Drugs Encyclopedia

Special precautions before taking hydrocodone

As with any narcotic analgesic agent, hydrocodone should be used with caution in elderly or debilitated patients and those with severe impairment of hepatic or renal function, hypothyroidism, Addison's disease, prostatic hypertrophy, or urethral stricture. The usual precautions should be observed and the possibility of respiratory depression should be kept in mind.

Before taking acetaminophen and hydrocodone

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to hydrocodone or any other drugs.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially acetaminophen (Tylenol); antidepressants; medications for cough, cold, or allergies; other pain relievers; sedatives; sleeping pills; tranquilizers; and vitamins.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had liver or kidney disease, a history of alcoholism, lung or thyroid disease, prostatic hypertrophy, or urinary retention.
• hydrocodone passes into breast milk and may affect a nursing infant. Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants from hydrocodone, a decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother. Do not take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
• if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking hydrocodone.

Talk to your doctor about the safe use of alcohol. Alcohol and other CNS depressants may produce an additive CNS depression when taken with this combination product and should be avoided.

Hydrocodone, like all narcotics, may impair the mental and/or physical abilities required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks such as driving a car or operating heavy machinery. You should know that this drug may make you drowsy and dizzy - do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how hydrocodone affects you.

Hydrocodone may be habit forming! Take this drug only for as long as it is prescribed, in the amounts prescribed, and no more frequently than prescribed!

Withdrawal symptoms may occur after you stop taking hydrocodone. Inform your physician if shortness of breath or breathing difficulty occur. May cause nausea, vomiting or constipation; notify your physician if these occur.

Hydrocodone is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether it will be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding during treatment.

Hydrocodone has been shown to be teratogenic in hamsters when given in doses 700 times the human dose. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Hydrocodone should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

Babies born to mothers who have been taking opioids regularly prior to delivery will be physically dependent. The withdrawal signs include irritability and excessive crying, tremors, hyperactive reflexes, increased respiratory rate, increased stools, sneezing, yawning, vomiting, and fever.

As with all narcotics, administration of hydrocodone to the mother shortly before delivery may result in some degree of respiratory depression in the newborn, especially if higher doses are used.

Hydrocodone suppresses the cough reflex. As with all narcotics, caution should be exercised when hydrocodone is used postoperatively and in patients with pulmonary disease.

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