Department visits attributed to hydrocodone abuse with 19,221 visits estimated in 2000. In 1997, there were over 1.3 million hydrocodone tablets seized and analyzed by the DEA
laboratory system. A recent petition submitted to the DEA has requested a review of the control status of all hydrocodone-containing products.
There are over 200 products containing hydrocodone in the U.S. In its most usual product forms, hydrocodone is combined with acetaminophen (Vicodin, Lortab), but it is also combined with aspirin (Lortab ASA), ibuprofen (Vicoprofen), and antihistamines (Hycomine). Both tablet and liquid forms of hydrocodone are available (e.g., Tussionex)
Hydrocodone is abused for its opiate-like effects. It is similar to morphine in relieving abstinence symptoms from chronic morphine administration. The Schedule III status of hydrocodone-containing products has made them available to widespread diversion by "bogus call-in prescriptions" and
thefts. Three dosage forms are typically found (5, 7.5, and 10 mg) and their behavioral effects can last up to 5 hours. The drug is most often administered orally. The growing awareness and concern about AIDS and blood-borne pathogens easily transmitted by syringe needle use, has made the oral bioavailability of hydrocodone attractive to the typical opiate abuser.
As with most opiates, the adverse effects of hydrocodone abuse are dependence and tolerance development. Its co-formulation with acetaminophen has also increased the likelihood of acetaminophen-induced hepatic necrosis with high dose acute dosing, but slow escalation of dose over time seems to
protect the liver during high dose chronic exposures seen with this drug.
Martin Leach
ON LINE NARCOTIC DRUG ADDS : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 2:41 PM
Whats with all these adds I see popping up on my screen while I read these posts? (for hydro and oxycotin) Are they legal?
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To addiction counselor: : Wednesday, July 02, 2008 1:33 PM
I commend what you do and sure you do it well... but not all md offices take advantage of these "conferences". This is your choice, the md's choice. Take the printed material that they have for every drug out there, read it instead of having the pretty drug rep say it to you and maybe the costs of the drugs will go down. And we are talking about hydrocodone which is generic and is not sampled so no MD or his staff is getting a meal or trip for writing it. There are good MDs out there.
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Kudos to the Ex-Hydro Addict : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 8:02 PM
That was a very thoughtful piece of information that this person posted which was the telephone number to a local treatment facility that helped them. In fact, I would have thought that the news paper might have included numbers or places to seek help for this kind of addiction, but chose to concentrate more on the problem only to overlook the "How" as in How to get help. It is easy to get wrapped up in the negative when discussing the subject of addiction. There are success stories out there. Reaching out is half the battle won.
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I'm an addiction counselor... : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 6:14 PM
I work with this population, and others like it. No, doctors don't get kick backs. But pharmaceutical companies do take you, your family, friends and staff, to some really nice places for "conferences" about their products. And you can't tell me that they don't, because I'm in the field, I work with a doctor, we are affiliated with a hospital and we get invited places regularly. The average prescription drug addict is a middle class, married, white female with at least 2 school aged kids who is probably a stay at home mom. Yeah, I know, that blows your perception of addiction. And that is why is goes undetected for so long. The people charged with the heinous crime of murdering the dentist are actually exceptions to the norm when it comes to opioid addiction. Yes, men and people of other ethnicities also become addicted to pain meds. But not as often due to accessibility. The elderly, and also disabled persons, are some of the biggest suppliers because Medicare pays for the pills, then they resell them to make ends meet. The corner drug dealer may be in competition with your grandmother... I agree with the gentleman who said that the hospital ER's are the place to start the crackdown. But the best thing to do is to educate medical personnel to recognize addiction in their practices, before it escalates to doctor shopping, ER hopping and other types of drug seeking behavior. Addiction doesn't happen overnight, the signs are there for weeks and months in advance. But when I try to talk to the medical community about it, the response often times is "We don't deal with THOSE people". Then you get to call them back and give them the names of "those people" who were their favorite patients that are now in your treatment program and want to come clean with the doctor about what they were doing to get the pills.
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your local emergency room : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 2:40 PM
go to your local emergency room on 3rd shift and this is where you will find patients looking for hydrocodone and oxycodone b/c they can easily get it from the er physicians who want to keep the line moving so they can get to the patients who really need to be there. this is where the crackdown needs to start. these people can just flash their medicaid card or just say they can't pay their bill and they will still get their prescription. doctors do not get money from drug companies for writing prescriptions. north carolina should require a valid id to be presented with all prescriptions in order for them to be filled like many other states. they currently do not. many states already have a centralized database. the pharmacies enter driver's license numbers or social security numbers when they fill the prescriptions and then you can request a report off those numbers but it takes time to get that report back. you can't obtain it while the person is standing in the pharmacy. north carolina is definitely behind technology when it comes to these issues.
