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from the one-should-be-more-than-enough dept.
GungnirSniper writes:
"Pharmaceutical company Zogenix has received US FDA approval to launch a new hydrocodone-based analgesic in March. The drug is intended only for chronic pain, not as an short term or as-needed analgesic. CNN is reporting a coalition of groups are lobbying for the FDA to revoke their approval before the medicine is even available.
The concerns echoed by all groups are broadly about the drug's potency and abuse potential. They say they fear that Zohydro especially at higher doses will amplify already-rising overdose numbers.
'You're talking about a drug that's somewhere in the neighborhood of five times more potent than what we're dealing with now,' said Dr. Stephen Anderson, a Washington emergency room physician who is not part of the most recent petition to the FDA about the drug. 'I'm five times more concerned, solely based on potency.'
A number of other news outlets are hyping the potency of Zohydro, going so far as calling the drug ten times more powerful than a 5mg Vicodan. A fairer comparison may be to OxyCodone, since they have similar opioid levels. Zohydro ER will be available in 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg, 40 mg, and 50 mg strengths.
Chemistry Soylents can find the structural formula for hydrocodone bitartrate on RxList.
Should the FDA allow such a potent medication on the market? Or would moving opioid analgesics to Schedule II mitigate the potential for abuse?"
(Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 01 2014, @03:35AM
"I can well imagine that chronic pain can get bad enough to keep upping the dose until the pain or breathing stops, whichever comes first."
Happens more often than most pain treating physicians would care to admit to themselves. Its not usually just one drug, but a multiple of drugs. "I"m hurting and I just want to get some sleep" is the scenario I see most often. So they double or triple down on their pain medicine, take a couple doses of carisoprodol (Soma in the US), maybe throw a few benzodiazepines in the mix. Each one of these starts having an additive effect to analgesia, but also to respiratory depression. Then if they still don't get to sleep, they pour themselves a glass or wine or have a beer. 20 minutes later a situation that was merely taking a little more pain meds than prescribed has turned into one where they stop breathing unless you consciously shake them to wake them out of their stupor. They may have handled the same doses prior dozens of times, but maybe their pain suddenly dropped or they had one more drink.
Thankfully most overdoses are very slow events, but for those with chronic pain who live alone this can easily escalate into a fatal event. The unfortunate thing is the non-compliant chronic pain patient who shows up at an ER with this scenario looks exactly like the poly drug abuser, and in a sense they are. Of course, no doctor is going to adjust your medicine regime at 10pm at night, and virtually no ER will help you chronic pain during a severe flare.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by sjames on Saturday March 01 2014, @03:57AM
It also happens quite deliberately where a patient knows very well that death is a distinct possibility but do it anyway.
Some severe pain blots out thought.It blots out all but the pain. The only solace is knowing during moments of lucidity that it will go away eventually (except when it won't). Other types leave you almost numb but disconnected from your other senses as well.