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On Tuesday, an FDA panel voted 20-17 that prescription drugs that combine acetaminophen with other painkilling ingredients should be pulled off the market because of their strong relationship to accidental overdoses. These drugs include the very popular Vicodin and Percocet. Panelists cited FDA data indicating 60 percent of acetaminophen-related deaths are related to prescription products. “We’re here because there are inadvertent overdoses with this drug that are fatal and this is the one opportunity we have to do something that will have a big impact,” said Dr. Judith Kramer of Duke University Medical Center.
I posted this information to my Twitter and Facebook accounts earlier in the day, and the response was an overwhelming “Noooooo!” A lot of people use these drugs for pain management: Prescription acetaminophen combination drugs were prescribed 200 million times last year, according to FDA data. That is a whole big bunch of people popping these potentially deadly pills.
Personally? I’m happy about this. I lost a friend to a prescription drug overdose in April. He was twenty years old. It was gut-wrenching. I have another friend who’s hopelessly addicted to Percocet, despite countless attempts to quit the stuff. I get emails from him almost daily. “Still on the percs. Don’t know what to do. Don’t think I can quit. So miserable.” I never know what to say. He’s been to rehab. It didn’t take. I know, I know — Prohibition didn’t work, and taking Percocet off the market won’t magically fix my friend, either. But maybe it will prevent others from winding up in his position.
I understand that people use these drugs for daily pain management (we’ve seen how well that works for Dr. House), but plenty of people receive them after minor surgeries — when, frankly, less potent medication would work just fine for their pain — and then become hooked. I had trouble trying to research how many Americans are addicted to Vicodin — when I typed “Vicodin addiction” into Google, I got hundreds of ads for “Vicodin rehab” and “Vicodin recovery,” which is perhaps all the evidence I need to present. A Vicodin detox is no simple matter — I’ve seen one in action. It’s brutal — that’s why people stay hooked on the stuff. How many lives could we save if these drugs simply weren’t prescribed in the first place? I think this is a victory.
The FDA is not required to act on the recommendations of its panel, but it usually does. They’ve made no statement regarding when they plan to implement these changes.
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that’s really only punishing the people that are abusing them. anyway, they are saying how people are dying because of the acetaminophen in them… not the ‘good’ stuff.
I’ve been prescribed them in the past for stuff like minor surgeries. And trust me, something more meek would NOT have been cutting it. If anything, they should just lower the dosage of acetaminophen in them.
users are always going to find something to get addicted to. banning these would just turn people on to other pain killers and other drugs. I don’t really see how this would help.
This decision also includes a whollle bunch of OTC drugs! It’s not just about abuse, it’s about unintentional misuse as well.
Oops, it was a seperate vote regarding safe dosages etc., my mistake, but still, the whole series of acetaminophen decisions today aren’t just about vico and perco.
“Panelists cited FDA data indicating 60 percent of acetaminophen-related deaths are related to prescription products. ”
That means 40% are from OTCs, which is a fairly huuuge number. It doesn’t punish people who abuse them, because they will just get them illicitly (assuming the FDA even follows the panel’s advice). It’s more about protecting people who either make mistakes or don’t listen to their dr/pharmacist.
1. You right it doesnt punish those who abuse them because they will get them anyway.
2. If you are not listening to your dr/pharmacist on how much and when to take your medication, that IS abusing it.
3. I dont buy the “making mistakes” one. I think the majority of people who OD on these drugs do not do it because they thought the amount they were taking was appropriate. Individuals who are unable to comprehend things such as “1 pill every four hours” or cannot remember when they took their medication last, should not be in charge of administering their own medication OR should be perscribed a milder medication.
Obviously, it will not affect those abusing it, and will help those who are “making mistakes”, but the people that it will PUNISH are those who are NOT abusing their medication and can take it appropriately.
You think your not addicted, what time did you post this?
The pills aren’t deadly, misusing them is deadly. People are morons, and this is why we can’t have nice things.
See also:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/fun_toy_banned_because_of_three
“People are morons, and this is why we can’t have nice things.”
word.
oh my god, that onion article was hilarious!
That is totally true, Jorge, and the Onion article definitely puts it in a new perspective! I’m surprised that, with things like this happening, alcohol and guns are still legal!
