About Vicoprofen
Vicoprofen is a mix of hydrocodone, a narcotic (opiate) pain medication
(analgesic), and ibuprofen (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, or
NSAID), which relieves pain better than either medication taken
alone. Hydrocodone acts on the central nervous system and smooth
muscle tissue, slowing the central nervous system. It is not clear
exactly how ibuprofen works to ease pain.
This medication is commonly prescribed for short-term treatment
of acute pain. If you are being treated for a chronic condition,
speak to your doctor about minimizing your use of Vicoprofen
and reducing the likelihood of undesirable side effects from
long-term use of narcotic analgesics and NSAIDs. Do not take
this medication with alcohol, other prescription or over the
counter pain medications, or any sedative, as this may increase
your risk of liver damage.
Vicoprofen is only available by prescription.
Vicoprofen Side Effects
Vicoprofen side effects are usually mild, but as with all narcotic
pain medications, it can impair performance. If you feel lightheaded
or nauseous, lying down may alleviate these symptoms. Driving or
operating heavy machinery is not advised, as Vicoprofen can interfere
with mental and physical abilities. Become familiar with your reaction
to Vicoprofen before performing potentially hazardous tasks while
taking it.
Vicoprofen side effects are typically dosage related, and may increase
even if the medication is no longer as effective at relieving pain
due to drug tolerance.
Common Side Effects: anxiety, constipation, decreased appetite,
difficulty sleeping, difficulty urinating, drowsiness, dry mouth,
gas, light-headedness, sleepiness.
Infrequent Side Effects: blurred vision, confusion, dizziness,
drunken feeling, flushing, mild allergic reaction (hives, itching,
rash), nausea, slurred speech, shaking, sweating, vomiting. If you
experience any of these side effects, stop taking Vicoprofen and
contact your doctor immediately. These side effects may be
dose related, and can indicate that you have taken too much of this
medication.
Serious Side Effects: bloody stool, burning feeling in torso,
cough, delirium, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing,
difficulty urinating, extreme lightheadedness, frequent urination,
hallucination, headache, heartburn, irregular breathing, irregular
heartbeat, mood changes, ringing in the ears, seizure, serious allergic
reaction (anaphylactic shock, bronchospasm, extreme skin reaction),
severe stomach pain, stiff spine, swelling around the eyes, swollen
extremities, tightness in chest or wheezing, urinary incontinence.
If you experience any of these rare but serious side effects, seek
medical attention immediately. These may be symptoms of a severe
reaction to the medication or an overdose.
Cautions: Vicoprofen should be prescribed with caution to
some patients, and it may not be the right treatment for everyone.
Be sure to give your prescribing physician a complete medical history
so that your treatment can be safe and effective, particularly if
you have ever experienced any of the following conditions:
- Acute Abdominal Conditions: Vicoprofen may interfere
with diagnosis and treatment of acute abdominal conditions.
- Addison's Disease: Individuals with underactive adrenal
glands should use this medication only under the advice of their
physician.
- Alcohol or Drug Abuse: If you have ever suffered from
alcohol or drug addiction in the past, you may be at increased
risk for chemical dependence with this treatment. If you have
an untreated addiction to alcohol or drugs, you should not use
this medication as it increases your risk for dangerous or fatal
overdose.
- Allergies: Inform your prescribing physician of any allergic
reactions you may have had to food, dyes, or medications. If you
have ever had an allergic reaction to hydrocodone, any narcotic
medication, or acetaminophen in the past, you should not take
Vicoprofen. If you are asthmatic, and have ever had an allergic
reaction to aspirin or any other NSAID, you should not take Vicoprofen.
- Bleeding: If you have bleeding problems, or are taking
other medications that can cause bleeding as a side effect, this
medication may not be right for you. Ibuprofen may cause gastrointestinal
bleeding or hemorrhage even in individuals who are not prone to
this condition.
- Breathing: High doses of Vicoprofen, or patient sensitivity,
can cause breathing irregularity or other respiratory depression.
If you have breathing difficulties, asthma, or any other lung
disease, Vicoprofen may not be right for you. While hydrocodone
may cause respiratory depression, ibuprofen may cause an allergic
reaction in patients with aspirin sensitive asthma. If you have
asthma, and have ever had a reaction to aspirin or any other NSAID
medication, you may wish to try another treatment as ibuprofen
may increase the risk of airway constriction.
- Chronic Headache: If you have chronic migraine or cluster
headaches, you should use Vicoprofen cautiously, as frequent use
may trigger rebound attacks of vascular headaches. Use this medication
no more often than 2-3 times per week, and look into a preventive
treatment.
- Cough Reflex: Hydrocodone is a cough suppressant, and
should be used with care in patients with heart disease, who have
just undergone an operation, or have a lung disease.
- Dependence: Mental and physical dependence can develop
if Vicoprofen is used for long periods of time. Long use of hydrocodone
can create a tolerance condition where the medication no longer
works at the initial dosage. Ibuprofen is not known to cause dependence.
- Fluid Retention: Vicoprofen may worsen this condition.
- Head Injuries: Hydrocodone's narcotic effects can cause
an increase of pressure in the cerebral and spinal fluid. If a
patient has suffered a head injury, both the pressure increase
and the respiratory suppression can be exaggerated. Hydrocodone
may interfere with an accurate diagnosis or treatment of head
injuries.
