Question about hydrocodone

[codean]

I don't know whether I should ask this here as it's not really about me but I'm trying to understand something I see a lot of in this forum. So many people seem addicted to hydrocodone but as far as I know, it's always prescripbed with a whole heap of paracetomol as we UK people say or acetimophen? as the US call it. Does that not mean that quite apart from the same giving up the drug that we all face, these guys have a huge problem with respect to liver toxicity? Or have I missed something completely?
Are they either getting pure hydro or extracting it which I presume is possible in similar ways to other opiates - I hope I haven't said too much about that, apologies if I have.

[boogieman]

hi. most all opiate analgesics are combined with other drugs, usually acetaminophen or ibuprofen. for example, the opiate/nsaid ratio of vicodin is 5/500 mg. to my knowledge, hydrocodone is not generally dispensed alone, as oxycodone, morphine, and hydromorphone are in medications. and yes, acetaminophen is very toxic in high doses or in those with compromised liver function, especially when used in conjunction with alcohol consumption. one of the main reasons hydrocodone dependence is so common is it's availability, as it is one of the most commonly prescribed narcotic painkillers. hope this helps,   gm

[codean]

Thanks for the info, it's kind of what I thought. In that case, doesn't it mean that people with hydro addiction would need to be taking so much actetominophen (did I get it right that time?!) that one might almost consider the liver toxicity to be more dangerous than the opiate itself? For obvious reasons I'm not going to go into it here but whenI was highly codeine dependent, if the only thing I could get was mixed pills, I visited several pharmacies to get enoough and then I made sure I got rid of the bit I didn't want and just got the codeine out of the pills. In short what I'm saying is that all these people with hydro addiction might have a much bigger problem with their liver which needs to be addressed as well as the obvious getting of the pills as well - but I haven't seen that talked about at all. Sure I haven't read every post on the board and I'm damn certain I'm not the first to point this out but having been in alcohol detox more times than I like to admit I've seen some pretty bad cases of liver faliure. Hell, my cousin even died from it as a result of drinking - hence, it worries me some... I know the liver is anamzing organ, hugely regenerative but is it ok to say to people with a long history of big hydro addiction, just stop and you'll be ok?
Just my meanderings I suppose, but I'm finding this board a help and if I can learn some more about things that others are facing maybe I can help others too.

[theeagle]

Just stop and you'll be okay is a little off - but you have to stop somewhere. Most on this forum recommend a liver enzyme blood work up when you have concerns and when you detox. And you are right - the acetaminophen dose is a huge concern with liver toxicity. Especially with the Brits and Canadians and folks that try and support a decent narcotic habit with 10mg codeine pills.