vicodin & norco

[meg321]

I have at times taken vicodin 5-500 & norco 10/325  OR  hydroco/acetam 10-325 & hydroco/acetam 5-500 together or at the same time.

The only difference is the amount of vicodin in each pill....my pharmacist has told me its dangerous to take both together.  I understand that the tylenol can harm my liver but that wasn't part of his reasoning and I forgot to mention it.

So my question is why is it so dangerous to use them at the same time aside from the liver damage?  Also, how mush tylenol is too much tylenol? An allowable amount each day?

thanks, meg

[twopack]

Good job Meg!  All that narcotic can put a person in a fog they aren't even aware exists.  And sometimes it's too easy to blame MS for cloudy thinking we are aware of.

I'm still concerned about the state of your liver after a period of high dose Tylenol though.  We really need our livers and everything can seem fine until.... WAM.  That's why the docs keep tabs on liver function on a regular basis when they prescribe some of the DMDs (and other drugs we take).  A follow-up doctor chat would be a very good idea in my opinion.

[meg321]

I can't tell you how much this has helped me, I listen well to other people, I just don't listen to myself if I don't have to.

Actually I knew about the liver thing but thats all I knew, I knew that I ignored doing more research and bought into the idea that I am invincible.

I feel good that I only took 4 vicodin today, which is 2000 of tylenol.  And the first two were very early this morning.  I did get my norco today but as yet have not taken any.  

I do have to give one Dr. credit for starting this thing, he took away two drugs that could have killed me and I think they almost did.  At that point everyone got on the band wagon.   We just need one person to get the ball rolling, I just have to make sure it stays that way. I sound so brave right now..lol

night, meg

[Karen99]

Double ditto to what twopack has written.

[twopack]

Peg is correct Meg.  You are taking too much Tylenol (acetaminophen) by any standard.

The present dose of three Vicodin every six hours means you are getting 15mg of hydrocodone and 1,500mg of acetaminophen in every dose.  

Four doses in a day add up to 6,000mg of Tylenol.
Even three doses in a day add up to 4,500mg of Tylenol.
Too much Tylenol is anything over 4,000mg per day according to even the most generous dose cautions.

Meg, I am afraid you might suffer from too much (or too fast) of a decrease in the narcotic if you do anything different with the Vicodin this weekend.  Please make sure that you have access to the new prescription first thing on Monday so you can switch over to taking Norco only - with NO additional acetaminophen containing medicines!

PLEASE don't think I am blaming YOU for the poor dosing schedule you have been given!  We need to learn as we go but the docs are supposed to pay attention or employ others to do it for them.  I'm sorry your trust was violated by some combo of doctors who let you down.

Sadly, when you call about a new prescription you may also need to request some blood work be ordered to check on your liver function.  The doc might not think of that either :(

Meg, I'm concerned about the amount of narcotic you are taking as well.  It could be you need this amount to control your pain.  Maybe you have developed a tolerance to lower doses of narcotic.  But maybe you don't have the type of pain that responds well to narcotic pain relievers at all.  I don't know.

I DO know that your doctor needs to look at different options to keep you comfortable.  Twelve Norco tablets may be enough at the moment but that won't last long (cause it never does with narcotics) and you will need something stronger soon - something without Tylenol in it.  I'd rather your doc had already decided to give your liver a break from all the over-time it's been doing lately and already eliminated the Tylenol for a while.  She hasn't.  The next best thing is to be prepared for the likely future.

BRAVO for pharmacists!!  When we can get all our drugs from one pharmacy the pharmacist is the most appropriate - and very best person - to oversee our medications.  They are the experts at knowing what drugs work with or against others.  They can be the most important specialist we have access to.  It's too bad they have become overburdened in recent years.  They are apparently being forced to join other health care professionals who are no longer able to offer individualized attention to patrons.  I'm glad this pharmacist didn't let you down the way the docs did!

[Peg409]

you shouldn't take more than 8 norco 10/325 in one day, nor should you take more than 6 vicodin 5/500 in one day. Higher levels than that can and will eventually cause liver damage. By the older standards 2 vicodin and 2 norco x a day was 950mg of Acetaminophen to much. (2*500*3= 3000, 2*325*3= 1950, 3000+1950= 4950, 4950-4000= 950).

Good Luck to you

[meg321]

Hi, I am taking the vicodin 5-500 ..3tabs every 6hrs now....I took the norco   10-325 til it ran out.  

I was taking 2 vicodin and 2 norco 3xday before all of ths started.

They were ordered by different Dr's but now my MS Dr is aware of it and she only wants me to take the norco.  But I ran out before the weekend and she didn't get my order in.

Mind you, all of my Drs had a very detailed sheet with all of my meds and other details on it, including how many I was taking.  That was why I felt pretty safe in what I was taking....I also take a lot of different meds too.
Now even my pharmacist is watching out for me.

I am so tired of all of these meds but then I am sure it will be part of my life forever.

Thanks, meg

[twopack]

I'm not clear how many pills you are taking a day Meg.  Do you usually take:
A.)  one Vicodan at a time
B.)  two Vicodan at a time
C.) one Norco at a time
D.) one Vicodan and one Norco together
E.) two Vicodan and one Norco together
F.) or something I didn't think to list?

How many total Vicodan do you usually take in a day?
(that's the brand name for hydroco/acetam 5-500)

How many total Norco do you usually take in a day?
(that's the brand name for hydroco/acetam 10-325)

How many hours apart are the doses?

How much relief do you get from these meds?

Were they ordered by a single doctor or more than one?

[meg321]

at least I don't drink....

meg

[meg321]

oh, and if it was too bad I might add an extra dosage..so it would be 4 x day...

and then sometimes I would take both pills 3xday..talk about complicated ?
At least for me..

Is anyone else this bad ??

dummy meg

[meg321]

Its so strange that I cannot figure out what I am taking for instance 323mg 3 times a day & 325 mg at one time and how many I am getting total...I cannot figure it out at all  and I was a bookkeeper, and why I am not working you ask ? I can barely add 2 & 2 now...

Its very frustrating  ..... so if I am taking 3 pills 3Xday  ??

meg

[twopack]

Both of these drugs contain a combination of acetaminophen (generic Tylenol) and hydrocodone (a narcotic, or opioid, pain reliever).  The numbers refer to the milligrams of each drug that each tablet contains.

Each vicodin has 5mg of hydrocodone and 500mg of acetaminophen.

Each Norco has 10mg of hydrocodone and 325mg of acetaminophen.

Taking these two drugs at the same time is the equivalent of double dosing on a single drug.  You need to check with your doctor about which Rx he wants you to use.


Acetaminophen dosage should not exceed 1Gm (1000mg every 6 hours).  Until recently the acceptable maximum daily dose of acetaminophen was 4000mg.  Recommendations have been reduced to a maximum daily dose of 3000mg/24 hours by some manufacturers.  Anyone consuming three or more alcohoic drinks a day should take NO acetaminophen.

Acetaminophen is found in many OTC and Rx drugs so caution needs to be observed when taking more than one medication that contains it.  Abbreviations such as APAP, AC, Acetaminophn, Acetaminoph, Acetaminop, Acetamin, or Acetam. may be written on a label in place of the word acetaminophen. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you don't know if a medication that you are taking contains acetaminophen.

[marlo34]

I bet he was worried about the acetaminophen, as those meds are identical substance wise. You could always call a Walgreens (they are 24 hour in some places) and ask the pharmacist to ease your mind.