I agree with you Harriott, guns kill, car accidents kill, almost everything can kill when not used responsibly or as intended. We can’t just get rid of everything because some people can’t follow instructions. Shit, you can get hit by a bus crossing the street b/c you didn’t look both ways. Should buses be taken of the market too b/c some dumb ass didn’t remember to look before crossing?
This is EXACTLY why we can’t have nice things.
And like southernsweety says, we can have guns and busses. Guns and busses that probably kill many more people than Vicodin. If we say ‘you’re a dumbass for stepping in front of a bus or playing with a gun,’ we should be able to say ‘you’re a dumbass for taking too much vicodin.’ You learn at a young age that busses and guns will hurt you. Why, during Officer Safety time in grade school, can’t we say to kids ‘don’t take pills that don’t belong to you. And even if they do belong to you, only take as many as the doctors says.’
When I was fifteen I got a severe sunburn after a weekend of camping on the river. I’m not sure how my fifteen year old brain thought I would be just fine without sunscreen. Anyway, the combination of the sunburn and heatstroke landed me in the hospital where they gave me fluids and a prescription for two weeks worth of vicodin.
Now I was definitely in a lot of pain, but now that I know about vicodin addiction, I’m appalled that I was given that prescription. They even authorized a refill without seeing me again when I begged my mom to call them and get it refilled. And no, I didn’t really need a refill. I just thought I needed a refill. I remember being so miserable when the prescription ran out and I didn’t know how to get any more.
Why do they need to ban them when Michael Jackson bought the world supply?
too soon.
I think the FDA’s has a good idea, but I doubt that the powerful phamaceutic industry behind they’re going to achieve it
I don’t know much about the matter, but could you not regulate it in the same way morphine is regulated? I mean everyone knows morphine is another highly addictive drug, it’s in the same family as heroin chemically, but it’s still available for use when needed.
i was given dilautid once, every day for 2 months (and it’s waaay stronger than morphine.) when the drs told me i had to stop taking it, i cried for two days. it was the most addicting, most wonderful drug i have ever taken (far surpasses weed, alcohol, vocodin, percocet, etc…) but you know what? it helped me with my pain. i wouldn’t have been able to survive had i not been given that medication. also, when they gave me percocet when i got home to help ween me off the dilautid, i had to take it. if i hadn’t, i wouldve wound up in the hospital again for pain… i’m sure of it.
I had dilautid when i got my appendix out…it was sooo nice. lol
This may be the first time in the year+ that I’ve been reading the mostly-brilliant words of Sasha that I COMPLETELY 100% DISAGREE with what you’ve said. I absolutely feel for the loss of your 20 year old friend. I lost an ex-boyfriend to an O.D. It’s awful, and it makes you feel helpless.
But I am now married to the love of my life, who had extreme back surgery as a teen. He had titanium rods implanted to support his spine, a result of terrible scoliosis. He is in pain daily. Pain beyond what any average human has ever even experienced once, let alone chronically. He takes Vicodin maybe once a week or so, when the pain is so unbearable to him that he just can’t get down the stairs in our house to start his day. He does not work, as there is not a single job that he would be able to do in his condition. But when he takes that pill, he doesn’t even take a full dose. And it’s sure as hell not the acetaminophen in it that is doing anything for him. He has complete control over himself when it comes to Vicodin, and yes I do realize he has a willpower most others do not.
But to compare a fictional character on a TV show to people in the real world is just silly. Not everyone ends up like House, I assure you. And he’s a bad example of your point anyhow, as he does manage to function in every day life with this extreme addiction. Brilliantly so, even.
Sasha, you’re just flat out wrong. Punishing those who need these drugs for daily survival because nimrods don’t know how to take them safely, or because moronic doctors over-prescribe completely unnecessary drugs, is ridiculous and unfair. You mention prohibition as a comparison. Completely irrelevant to this argument. No one has ever NEEDED alcohol to function in daily life (unless they were already an alcoholic). Pain is very real, and sometimes there are just no alternatives beyond prescription painkillers.
What the FDA needs to do is remove the acetaminophen from these drugs, and then the docs needs to be more careful about who they prescribe to. Period. It’s just that simple.
“What the FDA needs to do is remove the acetaminophen from these drugs, and then the docs needs to be more careful about who they prescribe to.”
And that’s probably exactly what’ll end up happening.
I really hope so!
(So honored to get a direct response, btw!)
