Doctors wrote 23 million prescriptions for the painkiller propoxyphene and drugs which contain propoxyphene last year. Yet a group known as Public Citizen is petitioning the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the drugs more commonly known as Darvon, Darvocet, and Wygesic. The petition cites that 2,110 people died of accidental deaths between 1981 and 1999 by taking drugs which contained propoxyphene. The petition also cites that a similar number of people each year use the drugs to commit suicide.
- Public Citizen claims, "There is no excuse for this drug to be around."
- The FDA has 180 days to respond to petitions.
- Public Citizen may not wait before taking legal action to get the drugs removed from the market.
- In January 2005, a phase-out and ban occurred for co-proxamol (paracetamol and dextropropoxyphene) in the United Kingdom.
- The problem with the drug, according to Public Citizen is that in the body propoxyphene turns into norpropoxyphene, which can accumulate in the body and cause heart problems including fatal arrhythmias.
- Propoxyphene is said to be among the most widely abused painkillers.
But what happens to people who depend on this drug so that they can function and have quality of life? Should they be punished and have a drug banned which is an effective drug for them, because there are some people who abuse the drug? Propoxyphene has been on the market since 1957. Public Citizen tried to get it banned in 1978.
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I’ve been taking Darvon 65 for over 30 years, and it is the ONLY medication that gives me relief from my daily headaches. My doctor put me in the hospital for a week once, to try alternative medicines, and NOTHING worked for me but Darvon 65. The FDA MUST NOT ban Darvon, it would affect my quality of life tremendously.
Where can we that take Darvon and want to keep it, voice our oppion about this?
I have taken darvon for over nine years. I have bilateral hip dysplasia. I am in a lot of pain, however, I do not want the stronger drugs that they are willing to give me. I have to be able to function. It is not fair that they are taking this off the market. I am bummed.
I’ll try to find out where to complain!
I have been taking Darvocet for over 10 years to control my chronic pain-it doesn’t take away all the pain-just makes it tolerable to be able to function for the day. My doctor keeps an eye on my liver functions and I know not to exceed the limits daily due to possible acetophetmine toxicity. What do we need to do to make our voices heard over this? Aren’t all drugs-prescription or otherwise a danger to people if not taken as directed? May the Lord help anyone that belongs to Public Citizen who may need a certain drug and can’t get it because of their crusade. I have been offered stronger pain medication, but have refused because I am in control with my Darvocet.
Follow along in this forum thread about this. Someone lists the phone number of where to complain.
http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&webtag=ab-arthritis&tid=15703
I’ve taken Darvocet for over 20 years to ease out the pain of the fibromyagia which it responds to no other painkiller I took.
no side effect for me so far.
Please keep Darvocet available for someone who have problem like mine.
Anything that works is removed for seemingly innocuous reasons, I believe this continued removal of helpful medications is based on an agenda to bring new drugs to market that are going to be expensive to consumers because of the drug companies patents. Enough is enough, can’t adults be given the facts and make their own decisions about THEIR bodies?
Like many others, I too have depended on occaisional use of Darvon Comp 65 for severe headaches Nothing Else has even come close to relief for me. After the compound was banned or discontinued, I am still using propoxephene
with 1 excedrin per my Dr. Bottom Line Darvon Works for me without doping me up. I think the only reason we’d have to try life without Darvon might be that Some feel it’s too affordable and want to sell us high powered junk that costs mre.The idea to sinle out Darvon products for suicide is straight up B S !Reguards, Anne
I HOPE & PRAY YOU DO NOT BAN DARVOCET BECAUSE
IT’S ALL I CAN TOLERATE FOR MY CRONIC BACK PAIN.I’M NEVER PAIN FREE BUT IT MAKES IT BEARABLE.
I hope they don’t take darvocet off the market – it’s the only pain med that works for me. I’m allergic to almost everything else. I went to the FDA Website and posted a comment about it at http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=FDA-2006-P-0270
by clicking on the little yellow dialogue balloon on the bottom right corner of the page.
This disease is painful and people suffering from it suffers greatly by the constant pain caused by taking medications that are opioids narcotics such as Codeine, Lortab, Vicodin, hydrocodone, which are very effective in suppressing the pain that causes the disease, we hope that people care and know findrxonline adequately informed as well as notes on your site.
i also have been taking darvocet for several years now with
no side effects. i have arthritis. bursitis and fibromyalgia.
This medication affords me to be able to move about and
work. I am an R.N. and need this medication to work, it
takes away some of my pain effectively without becoming
zoned out and stronger pain killers.
I am in shock. And I must further add, have no faith in the FDA……….I am also a nurse, not working at the present, but have fibromalgia, arthritis, peripheral neuropathy, and numerous surgeries, including a total knee and an open shoulder surgery 3 weeks ago to repair severe damage incurred in a summer fall. MY orthopedic surgeon sent me home with Percocet and after my block wore off, I did take them for 7-10 days, but it made me feel awful, I itched all over……I went back to my Darvocet 100…..at first taking 2 pills every 6-8 hours, then going to 1 pill 2-3x day before therapy and then to also help the pain from my neuropathy. I am a very knowledgeable and careful person. I am also highly sensitive to many, many drugs. There is a risk with everything that comes out of the drug industry…..but wake up people….this drug has been in existance since 1957!!!!! This is crazy. Yes, I take Cymbalta AND Celebrex ,{both very expensive, } but some days I need Darvocet……and yes I exercise, and meditate and do all other kinds of crap, but yes some days , I still need Darvocet for unresolved, chronic pain. Just proves we are becoming a more Socialist State………even, crazy ass Europeans said “let’s do phased withdrawals…..not in the US. And these “Doctors”….they do not understand chronic pain and trying to function with it, as pain free as possible……oh, and now we have the crazy lawyers to sue the FDA or whomever……..hell, I want a lawyer who will help me sue over my right to take this drug! Oh ,come soon Lord…….this crap gets worse and worse.
I am very upset , my DR just told me I cannot get my Darvocet anylonger that it was banned. I have artritis fibromyalgia just to name a few. darvon and darvocet were the only drugs that let me live a normal life. i notices the fda thinks cymbalta can replace the two drugs,maybe for some people but i have tried cymbalta it proved to make my clinical depression worse. ifeel these drugs were agod send to pts like me. Some people may have killed themselves with these drugs, but if they were set on dying they would have found another way.Now i get the job of finding another drug that will help me live a life not confined to a wheelchair.
I am 68 years old and I have been taking darvon for over 25 years now to control serious back pain with no side effects, I have regular liver checks with no problems… why is it all of a s sudden a problem? Is the government screwing us over again? What can I do now, nothing else works?
Now I must switch from Darvocet to Tramadol. I’m afraid. Will the constipation be worse? Yes. Will I be dopey? Yes. What I would like is a cure for my illnesses and not need pain meds. In the meanwhile, how do I function? Got any ideas?
We are all living proof that neither Davon, Darvocet, nor propocet have any life-threatening side effects nor are they drugs of choice for suicidal overdoses!! There’s something very sinister about Dr. SidneyWolfe and his 32-year fight to ban this very effective drug. I CAN NOT TAKE ANY OF THE CODIENE-based drugs, PERIOD!! I don’t know what I am going to do. I think we should band together and DEMAND that the FDA produce the data that was so earth-shattering the drug had to be ripped off the market. This is an OUTRAGE!!!
I didn’t know until I went to get my prescription filled!! I’ve taken this medication for severe migraines for over 20 years, I’m 52 years old. I take topomax everyday and believe it has helped tremendously (I recommend it for severe migraine sufferers) but when a migraine hits the darvocet is the only med that has every helped! I cannot imagine living with the pain of these headaches and if I can’t find something else (and we’ve tired) I simply would rather not!! People who don’t get them, just don’t understand!!! My mother had a severe heart attack four years ago and told the Dr in the hospital “If that was a heart attack I’m here to tell you Doc migraine headaches are much much worse!” she died four days later. I’ve never been hooked on darvocet it’s in my purse 24 hours a day and unless I feel a headache coming on I don’t even think about it. Why do I have to suffer like this now?? My quality of life will change for sure!!!!
I have fibromyalgia and arthritis. I take darvocet for the pain. I have no problems with the medication. I will have a problem without the darvocet, I can’t take the other pain medications I am alergic to other pain meds. FDA needs to reconsider this rule. There’s a lot of people that can take darvocet with out problems.