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News Brief for March 2015

Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter article March, 2015

New Hydrocodone Pill HYSLINGA, Designed to Deter Abuse, May Be More Dangerous Than ZOHYDRO

In November 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved HYSLINGA, a version of hydrocodone that is claimed to be harder to abuse than other forms of the often-used (and often-abused) painkiller. HYSLINGA cannot be easily crushed, chewed or dissolved, which is how many abusers of hydrocodone ingest the drug. Hydrocodone is an opioid, a type of painkiller that is addictive and that is...

New Hydrocodone Pill HYSLINGA, Designed to Deter Abuse, May Be More Dangerous Than ZOHYDRO

In November 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved HYSLINGA, a version of hydrocodone that is claimed to be harder to abuse than other forms of the often-used (and often-abused) painkiller. HYSLINGA cannot be easily crushed, chewed or dissolved, which is how many abusers of hydrocodone ingest the drug. Hydrocodone is an opioid, a type of painkiller that is addictive and that is often overprescribed. Dr. Andrew Kolodny, president of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, warns that this drug could be even more addictive and dangerous than other formulations, noting that the maximum dose per pill is 120 milligrams — more than twice the maximum dose of ZOHYDRO, an opioid that was approved the previous year and generated great controversy. “A pill that’s so strong makes me very concerned that this product may be more dangerous than Zohydro,” Kolodny says.