In this paper we show the existence of the solution for the
classical brachistochrone problem under the action of a
conservative field in presence of frictional forces. Assuming that
the frictional forces and the potential grow at most
linearly, we prove the existence of a minimizer on the travel
time between any two given points, whenever the initial velocity
is great enough. We also prove the uniqueness of the minimizer
whenever the given points are sufficiently close.