Hydrocodone and other narcotic meds - are they are they effective enough as general analgesics?

Pain is one of the most negative nightmares we all face in our lives. When it becomes unbearable the only reasonable way out is turning to mainstream medicine in search for help. One of the swiftest and most effective pain relievers available these days are narcotic drugs, both natural and synthetic ones.

The substance called Hydrocodone is one of the opioid or morphine-like pills. It acts similarly to codeine by blocking or reducing pain signals transmitted from the brain into the hurt part of the body. It is generally thought that all opioid pain killer simply bind human pain receptors in the central nervous system. Hydrocodone is considered to be morphine-like in all respects, no wonder early medical investigations concluded that Hydrocodone and Morphine were equivalent for relieving pain. However, recent clinical research showed that a dose of 15 mg (1/4 gr) of Hydrocodone is equivalent to 10 mg (1/6 gr) of Morphine. The distinctive feature of Hydrocodone is its power at both decreasing pain and managing severe cough. Just as all narcotic medicines Hydrocodone also causes drowsiness, mood changes and mental “clouding.”

You can hardly order Hydrocodone, because as a rule this opioid meds is combined with other active ingredients making up powerful pain relieving or cough suppressant medicine. You will be surprised no realize that Hydrocodone is an active ingredient in several hundreds of various prescription meds!

Even the drugs prescribed in the therapy of cough and nasal congestion belong to drug class if they contain Hydrocodone! Look through the incomplete list of multi-ingredient antitussive pills containing Hydrocodone: Hycomine Compound (acetaminophen, caffeine, chlorpheniramine, hydrocodone, phenylephrine); Canges-HC, VazoTuss HC, VasoTuss HC, BPM PE HC (brompheniramine, hydrocodone, phenylephrine); Anaplex HD, Brovex HC, Drocon-CS, Bromplex HD (brompheniramine, hydrocodone, pseudoephedrine); Max HC, Excof-SF, Excof, Donatussin MAX (carbinoxamine, hydrocodone, phenylephrine); Hydrocodone CP, Hydrocodone HD, Histinex HC, Histussin-HC (chlorpheniramine, hydrocodone, phenylephrine); Notuss, Atuss HD, Hyphed, P-V-Tussin Syrup (chlorpheniramine, hydrocodone, pseudoephedrine); EndaCof-Plus, Hydex PD, Notuss PD, Zotex HC (dexchlorpheniramine, hydrocodone, phenylephrine); Endal HD, Tussinate, Dytan-HC, Hydro-DP (diphenhydramine, hydrocodone, phenylephrine); Ambi 5/15/100, Tussafed-HCG, Donatussin DC, Nariz HC (guaifenesin, hydrocodone, phenylephrine); Poly-Tussin XP, Vanacon, Drituss HD, Entuss-D JR (guaifenesin, hydrocodone, pseudoephedrine); Hydromet, Hycodan, Tussigon, Hydrotropine (homatropine, hydrocodone); Lortuss HC, Tusdec-HC, Phenylephrine HD, Nalex-DH (hydrocodone, phenylephrine); Detussin, Histussin D, Tussafin, Tussgen (hydrocodone, pseudoephedrine); Zymine HC (hydrocodone, pseudoephedrine, triprolidine); Histex HC, Mintex HC, Tri-Vent HC (carbinoxamine, hydrocodone, pseudoephedrine); Z-Tuss 2 (chlorpheniramine, guaifenesin, hydrocodone, pseudoephedrine); Tussionex Pennkinetic, TussiCaps, Novasus, HyTan (chlorpheniramine, hydrocodone); Cytuss-HC NR, H-C Tussive-NR (dexbrompheniramine, hydrocodone, phenylephrine); Narcof, Vi-Q-Tuss, Hycotuss Expectorant, CodiCLEAR DH (guaifenesin, hydrocodone).

As for narcotic pain killers with Hydrocodone, if you choose to order Hydrocodone without prescription, please look for Hydrocodone or Vicodin, Norco, Lortab, Lorcet 10/650 (acetaminophen, hydrocodone); Lortab ASA, Azdone, Panasal 5/500, Alor 5/500 (aspirin, hydrocodone); Vicoprofen, Reprexain, Ibudone (hydrocodone, ibuprofen). All these pain relievers are successfully used in curing moderate and severe pain and prove to be very efficient. With Hydrocodone you can forget about your pain within hours and enjoy every minute of your life.

