Why Darvocet's Schedule Rating is too Low and Misleading

Darvocet, a propoxyphene-based painkiller that has recently been in the media due to its recall by the Food and Drug Administration, has been listed by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a Schedule IV drug, meaning that it is less likely to be abused than drugs with a I, II, or III rating, such as Percocet or Vicodin. However, evidence reveals that this is almost overwhelmingly not the case.

The fact that Darvocet’s rating is the second-to-least dangerous may have something to do with the fact that it is not as potent as some Schedule II drugs, but in this case the DEA does not take into account the number of deaths caused by Darvocet and other propoxyphene products. Acetaminophen products like Percocet and Vicodin are only estimated to cause around 450 deaths per year from overdose and related liver damage, while the death toll related to Darvocet is so severe that the Food and Drug Administration has initiated a total ban of the drug from the United States market.

While it is true that Darvocet does not have the strength of its acetaminophen counterparts, it is just as likely to be abused and is associated with many more deaths, including deaths from heart problems in previously heart-healthy people. Because consumer advocacy groups have been petitioning for the removal of the drug from the market for almost thirty years, the Food and Drug Administration should be responsible for the number of deaths that have occurred since propoxyphene was first recognized as dangerous, many years before the ban.

Propoxyphene has been linked to heart problems in users with no history of heart issues, including heart arrhythmia, heart attack, and changes in electricity in the heart. It is so life threatening that it is one of the more common drugs used in assisted suicides, and has been banned in Europe and the United Kingdom for several years already. Darvocet and a similar product, Darvon, are both extremely lethal in large amounts.