Re: What is Schedule II or III?

[Guest guest]

Schedule II drugs are usually the pure thing with only one active

ingredient. Schedule III drugs are typically combined with a non-

narcotic pain medication to " boost " the effect. Schedule III drugs

tend to have lower doses of the narcotic component, also.

For example

Oxycontin (extended-release 10mg oxycodone) is Schedule II

Oxycodone/APAP (5mg oxycodone + 500mg acetaminophen) is Schedule III

The Oxycontin is available in up to 160mg oxycodone dose but the

maximum amount of oxycodone in the strongest Oxycodone/APAP dose is

a mere 10mg. There is a much higher risk of diversion to the black

market of the Schedule II drugs, so they are more tightly controlled.

BTW, suppose someone is taking the Oxycodone/APAP and wants to up

his intake from 5mg oxycodone to 20mg oxycodone. He ends up

ingesting 2000mg acetaminophen with each dose. If he does this 3

times per day, that's a liver-killing 6000mg of acetaminophen. Long

before you have narcotic problems of the magnitude seen with

Oxycontin, you will have died from liver failure.

Nina