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TO THE ONE SAYING, "LETS JUST TELL WHERE THE DRUGS ARE". : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 2:32 PM
Look, it does not matter what, who and where you tell people about drugs, if they want them they WILL FIND THEM. They lie, cheat and murder people for them. I too lost a family member to Murder. You really don't know how it feels until you have been through it. I lost a brother because of alcohol and drugs 2 years ago next week by the hand of my sister. Yes, my sister. They were partying together and the hydrocodone, alcohol and crack took over. My brother was clean for 6 years and then started drinking again and doing other things. An argument broke out between 2 people that were close in everyday life, and there again drugs overpowered the situation at hand and she stabbed him through self defense. Yes, my sister was a 98 lb 5ft 2 inch girl and yes she handled a 260lb man. Someone mentioned we should be reading our bibles, let me tell you one things, if it was not for MY GOD, I would have never gotten through this whole situation. I have since forgiven my sister and I know my brother (whom loved God) is in a better place than we are. This was a perfect example of drugs and alcohol taking over someones life, and has affected our whole family. My life will never ever be the same. Yes, my sister is serving time in prison, but the ones that supplied her and my brother with the bad stuff should also be held accountable. We also tried to get my sister help years ago and unless you want help it does not work. Now, she has to live everyday of her life knowing that through her hands, alcohol, drugs, we have lost something very dear to us. Through her constant faith in our God is what gets her through everyday.
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SEX : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 1:36 PM
TO THE ONE THAT SAYS THAT DOCTORS DON'T GET MONEY WELL MAYBE NOT THEY R TOO BUSY GETTING SEX 4 DRUGS. MAYBE TO THEM THAT'S BETTER THAN MONEY LOL AND I DON'T BELEIVE THAT HE IS THE ONLY DR. THAT DOES THIS AND GETS BY WITH IT
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: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 1:08 PM
Just go to East spencer...you can get ALL the drugs you want and the cops wont bother you there...they are scared to do anything about the drug dealer in that town!
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: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 12:47 PM
Well, lets just tell everyone how and where to get the pills. Now there will be more and more people out there trying new places to get them. Maybe society would be better if people would keep their mouths shut and the newspapers either stop printing or only write the good stuff in society and media only report the good deeds people do and accomplish. These days everyone and everything is soooooo negative. No wonder or society is falling apart!! Maybe that is what GOD is telling us with all the drought we have been having. We are in a drought for some reason. It's like when GOD flooded the world. Do you remember that? Maybe we should get out our Bibles and read instead of the newspapers??
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Doctors not wanting to hear the excuses??? : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 12:41 PM
I'm not sure where you get your info from but doctors do not get kickbacks on scripts they write!! The only person making money off scripts are the drug companies themselves. The reason I know this because I have worked in a MD office for 20 years. It's all in the ethics of the doctor.
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Common Sense
Centralized Database : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 12:07 PM
These prescription medications are called controlled substances for a reason. Since they are being controlled, let's create a centralized database that requires all prescriptions be verified through that database on a name/date of birth basis. When one goes to get a prescription filled, the database is accessed to verify that the person has not received multiple prescriptions for the same medication or condition. Some would raise privacy issues, but that argument is going to be raised for everything regardless of what is done. At some point we have to realize that enough is enough. This system would allow doctors to (with the patients consent first) access the database, verify that the patient is not already receiving said medication, and if not, prescribe it, or if so, refuse to treat the patient. Simple as that.
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CHECK OUT THE CLINICS AND THE DOCTORS : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 10:45 AM
I knew one doctor that would write you a prescription for Hydro-codone and then you could go to the Hydro-codone pain clinic and you could also get your fix there, so then you had a prescription and get a pill a day for $10.00 at the clinic. Well, looky there, you think either place checked this person out? Why can't there be a computer system where you could put that persons name in and it would bring up a data base of all the prescriptions that person has gotten and what for? We got to stop this someone people. These drugs are killing our kids and family or our family is killing people because of these drugs. Look back at our grandparents and what did they take, they suffered with the pain? Also, I have been told by a lawyer once that he was given the Hydro-codone after surgery and it was a wierd feeling. He said people don't take drugs to get high, they take them to forget what has happened to them in their past. It eases the pain of their memories for a while. He said the feeling to him was not good, but you didn't think about anything there for awhile. He said he was glad to be back to himself again.
