Hydrocodone with Acetaminophen (aka Lortab, Vicodin..): just so you know…

Brand Names: Lorcet, Xodol, Hycet, Maxidone, Zydone, Cogesic, Zolvit, Liquicet, Stagesic, Zamicet, Vicodin, Norco, Lortab

This is a narcotic (psychoactive) pain reliever used to treat moderate to severe pain. It combines hydrocodone and acetaminophen.

Hydrocodone

• A narcotic (psychoactive) pain reliever
• Derived from codeine.. which is derived from morphine… derived from opium… derived from the poppy plant. Basically, it is a synthetic opiate.
• Only used in combination with other drugs

Acetaminophen

• A pain reliever
• Reduces fever (even though fevers are your body’s way of healing)
• Known to cause serious (even fatal) liver disease if you take too much
• Acetaminophen was derived from a by-product of coal-tar distillation

Hydrocodone AND Acetaminophen

• There are no adequet studies done on pregnant women!
• You can get addicted to it
• You can experience withdrawal reactions (such as restlessness, watering eyes, runny nose, nausea, sweating, muscle aches)
• It stops being effective over time
• The medication passes into breast milk and unto your baby
• Common side effects include: Nausea, vomiting, constipation, lightheadedness, dizziness, and drowsiness
• Dangerous side effects include: fainting, seizure, slow/shallow breathing, unusual drowsiness/difficulty waking up
• Allergic reactions are possible and symptoms include: rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, trouble breathing

It is advised to tell your doctor your personal and family history of any of these conditions:

• mental/mood disorders (such as confusion,depression)
• stomach/intestinal problems (such as blockage, constipation, diarrhea due to infection, paralytic ileus)
• personal or family history of regular use/abuse of drugs/alcohol
• brain disorders (such as head injury, tumor, seizures)
• breathing problems (such as asthma, sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-COPD)
• kidney disease
• liver disease
• difficulty urinating (such as due to enlarged prostate)
• gallbladder disease
• disease of the pancreas (pancreatitis)

Possible Dangerous Drug Interactions include:

• Pain medications (mixed narcotic agonist/antagonists such as pentazocine, nalbuphine, butorphanol)
• Narcotic antagonists (such as naltrexone)
• MAO inhibitors (isocarboxazid, linezolid, methylene blue, moclobemide, phenelzine, procarbazine, rasagiline, selegiline, tranylcypromine)

REFERENCES

“Hydrocodone-acetaminophen Oral : Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing – WebMD.” WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 22 July 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-251-Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen Oral.aspx?drugid=251>.

“New York Magazine.” NYMag.com. NY Magazine, 2 July 2009. Web. 22 July 2013. <http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/topic/57770/&gt;.

“Hydrocodone: MedlinePlus Drug Information.” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 22 July 2013. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a601006.html&gt;.

Ogbru, Omudhome, PharmD, and Jay W. Marks, MD. “Hydrocondone/ Acetaminophen (Vicodin, Vicodin ES) – Drug Class, Medical Uses, Medication Side Effects, and Drug Interactions by MedicineNet.com.” MedicineNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2013. <http://www.medicinenet.com/hydrocodoneacetaminophen/article.htm&gt;.

The 10 Most Prescribed Drugs (and what you should know about them)

I’ve taken the following list of The 10 Most Prescribed Drugs by  Daniel J. DeNoon as was published from webMD.com in 2011. (Please see full reference below for more information).

While this list is a few years outdated, for all sakes and purposes, I’m going assume that many of these are still widely prescribed.

If you take any of these medications, you probably already know the reason you’re taking it and what the anticipated effects are. You may not be as aware of the common side effects (both long term and short term) of the following drugs.

It is my belief that you should always know exactly what you’re putting into your body, especially for medicinal purposes, and if there are any known risks. Of course, this goes for food and alternative medicines as well. But for this post, I’ll focus on prescription drugs.

SO – Please click on the drug name (below) to learn a bit more about it. (Please pay special attention to the Brand Names for each of these… that may be how you actually identify which drug you’re looking for.)

• Hydrocodone (combined with acetaminophen) Brand Names: Lorcet, Xodol, Hycet, Maxidone, Zydone, Cogesic, Zolvit, Liquicet, Stagesic, Zamicet, Vicodin, Norco, Lortab — 131.2 million prescriptions
• Generic Zocor (simvastatin), a cholesterol-lowering statin drug — 94.1 million prescriptions
• Lisinopril (brand names include Prinivil and Zestril), a blood pressure drug — 87.4 million prescriptions
• Generic Synthroid (levothyroxine sodium), synthetic thyroid hormone — 70.5 million prescriptions
• Generic Norvasc (amlodipine besylate), an angina/blood pressure drug — 57.2 million prescriptions
• Generic Prilosec (omeprazole), an antacid drug — 53.4 million prescriptions (does not include over-the-counter sales)
• Azithromycin (brand names include Z-Pak and Zithromax), an antibiotic — 52.6 million prescriptions
• Amoxicillin (various brand names), an antibiotic — 52.3 million prescriptions
• Generic Glucophage (metformin), a diabetes drug — 48.3 million prescriptions
• Hydrochlorothiazide (various brand names), a water pill used to lower blood pressure — 47.8 million prescriptions.

FOR THE RECORD:

I am in no way suggesting you stop (or start) taking any of these drugs that may (or may not) have been prescribed to you. This can be incredibly dangerous. Please talk with your physician about any concerns you may have with these drugs.

REFERENCES:

DeNoon, Daniel J. “The 10 Most Prescribed Drugs.” WebMD. WebMD, 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 July 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/news/20110420/the-10-most-prescribed-drugs&gt;.