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A New Painkiller, Zohydro, Critics Warn Could Kill People

Readers I’m concerned about this new painkiller that the FDA has recently approved and it will possibly be hitting the pharmacy shelves in the near future. I want readers to be made aware of it in case they have not already read it or heard about it from other sources. Be aware that critics are already warning it could kill…with only two pills.

In my opinion many people who suffer severe pain often suffer to the point they’re willing to try any type of painkiller regardless of its hazards to alleviate their pain but this could be the wrong course of action for the person to take. It’s my belief that anyone who suffers severe pain should talk with their professional doctor in complete detail about any new drug that comes out on the market before they take it. It’s our lives “we’re” talking about and precautions must be taken.

The name of the painkiller is Zohydro and the FDA gave a green light in October to its safety regardless of the advice of an advisory panel. The painkiller will serve as a powerful pain pill for those people who cannot get proper relief from painkillers that are already out there.

The painkiller contains the same basic ingredient (hydrocodone) as Vicodin, but it has 5 to 10 times the power, Forbes notes, and without the added acetaminophen.

An expert on the advisory board voted “no” and told NBC News, that acetaminophen dissuades know-how addicts from loading up on Vicodin for fear of liver damage.

Let me give you an example how quickly a drug can affect a person’s liver, I went in for eye surgery and was administered “Versed” as a drug to calm the nervousness and to make me drowsy throughout the surgery; and shortly thereafter, I had blood work done and it had caused my liver enzymes to waver. The first thing my Internist asked me was if I been administered any drug that I wasn’t already taking and bingo it told us both the “Versed” had done it.

Zohydro is a “pure narcotic,” like that of OxyContin; but unlike OxyContin the Zohydro which is set to be released soon isn’t tamper resistant, and it can easily be crushed, snorted and injected.

There were some 40 experts who wrote to the FDA in a call for Zohydro’s reevaluation, this is the last thing the country needs is a newer, dangerous, and higher-dose opioid right here in the midst of a severe drug addiction epidemic which is fueled by overprescribing of opioids.

One expert has stated, “It’s a whopping dose of hydrocodone packed in an easy-to-crush capsule; and it will kill people as soon as it’s released. One doctor also pointed out though that “it depends on how doctors monitor it. It could be lifesaving. But if it is used in the wrong way, like any other medication, it can cause trouble;” and on this front, Forbes reports experts say someone unaccustomed to opioids could overdose with as few as two pills, and also that a single pill could kill a child.

It’s my opinion any painkiller that is this powerful is not safe for senior citizens or should it be kept in open medicine cabinet that children have access to. This painkiller is one people must be observant of before taking it and when they have it in their possession. People who forget that they’ve taken their medicine and re-take it are also in danger.

Barbara Kasey Smith wrote this article based on a Fox News.Com report.

Source:
Fox News.Com

Barbara K. Smith: Barbara Kasey Smith was born in Affinity, West Virginia. She was raised in a coal-mining town of Crab Orchard, West Virginia. Barbara worked for the federal government for thirty-one plus years. She enjoys reading, writing, the theater and her family and friends. Barbara loves to write poetry and opinion articles and she has been published in several anthologies, magazines, and Internet reviews. She has had four books published. She enjoys her husband and Jack Russell terrier, Miss Daisy, to be in the room as she writes because it gives her the feeling it enhances her ability to attain her best writing moments.
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