History

First created in the 1920's by German pharmaceutical company Knoll, Hydrocodone is created by attaching a hydrogen atom to codeine molecules. When it was first released, Knoll thought this process would make the harsh codeine easier on the stomach.

Since during this time, thousands of people across the country were becoming addicted to the opiate ingredients found in the most popular cough syrups, the government decided to fund a study to evaluate hydrocodone and other like drugs, as they were said to be less addictive. They named Dr. Nathan Eddy to head up the study. He studied the effects, safety and side effects of hundreds of different drugs, including heavy-hitters such as morphine, codeine and the up-and-coming hydrocodone.

After a series of extremely cruel tests on cats, Eddy found hydrocodone was one of the most effective drugs in the study in terms of pain killing effectiveness and the predictably of its side effects. The only problem with it was that it induced a tremendous euphoric effect in the animals studied. He felt that the drug was powerful, but that it also held the potential to be highly addictive.

Despite Eddy's findings, hydrocodone became very popular as a pain reliever despite its addictive potential.