Painkillers Fuel Growth in Drug Addiction

   

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School.

 

Opioid overdoses now kill more people than cocaine or heroin. Opioid drugs such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and meperidine (Demerol) are among the most powerful painkillers available. Opioids are used both to treat severe acute pain (limited in duration, such as following surgery) as well as various types of chronic pain (lasting longer than three months).