hydrocodone and liver damage

i have been taking hydrocodone for over a year now for pain - i have been reading that it can cause liver damage because there is aspirin / ibuprofen in it
is this true i am concerned
thank you

I noticed nobody has answered your question, so I thought I might. Hydrocodone itself does not cause possible liver damage, but the actual acetaminophen in the pill is what can cause liver damage in high doses. Typically one must consume more then 8,000 mg in a 24 hour period consistently over a period of time to cause damage. However, those with liver damage or conditions that make them higher risk for liver damage may not require such high doses to cause more damage. There are many different doses of hydrocodone pills, but the most commonly used is Vicodin 5/500. This is 5mg of hydrocodone mixed with 500 mg of acetaminophen per pill. Typically you take 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours. Depending on a person's size and age will determine the maximum dose of acetaminophen. Most adults over 12 years old can safely consume 1000 mg of acetaminophen every 4-6 hours. If required you can take up to 1500 mg every 5-8 hrs, but this should be limited. There is also Lortab, which is typically given 500/650 or 750/650 and Norco typically scripted in 10/350 or 10/500. The 1st number is always the controlled pain reliever and the latter is the acetaminophen. Pain meds are mixed with acetaminophen to increase the effectiveness and some believe reduce the amount of abuse, but it can be extracted with a complex cold water method for those that truly want to abuse the hydrocodone component. Acetaminophen is processed by the liver and it takes about 4 hours for the liver to break it down. Taking more then the recommended dosage can cause the liver hardship. Granted going over a few times won't necessarily cause permanent damage, but consistent use may. Adding alcohol to the mix can cause an even higher chance of liver damage, because the liver must now process the alcohol and the acetaminophen, which is hard on it. Be careful and note it is the same rules as an OTC bottle of 'Tylenol'. You mentioned Ibuprofen and that is mixed with the script called Vicoprofen and usually comes in 7.5/200. Ibuprofen is not metabolized by the liver, but actually the kidney's. However, it is safer than acetaminophen at high doses. Some scripts have as much as 1000mg of Ibuprofen per pill, but it is hard on the stomach and shouldn't be used in people with ulcers. One should not mix acetaminophen & ibuprofen, even with fever. It is a fallacy that alternating between the two is safe to break fever. Researchers have found, however, that acetaminophen metabolites can build up in the renal medulla as a result of renal ischemia caused by non- steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen. It can cause a toxic effect. Hope that answers your concern.

Hi, I have been taking 2-4 5/500 hydrocodone daily, sometimes much more, for 10+ years. Had my LFT's done the other day, and they were fine. I don't know if I'm just lucky, or if this is the norm. Hope it helps!

I have been taking 2 10/325 every 4 hours for 10 years for chronic pain. I had my liver and kidney checked every year and I am fine too. I just get scared of all the warnings that I see all the time.

So far so good. I am so grateful to have a quality of life, without it, I would not be able to work or take care of my family.

One day I will have to have back surgery, but ot until the research and methods of evolved into more effective surgical methods. Seems like most people that have to have the surger, or choose to, are worse off and still have to take pain meds.

Thank God for my Pain doctor, he also gives me steroid injections in my back that prevent the infamation.s

Someone said you need to take 8000mg of acetaminophen in 24 hours for a long time to cause liver damage. This is incorrect. The limit for acetaminophen is 4000mg a day. It does vary with the person but someone can cause liver damage even at that level if the consumption is chronic. Do not think there is a 'fudge factor' in drug limits. In every drug trial, someone dies. If the number of deaths per 100,000 is low enough then the FDA may allow the drug to be used. Don't think you can double a drugs daily limit with impunity. You will pay.

I noticed one person say his mother is an RN and she tells him if he is asleep he is not in pain, WRONG!. I am an RN and I have had to educate RNs that one CAN be in pain and sleep. Sleep is a way to escape the AWARENESS of pain. The pain continues. If a patient misses a scheduled pain med because they were asleep they will be in more pain when they wake because the pain has continued to increase while they are asleep. It is especially important to stay on schedule with chronic pain patients.

I am a chronic pain patient. It started with abdominal adhesions. The adhesions progressed to the point that I had adhesiolysis and the takedown of a proximal bowel obstruction. The surgeon said in another 2 weeks the obstruction would have killed me. At the end of March 2007 I suffered a compression fracture of T12 vertebra. I had a Kyphoplasty to repair the fracture. The procedure was a complete success and I was walking 2 hours after the procedure. Unfortunately I contracted an MRSA infection in the surgical wound and 10 days later had emergency spinal surgery to drain an MRSA spinal abcess. It was repeated 5 days later. By then I had 4 vertebrae fused. T12 was GONE, destroyed by the MRSA. They put in a titianium cage, partially from the front. This required opening my left side for 16 inches so a Cardiac Surgeon could reach in and push my left lung, aorta and vena cava aside so the Orthopedic Surgeon could put the titanium cage in place from the front. They removed a floating rib to use as donor material to fill the titanium cage.

I spent the next 3 months in a so called 'care facility'. My disability got worse by the day. My foot drop was so bad I looked like a ballerina in point shoes. I was losing 5 pounds a week. I got the resident doc in to see me and demanded that they draw blood. He refused. I kept telling them something was wrong. Three months after the last surgery the Charge Nurse called 911. I was screaming in pain. I could not sit up and I was transported by EMS to the ED and had another spinal surgery. I now have 6 vertebrae fused/fixed. T10, T11, T12, L1, L2, L3. I cannot bend at the waist.

So here I am, 2 years after the last surgery. I am taking 30mg of Methadone 3 times a day, plus I take 1+2 Norco every 6 hours for breakthrough pain. I spend at least half the day in bed and sleep whenever I can to hide from the pain. I am moving better though. I can walk with a walker. In the house I use furniture and walls to keep my balance. This is better than being bed bound as I was in that 'total lack of care' facility!

YES YOU CAN BE IN PAIN AND BE ASLEEP!!!

I have been on Methadone for 7+ years. For some of it I was taking 120mg a day, the maximum, and still had pain. Now I am down to 90mg daily with 60-80mg of oxycodone (Norco 10/325) for breakthrough pain. I also take 800mg of Neurontin 4X a day for neurological pain and Requip 2X a day for restless leg syndrome.

With all of that I still have burning pain in my left side, left leg, soles of both feet with sharp pain in my abdomen and mid back at the surgical site. I say pain and I are old friends. Well more acquaintances than friends. Pain is my constant companion. No amount of medication makes it go away. The meds reduce it to a mostly tolerable level but it NEVER goes away.

My $4.37 worth. ( 2 cents adjusted for inflation)