Darvocet

Dextropropoxyphene, manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company, is an analgesic in the opioid category. It is used to treat mild pain and is additionally an anti-tussive and local anesthetic.

Dextropropoxyphene is sometimes combined with acetaminophen or acetylsalicylic acid. Trade-names include Darvocet-N and Di-Gesic Darvon with APAP for dextropropoxyphene and paracetamol and Darvon with ASA for dextropropoxyphene and aspirin.

Dextropropoxyphene is subject to some controversy: while many physicians  prescribe it for a wide range of mildly to moderately painful symptoms as well as for treatment of diarrhea, many others refuse to prescribe it, citing limited effectiveness. In addition, the therapeutic index of dextroproxyphene is relatively small.

Caution should be used when administering dextropropoxyphene, particularly with children and the elderly and with patients who may be pregnant or breast feeding^[ other reported problems include kidney, liver or respiratory disorders, and prolonged use. Attention should be paid to concomitant use with tranquilizers, antidepressants or excess alcohol.

Darvon, a dextropropoxyphene made by Eli Lilly, which had been on the market for 25 years, came under heavy fire in 1978 by consumer groups that said it was associated with suicide. Darvon was never withdrawn from the market, but Lilly has waged a sweeping, and largely successful, campaign among doctors, pharmacists and Darvon users to defend the drug as safe when it is used in proper doses and not mixed with alcohol.