New potent painkiller causes alarm

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - There is growing concern that a more powerful version of the nation's second most-abused medicine could soon hit the market.

Pain-killers are important medicines, but, unfortunately, the most effective ones are also addicting. That's because they all contain either natural or synthetic chemicals related to opium. These drugs are effective at relieving serious pain - but they also can produce intense feelings of well-being that lead many people to abuse them.

Dr. David Gude of Texas MedClinics said, "And those aren't people who are prescribed those drugs who are taking them. Those are getting those drugs from friends or family or other sources, and then using those for non-medicinal purposes."

Dr. Gude's company performs blood tests to help address the problem of side effects on the job.

"The painkillers in particular are going to cause drowsiness, lack of attention. It causes a whole set of safety issues for the employer," explained Dr. Gude.

Oxycodone - which is available in many combinations, as well as in pure, time-release form as Oxycontin - is now the most-abused drug in America, if you don't count nicotine in cigarettes. Second place goes to Hydrocodone, the main ingredient in Vicodin, which also contains Acetaminophen. But several companies are testing a pure form of Hydrocodone, which may be ready for approval as early as next year.

It might be a better pain reliever, but might also have more problems. The statistics are already frightening. From 1999 to 2008, the number of deaths due to prescription painkillers increased more than three and-a-half times, to almost 15,000 a year, while the number of emergency room visits related just to Hydrocodone abuse increased more than four times, to more than 85,000.

When it becomes available in a more potent form, that number is likely to rise even further. A better drug for patients who need relief from serious pain is a good idea, but all the narcotic pain relievers have had similar problems. Someday, it may be possible to modify the drug to deter abuse.