FDA Panel Votes to Eliminate Vicodin and Percocet

There are 2 other threads related to this issue that are pretty long and contain many view points.

Please don't be rash in your judgement regarding this potential ban. Pain management with narcotics won't be effected. Tylenol will still be available for purchase. Percocet and vicodin are brand name meds--they have no superior benefit to the narcotic plus acetaminophen given separately.

Tylenol is (obviously) more dangerous than water. It's also more dangerous than most other OTC meds. Accidental overdose is common, and patients who may not understand that acetaminophen = tylenol = apap, or how many combo meds actually contain acetaminophen should not be called stupid.

99.99% of the pt's I work with have these pain meds prescribed...I dont know what other alternative would we have besides these...I personally dont like the idea of having these meds banned.

I didn't get that the generics were going to be continued.....

Threads merged.

"Percocet" is the formulation originally made by Endo Pharmaceuticals. The generic equivalent is a pill that contains 5 mg of oxycodone and 325 mg of acetaminophen. The "generic" will be continued in that both oxycodone and acetaminophen will be available.

"Vicodin" is the formulation originally made by Abbot Laboratories. The generic equivalent is usually 7 or so mg of hydrocodone and 500 mg acetaminophen.

In most states pharmacies have to, by law, dispense generics if they are available. That's why if your provider prescribes "Vicodin" it says "7mg hydrocodone/500mg APAP" on the bottle. Those are the ingredients in Vicodin.

So, if the ban happens, the "generic" percocet and vicodin won't be made anymore. But the generic components of the drugs ARE still available, just not in one pill.

Kanzimonkey: When I've had Percocet prescribed for me postop, 2 tabs didn't work as well as Vicodin, tab i; and the double dosage difference looks in favor of Percocet. Could it be the "hydro-" part that's absorbed in water more easily? Or could it have been that by the time Vicodin was prescribed, days had passed, and pain receded?

Sunshine888: When I worked with HH patients in pain, post surgical or due to wounds, they took codeine preparations (dating myself, huh?). They worked very well, too. However certainly my case load contained more patients who weren't on narcotic analgesics, since their advanced ages made that risky for resp. depression. Do you work with a Hospice?

I'm probably on the other side of the fence from most posters but I think this is a great idea. If my patient needs oxycodone for pain I can give it without having to give the added dose of tylenol. If they need tylonol, I can give that also. It will involve a little adjustment in the doctors writing orders but I have had several occasions when my patient needed oxycodone for pain but had received plain tylonol earlier and would be exceeding the safe dose of tylenol if I gave a combo drug- so I can't treat thier pain as effectively as I want. I'm left with IV/ IM MSO4 of the like- often not as effective in mantaining pain control. By getting rid of the combo drugs it gives me more power to choose the appropriate means to control my patients pain- not less. Docs will just have to learn to write the order with the options for tylenol and/or oxycodone (or hydrocodone).

no vicodin or percocet, lets see I wonder now how long it will be before the overdose rate on tylenol and advil spike back up. Post-Surgical patients have to be able to go home with something other than good ol' tylenol or advil dont believe me you just be a post-op pt. This is not a good idea it is more about pt. education than anything else.

[quote=CapeCodMermaid; It's not the acetaminophen that causes the problem. It's the consumer who won't read or won't follow instructions.[/QUOTE]


There it is. Should we get a "big name" to state this in PSAs?

I think it's more about nursing and prescriber education. That a post-op patient will be left with only Advil or Tylenol is patently false. There is a lot of good information on this thread that should make this clear.