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On Mar. 22, the Mountain State’s Republican governor, Jim Justice, signed HB 4376 into law....
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By: OSD Staff
Published: 11/1/2013
HYDROCODONE'S MOVE TO SCHEDULE II
FDA Expected to Tighten Restrictions on Vicodin
Prescribing the popular painkiller Vicodin after surgery might soon get a bit more difficult if, as expected, the FDA reclassifies hydrocodone, the active ingredient in Vicodin, as a Schedule II narcotic. Schedule II, the most restricted category, is reserved for drugs with a high potential for abuse, such as codeine, fentanyl and Dilaudid. Hydro-codone, the nation's most widely prescribed drug, is now listed on Schedule III (New York reclassified it to Schedule II earlier this year). If the FDA approves the change nationwide, your patients would be able to get fewer hydrocodone pills at one time, and there'd be more restrictions on refills. Here's what the move would mean to you.
Citing the drug's high potential for abuse and addiction, many feel that more stringent rules for Vicodin are long overdue. "Vicodin is just as likely for abuse and addiction as the more potent Schedule II drugs," says Dr. Sweitzer. "[It] was probably misclassified from the beginning."
This wouldn't be the first time the FDA reclassified a drug. The FDA moved Soma muscle relaxants, previously a non-controlled, non-scheduled drug, to a Schedule IV in December 2011, due to its high potential for abuse and addictive qualities.
— Lauren Roberts
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