ONE acetaminophen mixed with even ONE glass of alcohol=liver failure. So you drink a glass of red wine, get a migrane and take a tylenol or vicodin and you’re liver is destroyed. Dangerous shit.
P.s. acupuncture works.
Um. i hope you mean in some cases and not in every situation. I have taken vicodin with alcohol many many many many many times as have many others i know. And i have not seen liver failure in myself or any others as of yet.
I have mixed acetaminophen with alcohol more times than I could ever guess. Just saying.
That’s not very bright Lisa. Consider yourself lucky you don’t have liver damage. I know someone who did what you did and now he needs a liver transplant. Don’t take stupid chances with your life, just suffer the darn hangover or quit drinking.
Many over the counter drugs are quite dangerous.
I didn’t say that I did that recently, or that I still do.
I personally know at least 5 people who have gotten a precription of vicodin simply because they wanted it. Go to the doctor complain of extreme and constant pain in _____ region and there you go a prescription. Same thing with adderall. I have trouble staying awake some times, I went to the doctor and said “im having trouble concentrating” the doctor said “oh here ill give you a prescription for adderall”, just what I wanted. Nevermind that I was in the process of graduating from a top university in 2 years, and clearly never had any problems concentrating. 20 mins of getting to know my situation and the doctor was convinced I needed it.
Why don’t they crack down on the doctors and make it harder for them to prescribe these highly addictive drugs? That way those who really need them, and there are many, will get them and those do not need them will not get them. Seems like a better idea than cutting them out completely.
Im sorry this is my 3rd comment on this post haha. But i think that the majority of the accidental overdoses are those who are SERIOUSLY addicted. The post kind of makes it seem like thousands of people are accidentally overdosing when they take a little too much. I have an addicted friend who takes about 30-40 vicodin a day, those are the kind of people who are dying from the drug, and those are the kind of people who will not be affected by this ban because they will get it elsewhere or get high from another drug.
40% of acetaminophen-related deaths are from non-prescription drugs. I don’t know of anyone who’s addicted to extra-strength Tylenol.
People are, however, often addicted to aspirin.
And you don’t have to be addicted to a drug to die from it. I don’t know anyone who is addicted to Tylenol either. But I sure as hell know several people who’ve almost died from it
That was my point?
I have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. When I get out of bed I shake from the pain and have chills. I take 1/2 of a vicodin. This does not take away all the pain, it just makes it less, enough that I can get up and move around.
On damp rainy days I might have to take 1/2 of a vicodin 2 or 3 times a day to keep my body moving. I don’t know what I’ll do without Vicodin. I will most likely become bed ridden because I won’t be able to stand the extreme pain.
I will suffer, but those who abuse it won’t. They will get it on the streets or from another drug.
Maybe the FDA should consider replacing it with Pot.
I find it amusing that they are worried about people’s livers. In 1979 I had surgery after having a baby. It went bad and they gave me a blood trasfusion that was not screened at the time. In fact it took the FDA until 1992 to decide to put money into screening it. In the meantime they infected millions of innocent people with Hep C., including me. I didn’t know I had it until I got RA and they tested before treating me with drugs that do kill your liver. Mine was already in bad condition.
If they take away the vicodin they might as well kill me now. I don’t want to die laying in a bed, useless to myself and in severe constant pain.
I was high on painkillers just last Saturday and nothing bad happened to me! Excluding the part where I got really hot for awhile. That being said, I bet Rush Limbaugh is pissed!
” I bet Rush Limbaugh is pissed!”
haha
sasha – your argument is ridiculous. just because you know a couple of people who abused drugs doesn’t mean that responsible people should be deprived of painkilling drugs when they are legitimately sick. due to getting rear-ended about 10 years ago i have a very bad back that goes out about twice a year (a slipped disc that presses on nerves – the pain is unreal), and i take vicodin for the pain when that happens. it lets me sleep and function for a few days until the disc slips back. vicodin helps tremendously and i don’t abuse it, yet you think people like me should not have access to these drugs? get real. let’s see how you feel about painkillers after you are in an accident or develop a painful disease. i’m sorry about your friends, but people who abuse drugs will always abuse something or other – i mean, if you take enough asprin that can kill you, too. oh and FYI? dr. house is a fictional character, so maybe best not to use him as a reason when making your argument.
Guys, they’re not banning pain killers, they’re panning pain killers with acetaminophen, which are the most addictive and the most deadly.