Speaking about troubles of Hydrocodone, we should point out that it has a significant potential for both psychological and physical addiction and misuse. That is exactly why Hydrocodone is classified as a controlled substance (so called Schedule III), meaning that there are some rules and regulations for prescribing and getting the drug. Hydrocodone is an often abused drug because it gives you chemical euphoria instead of pain and suffering, that is exactly why some persons try to order Hydrocodone by all means, including illegal ways. Luckily, now you can purchase relatively inexpensive Hydrocodone if you choose to take its generic form. Sorry to say that this is exactly what makes Hydrocodone a notorious drug of abuse often scorned in newspaper headlines.

You can purchase in tablet, capsule or liquid form. As a rule Hydrocodone is taken orally after a meal with a glass of water, often every four hours if it is required for overcoming pain. Please, do not fail to remember that the maximum safe Hydrocodone dosage is 4 mg of the medication every 4 hours taken by mouth. Never overdose the total of 240 mg of Hydrocodone a day to avoid severe complications! Warning: the specific recommendations may vary depending on a number of factors - the particular product, your current state of health, you respond to the medication and your particular needs. The simple rule is the smaller is the Hydrocodone dose you take the better. It is wonderful if you can go on with 4 mg of the med taken every 6 hours. The main part of general practitioners state that the best way of taking Hydrocodone is with food after a substatial meal, as it can be upsetting to the empty stomach.

Please, remember your healthcare provider about other medications you are taking and other medical conditions you may have to avoid dangerous drug interaction and Hydrocodone side effects! It is equally important to mention if you are allergic to Hydrocodone, other medicines in the Hydrocodone combination product, opioid medicines such as morphine or codeine or any other meds. Let your healthcare professional know what vitamins, nutritional supplements and herbal products you are taking or plan to take.

Attention! It is extremely significant to say about the following factors and health conditions: antidepressants; antihistamines; antipsychotics (medications for mental illness); ipratropium (Atrovent); medications for irritable bowel disease, motion sickness, Parkinson’s disease, seizures, ulcers, or urinary problems; monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, including isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate); sedatives; sleeping pills; and tranquilizers. All these factors need Hydrocodone dose alteration and constant medical monitoring!

Your physician should also be aware of the fact that you have or have ever had lung disease; breathing problems; croup (a barking cough that occurs at night); a head injury; increased pressure in your brain; enlargement of a male reproductive gland; urethral stricture (narrowing of the tube that removes urine from the body); Addison’s disease when the body does not make enough of certain substances; glaucoma; thyroid, intestinal, liver or kidney disease; if you have recently had surgery (including dental surgery).

As we have already mentioned it before, Hydrocodone can make you drowsy - it is the most usual adverse reaction of your body. Be very careful driving a car or operating complicated machinery until you know for sure how this medication affects you!

Keep off alcohol while you follow Hydrocodone therapy! You’d better ask your physician about the safe use of alcoholic drinks. The truth is that a combination of alcohol and Hydrocodone is very dangerous! It can cause a number of adverse effects, lead to Hydrocodone overdose and the death of the patient!

As for Hydrocodone and pregnancy, we should tell you that it is a very bad combination! Please, bear in mind that to inform your doc if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you happen to get pregnant while taking Hydrocodone, call your healthcare provider as soon as possible - the situation demands swift and conscious consideration! As you know, all meds are classified by the Food and Drug Administration into varying classes for use by doctors when recommending the treatment to pregnant women. Some pills have no bad effects on the future baby, other pills can cause some problems to fetus, and there are also meds that can cause severe birth defects and even death of the developing baby. Hydrocodone has been classified as a Category C medication. It means that Hydrocodone has not been investigated enough in humans while but animal testing suggested that some defects can be caused by the drug interaction. Hydrocodone increases the risk of birth defects, including cranial defects, if it is used in the first trimester. If Hydrocodone is used during the end of a pregnancy, it can cause harsh narcotic withdrawal in the infant after delivery. This awful phenomenon is typical for all narcotic meds without exception. The withdrawal signs may include: hyperactive reflexes; fast breathing; increased stools; sneezing; irritability and excessive crying; shakiness (tremors); yawning; vomiting; fever.

As you can see, Hydrocodone is a very contradictive narcotic pain killer. It will become your panacea only if you manage to avoid its tricky negative sides!

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