Hydrocodone

Introduction:
Since 2009, hydrocodone has been the second most
frequently encountered opioid pharmaceutical in drug evidence
submitted to federal, state, and local forensic laboratories as
reported by DEA’s National Forensic Laboratory Information
System (NFLIS) and System to Retrieve Information from Drug
Evidence (STRIDE)/STARLiMS databases.
Licit Uses:
Hydrocodone is an antitussive (cough suppressant) and
narcotic analgesic agent for the treatment of moderate to
moderately severe pain. Studies indicate that hydrocodone is as
effective, or more effective, than codeine for cough suppression
and nearly equipotent to morphine for pain relief.
Hydrocodone is the most frequently prescribed opioid in the
United States with more than 136.7 million prescriptions for
hydrocodone-containing products dispensed in 2013 along with
93.7 million dispensed in 2016 and 83.6 million sold to patients in
2017 (IQVIA™ formerly known as IMS Health™). There are
several hundred brand name and generic hydrocodone products
marketed, most of which are combination products. The most
frequently prescribed combination is hydrocodone and
acetaminophen (Vicodin®, Lortab®).
In response to the opioid crisis and revised clinical guidelines
for prescribing opioids for chronic pain, there has been an ongoing
effort to reduce the prescribing of opioid medication, in general,
along with implementing best practices. So, in 2018, the number
prescriptions of hydrocodone-containing products sold to patients
within the U.S. continued to decrease to 70.9 million.