New Drug Zohydro (Legal Heroin) Hits The Market - 10 Times More Powerful Than Vicodin

[houstonwhodat]

Druggies rejoice!

Approved by the FDA last month, new drug Zohydro hit's the market.

Brought to you by Zogenix the makers of Oxycontin, Zohydro is an Opiate drug said to be 10 times more powerful than Vicodin.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/melanieh...too-dangerous/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0MA0RB20140313


per Forbes Magazine:

"A new opiate painkiller with 5 to 10 times the power of Vicodin, set to hit the market in March, could trigger a disastrous spike in overdoses and deaths, says a powerful coalition of doctors, lawmakers, and addiction specialists.

“In the midst of a severe drug addiction epidemic fueled by overprescribing of opioids, the very last thing the country needs is a new, dangerous, high-dose opioid,” the experts wrote, addressing FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, MD.

One member of the letter-writing coalition, Andrew Kolodny, president of the advocacy group Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, was more blunt: “It’s a whopping dose of hydrocodone packed in an easy-to-crush capsule. It will kill people as soon as it’s released.”

What’s all the fuss about? Plenty. Zohydro is so strong that someone new to opioids could die of an overdose from just two pills, the experts say. And a child could die from ingesting just one capsule. According to the FDA’s review, the relief – or the high – of Zohydro can last up to 12 hours per dose."



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[Eleazar]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Not around here.

I know people who have drug-related criminal records that have walked into a doctor with "insomnia" or "anxiety" and walked out with Xanax or Ativan.

I'm sure some places still will, but the trend is moving more toward primary only giving things like SSRIs, and referring them to behavioral after.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by Cochise

I don't think the article is very clear about what Zohydro is, it's not a new drug per se. It's the same basic drug as Vicodin, just in a different preparation. Vicodin (or Lortab or other variants) are a small amount of hydrocodone prepared with acetaminophen or some other pain killer.

Those drugs are analgesics that you take PRN. Zohydro is an ER formulation, so it would only be indicated for a chronic condition causing severe pain which requires round-the-clock opioid treatment.

Zohydro:hydrocodone:Oxycontin:oxycodone ?

[Gonzo]

Originally Posted by NewChief

Zohydro:hydrocodone:Oxycontin:oxycodone ?

Pretty much...

Zo and contin don't have tylenol in them.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by Gonzo

Pretty much...

Zo and contin don't have tylenol in them.

And both are supposed to be XR. The reasoning is valid, in that supposedly in legitimate usage of potentially addictive drugs, you can reduce likelihood of addiction by decreasing need to redose.

So instead of someone having to take 20mgs of Percocet 3 times a day, they can take one 60mg Oxycontin XR at the beginning of the day and be good throughout the day. This "once a day" dosage supposedly decreases likelihood of abuse. The problem, of course, is that junkies get around the XR by grinding it up and getting the full dose at once.

[Eleazar]

Originally Posted by NewChief

Zohydro:hydrocodone:Oxycontin:oxycodone ?

Basically

According to our reference the starting dose for Zohydro is 10mg (over 12hr). Oxy is 5 over 4. (for opioid naive)