The opiate part is what makes them addictive. The acetaminophen is what makes them really potentially deadly, as an addict popping way too many pills in a day is liable to crunch his liver.
“Guys, they’re not banning pain killers, they’re panning pain killers with acetaminophen, which are the most addictive and the most deadly.”
and also the most effective. acetominophen – otherwise known as tylenol. are they going to ban that, too? it really makes no sense. again – people being punished for doing absolutely nothing wrong. maybe doctors shouldn’t be so free with the scripts, that might help. in any case sasha, your argument is still a strawman argument, IMO. sorry.
If you read the full article, you can see that they are also putting a lot of restrictions on Tylenol.
i read the full article. your argument is still lame.
Her article isn’t lame. Go learn something, acetominiphen is one of the most dangerous drugs on the market. Do a google search on “acetominiphen and liver damage” then come back and apologise.
huckabee – this is an open forum. get over yourself.
They gave me percs when I got my wisdom teeth out. When I went back because i got three abscesses in my mouth from the surgery they gave me tylenol w/ codeine instead of another perc script.
When I got mine out I got told to take some tylenol and I was glad, wouldn’t have taken it anyway. Practically everyone in my family is addicted to something (nothing illegal that I know about, alcohol and tobacco mostly) so I stay far away from the hard stuff.
Lame…absolutely lame. I’d go into the reasons, but they’ve already been said for the most part. Just because some people are negligent or stupid doesn’t warrant the pulling of these products any more than the fact that people are negligent or stupid with cars means we should ban them.
I’m currently on Percocet and it’s one of the few medications that helps me manage and deal with my pain, my Dr has tried others and they did little to nothing for me. Thankfully once I have surgery and recover from it, I won’t need it. But if I can’t take it in the future because some people either took it for ‘fun’ or abused what was given to them to help, god forbid even killing themselves with it…. I shouldn’t be punished for their problems. And neither should anyone else.
Sasha, you seem to be beaming with joy over this…when people gloat in others distress, they usually get it back..twice fold.
For years now, people took Tylenol as an aid to heal. Then along came drug addict’s who found out that by adding it to whatever they had, they could get rid of the shakes and pacing that come along with being an addict. It was also easy to steal.
Of course we will all suffer now for them while they go about finding another drug and those of us who really need it for medical reasons will be without.
The gov. needs to back off. Stop taking away our choices. At this rate, because of my age, I’ll be denied treatment if the Pres. gets his way, and I’ll have nothing for the on going pain. I thought I lived in America where I still had choices.
It’s pretty tough to get chemically addicted to acetaminophen/Tylenol.
Dude, I’m not gloating in anyone’s distress. I’m hoping that lives can be saved.
how will that be saving lives? maybe some chronically ill people who need vicodin will kill themselves out of sheer pain, while the people who abuse prescription drugs will find something else to be addicted to – there is a theory that some people are “addictive personalities” and they will always find something new to substitute if you make one thing unavailable. if your altruistic goal is to save lives maybe we should ban something that is much more lethal, more addictive and available everywhere, with no prescriptions – like cigarettes. watching someone die of lung cancer is pretty brutal, and breathing in secondhand smoke is no fun at all.
While I feel for your loss, I have to disagree. What should be regulated is the prescription of such drugs.
Another reason that I disagree is that I, personally, have a very high drug tolerance despite my small size and anything less powerful than a Norco is useless in relief of my pain. I recently had a plantar wart on the sole of my foot which pressed on my nerves and caused me such pain that I couldn’t walk normally, and it was the most painful thing I’ve experienced in recent years. I was prescribed Tylenol with codeine for pain relief after the first deep-freezing treatment, and it didn’t help one bit. I was prescribed Norco at the next treatment and it let me sleep without pain.
I know many people live in worse pain than this, and if such pain can be relieved by Vicodin, I hope it could be available to them.
“If the combination products are eliminated, the acetaminophen and the other ingredients could be prescribed separately. In effect, patients would take two pills instead of one, and be more aware of the acetaminophen they are consuming.”
This is a quote from the article Sasha cited from MSNBC. Basically you would have two prescriptions: an opiate pill and an acetaminophen pill. It is very very very hard to become addicted to acetaminophen, while opiates…well morphine and heroin are opiates, need I say more? However, acetaminophen can destroy your liver, and a lot of people that develop dependencies on vicodin and other combo drugs end up having severe liver complications.