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Doctors write them to not hear the excuses anymore : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 10:39 AM
We got some doctors that just write the prescriptions just to not hear the many excuses from patients. Also, for every prescription that a doctor writes no matter if it is leginimate or not, they get a kick back on all the prescriptions they write. Why do you think the pharmaceutical Companys give away free samples then the doctors in turn give them to their patients and a prescription too. My doctor told me one time that drugs are just poison to our bodies, but we still keep getting them. That is why I hate to go to the doctor because it don't matter what you are going to get a prescription. Alot of mine don't get filled.
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EX-HYDRO ADDICT : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 10:39 AM
Hydrocodone and oxycodone has been a HUGH problem in this area from a while now. I know this because I was addicted to hydrocodone for 8 years. I went from taking 1-2 every 4 hours to taking 15 every 4 hours. 4 years ago I went to Rowan Treatment Associates(the methadone clinic in Salisbury) for help and I have off of the hydros ever since. If you know someone who is addicted to opiates and they don't want to go into a rehab call Rowan Treatment Associates 704-645-8539 they take new patients. Thanks to them I got my life back!!
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There should be a time limit for getting Hydro-Codone : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 10:34 AM
I know that Cancer patients use the Hydro drugs and the Oxy drugs for their pain. We never really know the pain that they are in. My brother had been cut on and cut on so many times that I know his pain was horrific. But our doctors should know when a patient is abusing them. I say they should monitor the problem more closely. But then you have the patient that is hooked to them so bad that they would do anything to get them. They call the doctors office and say, I was in the bathroom and I dropped my pills in the toilet by accident or I lost them, or my dog got into my bottle. Well, then the doctor knows the patient is in so much pain that they don't know what to believe, so they give them another prescription. Also, if the doctor suspects they are abusing them, they CAN NOT cut them off cold turkey like they did my brother and then they will resort to getting them from the street and then they don't care. These patients get hooked to this stuff because they are on it so long. There should be a program that helps a person detox themselfs slowly. It is sad because when a cancer patient has been on the oxy so long they will turn to anything to get the pain gone, then you got these drug dealers out here that will sell them anything and these patients will sell everything they have to get their high.
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BG
Over Regulation : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 9:51 AM
Having Big Brother watch doctors is not a viable solution. MD’s and dentists that are going to write multiple prescriptions are going to do that even if being watched. This regulation tends to only prevent health care professionals from writing prescriptions to those that need them for fear of being put on some type of black list. Part of the problem was demonstrated when I clicked to read this story. No less than five (5) ads for online prescriptions were listed. With prices ranging from $9.95 up, with no previous prescription needed.
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NancyB
Painkiller and Heroin Addiction. Do you know someone who needs help? : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 8:58 AM
Buprenorphine is a state-of-the-art medication, combined with psycho-social therapy, to treat the medical condition of opioid addiction in the privacy of a physician’s office. FDA approved in late 2002, this treatment has improved quality of life for patients and provided dignity to opiate addiction treatment. Buprenorphine is sold under the brandname Suboxone® by Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals. Find a physician – www.naabtList.org: The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment (naabt.org) national Patient/Physician Matching System has connected 11,319 patients with at least one of the 1,999 participating buprenorphine-prescribing physicians since the national launch in September, 2006. This confidential Matching System (naabtList.org) helps connect people addicted to opioids to doctors providing medical treatment with buprenorphine. Available 24/7, the free online service allows patients to reach out for help anytime with complete privacy. Patient registration takes less than three minutes. A short list of questions helps match patients to physicians with appropriate experience. All patient information is confidential residing on a secure server. After the application is submitted, alert emails are sent to physicians. The Matching System then allows the physician to contact patients confidentially by email. For information visit www.naabt.org
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Anony-moose
Hands tied : Tuesday, July 01, 2008 8:52 AM
Pharmacies have their hands tied when it comes to reporting routine prescriptions. If one does not have insurance and pays cash, there is no real way to track it unless the pharmacy calls the police department and says that so-and-so doctor is over-prescribing or this-person is getting a prescription from more than one doctor for pain pills. Unfortunately,. they can't, thanks to the way the laws work. They would get sued by the customer/patient. My advice would be for the police department to do some investigating when someone is caught with prescription pills (trying to sell or just abusing). Go get a warrant for the pharamcy to release the doctors that have written those prescriptions and then investigate each of those doctors. This overwriting would stop. All the "hookies" knows which doctors will write multiple prescriptions for pain killers, and without insurance, there's no one to tell them they can't get them filled. If one pharmacy won't fill it, another will. Hands tied.
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Waters rise as Rowan swamped by heavy rains
