Should Hydrocodone Be Rescheduled?
Should Hydrocodone Be Rescheduled?
This is Dr. Charles Argoff, Professor of Neurology at Albany Medical College and Director of the Comprehensive Pain Management Center in Albany, New York.
An important pain management topics that deserves discussion is the potential for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reschedule hydrocodone. Hydrocodone rescheduling has been a hot topic for quite some time; this is not the first time that there have been proposals and calls to reschedule this drug.
The FDA's Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee voted 19 to 10 in January of 2013 in favor of reclassifying hydrocodone-containing compounds from schedule III to schedule II drugs under the Controlled Substance Act.
A great outcry has been heard on many different sides of this issue about whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. I would like to explore some of the issues raised by this potential rescheduling.
We are only too aware of the need for action to curb the prescription drug abuse epidemic that affects our country. In significant part, the prescription drug abuse epidemic is attributed to opioid prescribing. Hydrocodone is the number-one drug prescribed in this country for any reason. This has led to particular scrutiny. Many data sources have looked at which specific opioid medications seem to be causing the most abuse and which drugs are most abused.
Should Hydrocodone Be Rescheduled?
This is Dr. Charles Argoff, Professor of Neurology at Albany Medical College and Director of the Comprehensive Pain Management Center in Albany, New York.
An important pain management topics that deserves discussion is the potential for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reschedule hydrocodone. Hydrocodone rescheduling has been a hot topic for quite some time; this is not the first time that there have been proposals and calls to reschedule this drug.
The FDA's Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee voted 19 to 10 in January of 2013 in favor of reclassifying hydrocodone-containing compounds from schedule III to schedule II drugs under the Controlled Substance Act.
A great outcry has been heard on many different sides of this issue about whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. I would like to explore some of the issues raised by this potential rescheduling.
We are only too aware of the need for action to curb the prescription drug abuse epidemic that affects our country. In significant part, the prescription drug abuse epidemic is attributed to opioid prescribing. Hydrocodone is the number-one drug prescribed in this country for any reason. This has led to particular scrutiny. Many data sources have looked at which specific opioid medications seem to be causing the most abuse and which drugs are most abused.
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