You may need to stop taking this medication or have some tests done. Acetaminophen-hydrocodone is a prescription medication. It comes as an oral tablet and an oral solution. Acetaminophen-hydrocodone oral tablet is available as the brand-name drug Norco. Generic drugs usually cost less than brand-name drugs. In some cases, they may not be available in every strength or form as the brand-name version. This medication is a combination of two or more drugs in a single form.
Acetaminophen-hydrocodone oral tablets are used to treat moderate to severe pain that other treatments have not been able to relieve. This medication is a combination of the opioid narcotic hydrocodone and the analgesic pain reliever acetaminophen.
These drugs work in the brain to block pain signals and decrease the ability to feel pain. Hydrocodone can alter how the body responds to pain, helping a person feel more comfortable. Acetaminophen can also reduce a fever. Acetaminophen-hydrocodone oral tablet can interact with other medications, vitamins , or herbs you may be taking. An interaction is when a substance changes the way a drug works. This can be harmful or prevent the drug from working well.
To help avoid interactions, your doctor should manage all of your medications carefully. Taking certain drugs with acetaminophen-hydrocodone increases your risk of drowsiness, dizziness, tiredness, and reduced physical and mental function. If you need to use one of these drugs with acetaminophen-hydrocodone, the dosage of one or both drugs should be reduced.
Taking this medication with drugs that increase the amount of a chemical called serotonin in your body can cause a serious problem. This problem, called serotonin syndrome, can be fatal. Tell your doctor if you are taking any of these medications:. Taking this medication with drugs that can inhibit activity of certain liver enzymes can increase the amount of hydrocodone in your body and cause more side effects. You may have increased breathing problems or drowsiness.
Examples of these drugs include:. Taking this medication with drugs that can increase activity of certain liver enzymes can lower the amount of hydrocodone or acetaminophen in your body. You may need a higher dose of this medication to control your pain. However, because drugs interact differently in each person, we cannot guarantee that this information includes all possible interactions.
Always speak with your healthcare professional about possible interactions with all prescription drugs, vitamins, herbs and supplements, and over-the-counter drugs that you are taking. Taking it again could be fatal cause death. You should not drink alcohol while taking acetaminophen-hydrocodone. Drinking alcohol while taking this medication may cause:. Suddenly stopping acetaminophen-hydrocodone may cause withdrawal symptoms.
Symptoms of withdrawal from acetaminophen-hydrocodone may include:. Talk with your doctor before stopping acetaminophen-hydrocodone. For people with head injury: If you have a head injury, hydrocodone may cause increased pressure in your brain and cause breathing problems.
For people with stomach problems: Use caution taking this drug if you have intestinal obstruction, ulcerative colitis, or constipation. This medication may worsen your symptoms. For people with severe kidney disease: This drug may build up in your body, which can cause trouble breathing and other side effects. For people with lung disease: If you have lung disease, you might have trouble breathing if you take this medication. For people with severe liver disease: If you have severe liver disease, your risk of liver failure is increased.
Also, this drug may build up in your body, which can cause trouble breathing and other side effects. For people with prostate enlargement: If you have an enlarged prostate, taking acetaminophen-hydrocodone may cause increased difficulty in urination. For people with asthma: If you have severe or uncontrolled asthma , do not use this medication without talking to your doctor. You may have to take the first few doses in a monitored setting. For people with seizures: If you have epilepsy or have ever had seizures, tell your doctor before taking acetaminophen-hydrocodone.
This drug may increase your risk of seizures. For pregnant women: This drug is a category C pregnancy drug. That means two things:. Babies born to mothers who regularly take opioids such as hydrocodone may be born physically dependent on this drug.
This can cause symptoms of withdrawal, or neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. Symptoms can include:. For women who are breastfeeding: Acetaminophen is passed in small amounts in breast milk. Hydrocodone also passes into breast milk and may result in excessive tiredness and slowed breathing in a child who is breastfed.
