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Zohydro ER, a new and very powerful painkiller that was recently released to pharmacies in the USA, has raised fears by many legislators and those in the medical community an increase in the rate of opioid addiction and drug overdoses. The new prescription opiate pain medicine is very potent, with many comparing one small pill to being the equivalent of 10 Vicodin. In addition Zohydro ER has no safeguards in place to prevent the pill from being crushed so that it can be snorted or injected rather than swallowed. This means that the full dose would be released all at once, causing many who are addicted to this type of narcotic to end up overdosing and possibly dying. Some are calling for the FDA to order the drug removed, others want the head of the U.S. Health and Human Services to overrule the FDA and order the new prescription drug removed from pharmacy shelves.

People who abuse Vicodin and other opiates are more likely to abuse Zohydro ER as well, and many may take too much of the drug because of their inexperience with the new pharmaceutical product. This can lead to an overdose, and the possibility of serious bodily harm or even death. On the one hand people with severe chronic pain need adequate pain medications to manage their condition. When these drugs are available on the street they can wreak devastation though, and opiate addiction rates have skyrocketed in the USA and Canada over the last decade. Even those who take these drugs for legitimate medical purposes can end up addicted, and this will be especially true for Zohydro ER due to the increased strength of this drug.