Percodan
Encyclopedia
Percodan is a drug marketed by Endo Pharmaceuticals
. It is a tablet containing a mixture of 325 mg (5 grains) of aspirin
and 4.8355 mg of oxycodone HCl
(equivalent to 4.3346 mg of oxycodone as the free base). It is used to treat moderate to severe pain. The safety of Percodan during pregnancy has not been established, although aspirin is generally contraindicated during pregnancy, and Percodan has been placed in pregnancy category D
. Inactive ingredients include D&C Yellow 10, FD&C Yellow 6, microcrystalline cellulose
, and corn starch. 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 At one time one of the most widely prescribed painkillers, Percodan has largely been replaced by alternative oxycodone compounds containing acetaminophen (Tylenol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
.
component in Percodan is technically 14-hydroxy-7,8-dihydrocodein-6-one, a white
odorless, crystalline powder
which is synthesized
from the opium
alkaloid
thebaine
. Thebaine by itself has no therapeutic value
. Oxycodone is metabolized into oxymorphone
. Unlike morphine
and like codeine
, oxycodone has a good oral potency
. Prior to the introduction of acetaminophen (paracetamol
), Percodan was the mainstay in post-operative oral pain treatment due to the potency and long half-life
of oxycodone. Percodan originally contained a small amount of caffeine
.
The usual dose
is one tablet every six hours as needed for pain. The maximum daily dose should not exceed 12 tablets.
(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. Norco
and Vicodin
, which contain hydrocodone
and acetaminophen, have also gained favor over Percodan for post-operative pain because hydrocodone is nearly as potent as oxycodone, and it is not as highly regulated as Percodan. 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 by telephone (except in an emergency), and no refills are allowed. By contrast, Vicodin, Norco, and other hydrocodone-containing compounds are in Schedule III. 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).
dependence of the morphine type and, therefore, has the potential for being abused
.
Endo Pharmaceuticals
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. is an American pharmaceutical company. It was created as a result of a management buyout from DuPont Merck in 1997. Three DuPont Merck executives Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. is an American pharmaceutical company. It was created as a result of a management buyout from...
. It is a tablet containing a mixture of 325 mg (5 grains) of aspirin
Aspirin
Aspirin , also known as acetylsalicylic acid , is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication. It was discovered by Arthur Eichengrun, a chemist with the German company Bayer...
and 4.8355 mg of oxycodone HCl
Oxycodone
Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic medication synthesized from opium-derived thebaine. It was developed in 1916 in Germany, as one of several new semi-synthetic opioids in an attempt to improve on the existing opioids: morphine, diacetylmorphine , and codeine.Oxycodone oral medications are generally...
(equivalent to 4.3346 mg of oxycodone as the free base). It is used to treat moderate to severe pain. The safety of Percodan during pregnancy has not been established, although aspirin is generally contraindicated during pregnancy, and Percodan has been placed in pregnancy category D
Pregnancy category
The pregnancy category of a pharmaceutical agent is an assessment of the risk of fetal injury due to the pharmaceutical, if it is used as directed by the mother during pregnancy. It does not include any risks conferred by pharmaceutical agents or their metabolites that are present in breast...
. Inactive ingredients include D&C Yellow 10, FD&C Yellow 6, microcrystalline cellulose
Microcrystalline cellulose
Microcrystalline cellulose is a term for refined wood pulp and is used as a texturizer, an anti-caking agent, a fat substitute, an emulsifier, an extender, and a bulking agent in food production. The most common form is used in vitamin supplements or tablets...
, and corn starch. Percodan was first marketed by DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
Pharmaceuticals and prescribed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1950. At one time one of the most widely prescribed painkillers, Percodan has largely been replaced by alternative oxycodone compounds containing acetaminophen (Tylenol
Tylenol
Tylenol is a North American brand of drugs advertised for reducing pain, reducing fever, and relieving the symptoms of allergies, cold, cough, and flu. The active ingredient of its original, flagship product, paracetamol , is marketed as an analgesic and antipyretic...
) instead of aspirin
Aspirin
Aspirin , also known as acetylsalicylic acid , is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication. It was discovered by Arthur Eichengrun, a chemist with the German company Bayer...
, such as Percocet
Percocet
The combination oxycodone/paracetamol is a narcotic pain reliever used to treat moderate to severe acute pain, marketed by Endo Pharmaceuticals.-History:The U.S...
.
Pharmacology
The oxycodoneOxycodone
Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic medication synthesized from opium-derived thebaine. It was developed in 1916 in Germany, as one of several new semi-synthetic opioids in an attempt to improve on the existing opioids: morphine, diacetylmorphine , and codeine.Oxycodone oral medications are generally...
component in Percodan is technically 14-hydroxy-7,8-dihydrocodein-6-one, a white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
odorless, crystalline powder
Powder (substance)
A powder is a dry,thick bulk solid composed of a large number of very fine particles that may flow freely when shaken or tilted. Powders are a special sub-class of granular materials, although the terms powder and granular are sometimes used to distinguish separate classes of material...
which is synthesized
Chemical synthesis
In chemistry, chemical synthesis is purposeful execution of chemical reactions to get a product, or several products. This happens by physical and chemical manipulations usually involving one or more reactions...
from the opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
thebaine
Thebaine
Thebaine , its name coming from the Greek Θῆβαι, Thēbai, an ancient city in Upper Egypt, is an opiate alkaloid. A minor constituent of opium, thebaine is chemically similar to both morphine and codeine, but has stimulatory rather than depressant effects, causing convulsions similar to strychnine...