Breastfeeding while taking this medication may come with risks. For seniors: Older adults may have decreased kidney, liver, and heart function. All possible dosages and drug forms may not be included here.
Your dosage, drug form, and how often you take the drug will depend on:. However, because drugs affect each person differently, we cannot guarantee that this list includes all possible dosages. There are many facets to this effort to control opiate prescribing and abuse. Medicare Part D beneficiaries who are opiate naive are limited to a seven-day prescription upon an initial fill of an opiate.
Opiate naive is defined as not having taken an opiate in the past 60 days. After seven days, if additional medication is needed, prescribers may prescribe longer term. There are exceptions to these rules, such as hospice and cancer-related care. Some chronic pain diagnoses qualify for prescribing exceptions as well. Many commercial insurance plans have adopted similar limitations for their beneficiaries. Pharmacies may also have specific policies for the filling of opiate medications.
Vicodin is usually covered in its generic form by most insurance companies, and by some Medicare Part D plans. Norco and Vicodin have the potential to cause the same side effects due to their similar content.
Side effects related to their effect on the central nervous system include drowsiness, dizziness, and headache. Each patient may experience these adverse effects in varying degrees and it may depend on dose. Opiate pain relievers are known to cause constipation, especially when given for longer periods of time.
Increasing water intake or taking stool softeners may help mitigate this side effect. The following list is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of potential side effects.
You should consult with your doctor, pharmacist, or healthcare provider for a complete list of adverse events and medical advice. The drug interaction profiles for Norco and Vicodin are similar due to the fact that they contain the same active ingredients.
The concomitant use of opiates such as Norco and Vicodin with other CNS depressants should be avoided whenever possible. Examples of other CNS depressants include benzodiazepines, other opiate painkillers, and cannabinoid drugs.
The use of these medications together can lead to severe respiratory depression, profound sedation, low blood pressure, coma, or death. The use of serotonergic agents, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs , with Norco or Vicodin, can increase the risk of serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome is characterized by increased heart rate, high blood pressure, confusion, and tremors.
Opioid pain relievers may decrease the effects of diuretics through the release of antidiuretic hormone. This can lead to changes in fluid status and blood pressure. The following table is not intended to be a complete list of potential drug interactions. Consult a medical professional for a complete list and advice on interactions. Alcohol use should be avoided in patients who take Norco or Vicodin. Alcohol could increase the serum concentration of hydrocodone and therefore enhance the CNS depressant effects.
Prescribers may need to adjust the dose in patients who have liver damage or impaired kidney function. Norco and Vicodin are pregnancy category C, meaning there are no human studies proving harm or safety in pregnant patients.
The use of these drugs should be limited to only absolutely necessary use. Both hydrocodone and acetaminophen are present in the breast milk of lactating mothers. The use of Norco and Vicodin in breastfeeding mothers should only be done when the benefit clearly outweighs the risk. It is important to note that both Norco and Vicodin are highly addictive drugs.
They each have high potential for abuse, misuse, physical dependence, and addiction. They should only be used when all other non-opiate treatment options have been exhausted. Their use should be limited to as short of a term as possible. If a patient has been taking hydrocodone products for an extended period of time, they may be prone to withdrawal symptoms if they stop abruptly. Discontinuation after high dose and long-term use of opioid analgesics should be done with physician oversight.
Norco is an opioid pain reliever that contains a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen. Norco is approved in the treatment of moderate to severe pain. Vicodin is an opioid pain reliever that contains a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen.
Vicodin is intended to be used in the treatment of moderate to severe pain. Norco and Vicodin both contain hydrocodone and acetaminophen, but are not exactly the same.
While each comes in strengths containing 5 mg, 7. Norco contains mg of acetaminophen, while Vicodin contains mg. It is reasonable to expect the efficacy of Norco and Vicodin to be very similar to each other given that they only vary by 25 mg of acetaminophen.
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