Pain Management

Jeff Fudin, PharmD, FCCP, argues that the way to make hydrocodone combination products safer for patients is to provide more education for those who prescribe the medications and pharmacists who dispense them.

Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, explains why hydrocodone combination products should no longer be categorized as Schedule III drugs.

Jeff Fudin, PharmD, FCCP, argues that categorizing hydrocodone combination products as Schedule II could lead to increased prescription of codeine, a much "sloppier" drug that could create problems for patients.

Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, argues that rescheduling hydrocodone combination products will lead to more responsible prescribing of the drugs and monitoring of their use.

Jeff Fudin, PharmD, FCCP, discusses the effect of rescheduling hydrocodone combination products as CII in New York State on prescription of other opioids, including oxycodone.

Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, explains how rescheduling hydrocodone combination products as Schedule II drugs will help reduce levels of abuse.

Jeff Fudin, PharmD, FCCP, argues that studies comparing the abuse liability of hydrocodone combination products with that of other opioids have produced conflicting results.

Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, discusses why hydrocodone combination products were categorized as Schedule III in the first place.

Jeff Fudin, PharmD, FCCP, argues that categorizing hydrocodone combination products as Schedule II drugs is unlikely to reduce abuse of the medications.

The agency has asked prescribers not to prescribe medications containing more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dose.

One in 3 individuals is at risk for developing shingles.

One in 3 individuals is at risk for developing shingles.

Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, discusses the appeal of hydrocodone combination products to drug abusers.

Patients who received lower levels of opioid painkillers due to use of neuraxial analgesia along with general anesthesia had lower levels of systematic progression and overall death than those who received general anesthesia alone.

Jeff Fudin, PharmD, FCCP, argues that there is no evidence to support categorizing hydrocodone combination products as Schedule II drugs rather than Schedule III drugs.

In the first in a series of videos on regulation of hydrocodone combination products, Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, discusses the dramatic increase in the use of opioids in the United States.

Opioid abusers who prefer oxycodone cited the quality of the high as the primary reason behind their choice, while those who prefer hydrocodone were more likely to cite its accessibility, a new study finds.

Our round-up of new prescription products.

A review of guidelines for use of opioid painkillers to treat chronic pain finds that they are in general agreement but are frequently based on limited or low-quality evidence.

Opioid painkillers were given to more than half of nonsurgical US hospital patients, a study finds, with wide variations in prescribing rates among hospitals and notable variations based on region.

Almost 1 in 10 adolescent patients at an emergency department reported misusing opioids or sedatives, and few had a current home prescription for the medication they misused.

In an attempt to stem the abuse of hydrocodone combination products, the agency will recommend that they be reclassified as Schedule II drugs from their current status as Schedule III drugs.