Percodan
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Percodan® is a potent compound painkiller used to
treat moderately severe to severe acute (short-term) pain. Percodan
contains aspirin and oxycodone, a potent opioid agonist. Percodan
was first marketed by DuPont Pharmaceuticals and prescribed in the
United States in 1950. At one time one of the most widely prescribed
painkillers, Percodan has largely been replaced by alternative oxycodone
compounds containing acetaminophen (Tylenol®) instead of aspirin,
such as Percocet®.
Percodan has largely been replaced by Percocet (which
is a compound of oxycodone and acetaminophen, instead of Percodan's
aspirin) and other oxycodone-containing compounds for post-operative
pain, since aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs increase prothrombin
time and thus inhibit the blood from clotting, which can result in
post-operative complications, such as excessive bleeding. In the United
States, Percodan is regulated as a Schedule II controlled substance
under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act of 1970, along with cocaine,
morphine and raw (unprocessed) opium. Schedule II prescriptions may
not be filled telephonically (except in an emergency), and no refills
are allowed. Percodan is becoming something of a relic in the United
States, at least, as the number of prescriptions has fallen precipitously
since the 1960s in light of the alternate drugs available containing
oxycodone (Percocet, Tylox, OxyContin, Roxicodone, Percocet 10/325).
