RT Journal
A1 Geller AS
T1 COrrecting several oversimplifications of chronic opioid therapy
JF Archives of Internal Medicine
JO Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 2011
FD March 28
VO 171
IS 6
SP 597
OP 597
DO 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.84
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2011.84
AB 
Hydrocodone's class III Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulatory designation permits clinicians convenient telephone prescriptions on behalf of patient care, but hydrocodone is roughly equianalgesic with oxycodone, a class II opioid. Clearly, it is erroneous to reproach schedule II over III opioids by inaccurately correlating potency to legislative scheduling. Schedule V liquid codeine is class III as tablets. Ingesting additional tabs of schedule III opioids effectively enhances potency. Oxymorphone is class II but is 10 times more potent than morphine,2 also class II.