I think this allows for people with legitimate pain problems to have an alternative when/if combo drugs are taken off the market.
Sasha, I’m not Dude.
The FDA will not be saving lives. Those that abuse drugs will only turn to something else, most likely something that will kill them a lot faster.
Tylenol when taken in large doses kills your liver. I have Hep C. My liver is already in bad shape. In a low dose it’s okay for me to take Tylenol but then I can’t take Vicodin.
Drug abusers don’t think about what it is doing to them, they only know they have to have it..and then have more. Would you rather see them take Heroin or Crack?
I don’t know how people get “easy” prescriptions. My RA doc in Pittsburgh Medical Center controls all my meds. He sent a letter to my primary care doctor telling him NOT to write me meds without checking with him. It costs $100. bucks to see a doctor now a days. That makes it very costly to go to different doctors to try and trick them into giving you drugs. For a $100. bucks you can get a lot stronger street drugs in a larger amount then you would get at a doctor.
Doesn’t the FDA have better things to do?
I also don’t know how people get easy prescriptions. In the past, I have tried my ass off. It’s hard as hell to get anything, even if you might need it. I have SEVERE menstrual cramps, where I can’t even get out of bed, and I have yet to find a doctor who will give me any pain medicine for it. Even like 2 pills/month.
Samies with adderall and xanax. Doctors are hard. Viva la Mexico.
I had to wait three months to see my doctor to get a refill once, so I went to the internet to get my meds filled. It came to my house two days later and three days after that they were e-mailing me about a refill. It was a three month supply!
I was glad I was able to get my medicine without having to wait three months, but I was a little scared by how damned easy it was.
I am on Medicare D. Maybe this kind of PRIVATE drug coverage would work for everyone.
I can only get my drugs from certain places…never the internet. I get a monthly statement as to what I got and how much it cost. Some drugs are not covered UNLESS your doctor puts in a special request and they approve it.
Just because the doctor might add 5 refills, that doesn’t mean it can’t be refilled until after a certain amount of days. It goes by the prescription. If you are suppose to use it up in 20 days, then you can’t refill it for 20 days.
I get an injectable. It’s delivered to the door and I have to sign for it. The drug company which is Walmart special drugs, calls me a week before I run out of the drug to ask if I need it refilled. They also tell me when the script is ready to run out so I can get the doctor to send in another one.
Welcare is paying for these drugs. I don’t see them allowing anyone to get more then they should have because it comes out of their pocket.
This also reduces the problem of people stock piling and having drugs laying around for other people to steal or kids to get there hands on them.
Maybe the system needs fixing instead of getting rid of drugs that are needed by so many people.
I wish there was a button so you could fix what you type in wrong..
my post should read: Just because the doctor adds 5 refills, that doesn’t mean it CAN be refilled………….
I have been chronically ill with Lupus and chronic migraines for 10 years. It is the fault of people who ABUSE the medication that I and millions of people like myself who SUFFER daily with staggering pain already have ridiculous difficulty getting our medication. Good doctors have lost their licenses, while the medications that allow me to be able to function are sold on the street to people who think they are “fun”.
There’s nothing fun about pain meds. Those who abuse have absolutely no compassion for anyone and are just putting themselves & their wants ahead of the needs of others. Hoping medications will be taken away from people in legitimate pain so your friends won’t accidentally OD on a med they didn’t get legally is the most selfish thing I have heard all day. It’s just cruel. :(
Dr. House? Please. Come to my house some day – see what real pain is. Look at my Father’s X-Rays, his back bent into an almost unrecognizable “S”, and tell me you would withhold pain relief from either of us.
well said, allie.
ive been taking vicoden for years, not cause i get perscribed them, because they r all over my house. hundreds get perscribed to older people in my house, and i see what it does to physical health and mental health. It is slowly killing my family without anyone knowing, just cuz they take it as pescribed. at this point noone in this house can liove without them. I am constantly stealing them and eating myself. they have changed me into a human not worthy of being gods son.
agression, depression and flu like symptoms have integrated themself into my young 23 year old life all cause of this drug.
in conclusion, vicoden is a wonderufl drug in the right hands and should be controlled more with the brain instead of the wallet…. 200 mil empty vicoden bottles can cause mass pollution of the human world in every aspect