what's the point of having multiple drugs in the same class?

[yodermstr]

I've always heard people say "yeah this much of this is pretty much the same as this much of this other drug" but what's the point in that? I guess some last longer or work at lower doses but instead of giving pain patients really strong opiates why not just a lot of hydrocodone? is there a real reason or is it just kinda nobody stops them from making stupidly potent drugs and I know some drugs work different for different people. like for me klonopin is the only benzo I've tried that doesn't make me suicidal after more than a couple doses but there's just so many drugs out there what's the point?

 

[cannablissss]

Honestly it really does come down to "different drugs work for different people." For hydrocodone, I've personally never seen more than a 10mg pill. You have to look at the acetaminophen content that is in most of these scripts. Plus, oxycodone is 40% stronger than hydrocodone, so less of it needs to be taken to achieve it's intended effects - pain loss.
With drugs, there can't be just one. I'd like to see a doctor that prescribed me some Xanax bars right on the spot. They prefer you to start off with medicine that is not as abused as others, something that won't put you through immense withdrawal - though there are negative effects to all drugs.
Basically, there are "steps" to each drug class. As you go up, dependance on the drug increases, which is why people get prescribed other drugs when being taken off of benzos to ease the withdrawal and so your body doesn't have a horrible reaction from not receiving the drug anymore. It's best to see which one works for each individual. Tolerance is another thing - once you've been on the highest dose of a drug for so long and it starts to not do anything for you, then you have to switch.

 

[Speed King]

Nice post, cannablissss. What works for one, doesn't work for another. Everybody reacts differently, past drug use, over dose potential. The list goes on and on.

 

[weekendwarrior11]

I've also noticed too that, say, oxycodone vs. Hydrocodone. Yeah they both do the same thing. One is a little stronger but they both treat pain.

But if you have spent time taking both, you'd most likely notice (obviously doesn't apply to everyone, but I've heard alot of people talk about it) that oxycodone is alot more stimulating that hydrocodone. So hypothetically with that in mind, if you have pain only late at night before bed and it prevents you from sleeping, hydrocodone would probably be a little better to take. While on the other hand if you have pain you needed to deal with while you're at work, oxycodone might be a better choice.

So personally in my eyes, they both are doing the same thing, but little side effects can make one more favorable then the other.

It's kind of like why are there so many brands of cars; some faster, some more durable, smaller, bigger. When in all reality, they will all be you from point a to point b.

Just my two cents

 

[yodermstr]

I really appreciate the input! it's not really much of a harm reduction question but just out of curiosity