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Brand names:
Lortab®, Vicodin®, Norco®, Lorcet®
Often used for:
Pain management
Hydrocodone is an opioid medicine used to manage pain. It is often used in combination with acetaminophen. Acetaminophen (Tylenol®) is a medicine used to treat pain or fever. Hydrocodone may also be given as a combination medicine with ibuprofen.
This medicine may be given in the clinic, hospital, or at home.
Follow dosing instructions carefully. You may be asked to keep a record of the doses your child takes so the care team can prescribe the best possible pain control.
When used to treat pain over a long period of time, hydrocodone may cause physical dependence. Physical dependence is when the body starts to rely on the medicine and stopping the medicine too fast can result in unwanted side effects. Your care team will monitor for this and make a plan if the medicine must be stopped.
Your care team may talk to you about having a medicine called naloxone available while taking this medicine. Naloxone is a rescue medicine that can reverse the life-threatening effects of an opioid overdose. Your care team may teach you and your family how to use this medicine in case an overdose of hydrocodone ever happens.
May be given as a tablet by mouth
May be given as a liquid by mouth
This medicine can cause serious breathing problems. If your child has slow, shallow breathing or trouble breathing, call your care team right away.
Most side effects decrease after taking hydrocodone with acetaminophen for a couple of days. Tell your care team if side effects increase while taking this medicine.
Not all patients who take hydrocodone will experience these side effects. Common side effects are in bold, but there may be others. Please report all suspected side effects to your doctor or pharmacist. Find more information on side effects.
Be sure to discuss all questions and instructions with your doctor or pharmacist.
This medicine may be habit forming when used long term. Watch for signs of misuse. Signs of misuse can be: