Hydrocodone and fentanyl abuse is growing problem

Abstract

Opioid analgesics are commonly prescribed for pain management in the United States. Although prescription painkillers such as oxycodone and methadone have been highly publicized in recent years, there are other opioids that are less recognized but used and abused as or more often. Growing use, both licit and illicit, of hydrocodone and fentanyl makes these opioids of particular interest to governmental regulatory agencies, clinicians, and clinical and forensic toxicologists alike.