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IDEAS That Work
Practical pearls from your colleagues
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
TOUGHER TO PRESCRIBE The FDA is expected to reclassify opioid pain relievers such as Vicodin as Schedule II drugs.