. Thebaine by itself has no therapeutic value
Value theory
Value theory encompasses a range of approaches to understanding how, why and to what degree people should value things; whether the thing is a person, idea, object, or anything else. This investigation began in ancient philosophy, where it is called axiology or ethics. Early philosophical...
. Oxycodone is metabolized into oxymorphone
Oxymorphone
Oxymorphone or 14-Hydroxydihydromorphinone is a powerful semi-synthetic opioid analgesic first developed in Germany circa 1914, patented in the USA by Endo Pharmaceuticals in 1955 and introduced to the United States market in January 1959 and other countries around the same time...
. Unlike morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
and like codeine
Codeine
Codeine or 3-methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive, and antidiarrheal properties...
, oxycodone has a good oral potency
Potency (pharmacology)
In the field of pharmacology, potency is a measure of drug activity expressed in terms of the amount required to produce an effect of given intensity. A highly potent drug evokes a larger response at low concentrations, while a drug of lower potency evokes a small response at low concentrations...
. Prior to the introduction of acetaminophen (paracetamol
Paracetamol
Paracetamol INN , or acetaminophen USAN , is a widely used over-the-counter analgesic and antipyretic . It is commonly used for the relief of headaches and other minor aches and pains and is a major ingredient in numerous cold and flu remedies...
), Percodan was the mainstay in post-operative oral pain treatment due to the potency and long half-life
Half-life
Half-life, abbreviated t½, is the period of time it takes for the amount of a substance undergoing decay to decrease by half. The name was originally used to describe a characteristic of unstable atoms , but it may apply to any quantity which follows a set-rate decay.The original term, dating to...
of oxycodone. Percodan originally contained a small amount of caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
.
The usual dose
Dose (biochemistry)
A dose is a quantity of something that may impact an organism biologically; the greater the quantity, the larger the dose. In nutrition, the term is usually applied to how much of a specific nutrient is in a person's diet or in a particular food, meal, or dietary supplement...
is one tablet every six hours as needed for pain. The maximum daily dose should not exceed 12 tablets.
Reformulation
Percodan was reformulated in 2005; prior to 2005, Percodan contained two oxycodone salts -- 4.62 mg of oxycodone hydrochloride and 0.38 mg of oxycodone terephthalate. Since the latter salt is unusual in the pharmacopeia, the manufacturer increased the amount of oxycodone hydrochloride to 4.8355 and discontinued the oxycodone terephthalate.Decline of use
Percodan has largely been replaced by PercocetPercocet
The combination oxycodone/paracetamol is a narcotic pain reliever used to treat moderate to severe acute pain, marketed by Endo Pharmaceuticals.-History:The U.S...
(which is a compound
Chemical compound
A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
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
Prothrombin time
The prothrombin time and its derived measures of prothrombin ratio and international normalized ratio are measures of the extrinsic pathway of coagulation. This test is also called "ProTime INR" and "INR PT". They are used to determine the clotting tendency of blood, in the measure of warfarin...
and thus inhibit the blood from clotting, which can result in post-operative complications, such as excessive bleeding. Norco
Hydrocodone/paracetamol
Hydrocodone/paracetamol is a combination of two analgesic products hydrocodone and paracetamol used to relieve moderate to severe pain...
and Vicodin
Vicodin
Hydrocodone/paracetamol is a combination of two analgesic products hydrocodone and paracetamol used to relieve moderate to severe pain...
, which contain hydrocodone
Hydrocodone
Hydrocodone or dihydrocodeinone is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from either of two naturally occurring opiates: codeine and thebaine. It is an orally active narcotic analgesic and antitussive...
and acetaminophen, have also gained favor over Percodan for post-operative pain because hydrocodone is nearly as potent as oxycodone, and it is not as highly regulated as Percodan. In the United States, Percodan is regulated as a Schedule II controlled substance
Controlled substance
A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession, or use are regulated by a government. This may include illegal drugs and prescription medications ....
under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act
Controlled Substances Act
The Controlled Substances Act was enacted into law by the Congress of the United States as Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. The CSA is the federal U.S. drug policy under which the manufacture, importation, possession, use and distribution of certain...
of 1970, along with cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, morphine and raw (unprocessed) opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
. Schedule II prescriptions may not be filled by telephone (except in an emergency), and no refills are allowed. By contrast, Vicodin, Norco, and other hydrocodone-containing compounds are in Schedule III. 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
Oxycodone
Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic medication synthesized from opium-derived thebaine. It was developed in 1916 in Germany, as one of several new semi-synthetic opioids in an attempt to improve on the existing opioids: morphine, diacetylmorphine , and codeine.Oxycodone oral medications are generally...
, Roxicodone).
Miscellaneous
Percodan is also sold under the brand name Endodan. All products containing oxycodone (including Percodan, Percocet, OxyContin) have the potential to be habit-forming. Oxycodone can produce drugDrug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
dependence of the morphine type and, therefore, has the potential for being abused
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
.