First approved in 1957, Darvon was one of the few drugs at that time for treating pain. The alternatives were aspirin or powerful narcotics. Today, it continues to be marketed as Darvocet and it is one of the top 25 most commonly prescribed medications. Over 20 million prescriptions of the Darvon/Tylenol combination are written annually.

Dr. Sidney Wolfe, a drug safety expert with Public Citizen, is spearheading the drive to ban Darvon. He first spoke out and proposed a ban against the painkiller in the 1970s. It is Dr. Wolfe’s opinion that Darvocet offers weak pain relief and poses a risk of overdose and potential for use in suicide.

The two companies that market Darvocet say that the medication is safe and effective when used as directed. They argue that physicians need a range of medications for use in treating pain.  Some company representatives point out that many other painkillers have become drugs of abuse, and with considerably worse consequences.

A professor of medicine at Harvard and critic of the pharmaceutical industry commended FDA advisers for looking hard at Darvon. His point, that it is not the most dangerous drug in its class, but that doesn’t mean that Darvon is a good drug.

The United Kingdom banned its version of Darvon in 2005. If the FDA decides to take the advisory panel recommendations, it could mandate stiffer warning labels, safety studies, and more efforts to educate doctors and patients about its shortcomings and potential risks.

In the U.S., Davon-related deaths in 2007 rose to 503 from the 446 that occurred the previous year. In both years, about 20 percent of these emergency room visits and deaths were considered suicides. Only about one-third of the U.S. population is tracked in these reported statistics from emergency rooms.

On a personal note:  I took Darvocet for chronic pain for many years as prescribed by my physician, and I believe it can become a problem with long-term use. It is, in my opinion, a good drug to ease pain following surgery – especially for those who can’t tolerate a more powerful pain reliever such as Vicodin or Percocet.  Chronic pain in itself is a debilitating and depressing condition. Few options are available that have no risks or undesirable side-effects. I eventually tried the strategies urged by Dr. Dean Edell, who recommends that persons taking drugs for chronic pain over long periods try phasing off painkillers. They might find, as I did, that their pain can be managed without them. Sometimes the drug itself can be responsible for recurrent cycles of pain and depression. I have felt much better since gradually phasing off Darvocet.

Source:  Associated Press story; January 31, 2009; and, personal experience.