Hydrocodone and Oxycontin Abuse on Rise

The Associated Press is reporting about hydrocodone abuse being on the rise in Appalachia. "Less regulated than similar prescription painkillers, drugs containing hydrocodone have quietly become the most widely prescribed - and, perhaps, widely abused - opiate painkillers on the market. The most commonly prescribed drugs using hydrocodone are marketed under brand names like Vicodin and Lortab."

The related prescription painkiller oxycodone, known under the brand name OxyContin, is also subject to abuse. The Mount Vernon News reports today on how Oxycontin abuse and trafficking is playing out in that Ohio county ("Oxycontin cases rise in county," Aug. 22, 2007). According to the article, " The widespread marketing of prescription drugs in the media have led some to believe that new users fail to see any negative qualities in self medication." The article also quotes information from the Drug Enforcement Agency on how "prescription drug abuse represents nearly one third of the overall drug problem in America today, second only to cocaine."