- Irritable Bowel: Hydrocodone may cause constipation.
- Kidney or Liver Disease: Both hydrocodone and ibuprofen
may worsen impaired kidney or liver function. It may be difficult
for these individuals to remove the medication from their bodies,
and a physician will likely suggest that they take lower doses.
- Lupus: You may be at increased risk for rare but serious
side effects.
- Seizure Disorder: Discuss with your doctor whether or
not hydrocodone treatment is appropriate for you, as it may increase
the risk of seizure.
- Thyroid: Individuals with hypothyroidism may want to
carefully consider if treatment with Vicoprofen is compatible
with their condition.
- Urogenital Tract: Hydrocodone may worsen difficulties
with urination.
Overdose: Hydrocodone overdose is characterized by slowed
breathing, extreme drowsiness progressing to stupor or coma, limp
muscles, or cold, clammy skin. Severe hydrocodone overdose may result
in death due to cardiac arrest or stopped breathing. Ibuprofen overdose
may result in gastrointestinal bleeding, hemorrhage, liver damage,
kidney damage, heart damage, anemia, or drug-induced meningitis.
Seek emergency medical treatment immediately if you suspect an overdose
of this pain medication, and never take more than the recommended
dosage.
Vicoprofen dosage for adults should be kept to a maximum of
5 tablets per day. Severe side effects very rarely occur with
this dosage of Vicoprofen.
Vicoprofen Interactions
- Alcohol - Hydrocodone and alcohol can accelerate central nervous
system depression. Avoid mixing the two, as this could potentially
result in a fatal overdose. Alcohol use combined with ibuprofen
can accelerate or increase the risk of liver damage or stomach
bleeding.
- Antihistamines like Tavist may cause oversedation.
- Alfalfa - Can alter blood clotting, alfalfa supplements should
not be combined with ibuprofen, though eating alfalfa sprouts
should not affect treatment.
- Aspirin (or any salicylate, such as salicylamide, or salicylic
acid) can cause kidney or liver damage when taken in high doses,
and over long periods of time, in combination with ibuprofen.
When taken in the recommended doses, for a short time, it has
not been seen to produce this effect.
- Benzodiazepines (a class of antidepressants, anti-panic agents,
and muscle relaxants) such as Ativan
(lorazepam), Valium (diazepam),
Halcion (triazolam), Restoril (temazepam), Librium(chlordiazepoxide),
Xanax (alprazolam),
Tranxene-SD (clorazepate), Paxipam (halazepam), ProSom (estazolam),
Klonopin (clonazepam),
and others, should be used cautiously with hydrocodone.
- Cinchona bark - May alter blood clotting, do not combine ibuprofen
with cinchona bark.
- Clove oil - Can alter blood clotting, clove supplements should
not be combined with ibuprofen, though using the spice normally
in food should not have this effect.
- Desyrel (trazodone) - Risk of additive
CNS depression.
- Feverfew - The effects of this herb may be decreased by ibuprofen,
and its effects on blood clotting would indicate that the medications
should not be mixed.
- Garlic - Can alter blood clotting, garlic supplements should
not be combined with ibuprofen, though using garlic in food should
not have any significant effect.
- Gingko Biloba - May alter blood clotting, gingko should not
be combined with ibuprofen.
- Ginseng - May alter blood clotting, ginseng should not be combined
with ibuprofen.
- Kava kava - May increase drowsiness.
- MAO inhibitors - Hydrocodone must not be mixed with MAO (monoamine
oxidase) inhibitors such as the antidepressants Nardil, Marplan,
or Parnate. It should not be used within 2 weeks of stopping these
medications.
- Narcotic/opioid pain medications of any other kind, like Codeine,
Demerol (meperidine), Buprenex
(buprenorphine), Darvocet (propoxyphene), Dilaudid (hydromorphone),
MS Contin or Kadian (morphine), nalbuphine, Percocet
(oxycodone, acetaminophen), Stadol (butorphanol), Talwin compound
(pentazocine), Vicodin (hydrocodone,
acetaminophen), or OxyContin
(oxycodone) should not be mixed with Vicoprofen.
- Norflex (orphenadrine)
- Risk of oversedation.
- Pain medication - Do not mix Vicoprofen with any over the counter
pain medication, as this will increase the risk of side effects.
If your doctor has prescribed a rotating schedule of different
types of pain medication, wait the recommended amount of time
between doses.
- Protease inhibitors like AZT (zidovudine) or Norvir (ritonavir)
- Narcotic pain medication may increase blood levels of these
drugs, potentially making side effects more severe.
- Sedatives like Fioricet
(butalbital, acetaminophen, and caffeine), Fiorinal
(butalbital, aspirin, and caffeine), Phenobarbitol, Seconal, or
other barbiturates can cause oversedaiton when used with Vicoprofen.
- Skeletal muscle relaxants such as Flexeril
(cyclobenzaprine), Skelaxin
(metaxalone), Soma (carisoprodol),
or Robaxin (methocarbamol)
may cause oversedation in combination with this medication.
- Sleep medication like Ambien
(zolpidem), Sonata (zaleplon),
or over the counter sleeping pills should be used with hydrocodone
only as, and if, advised by your doctor.
- Street drugs of any type should not be mixed with narcotic analgesics
as a dangerous or fatal overdose could result. Especially avoid
combining with opiates, tranquilizers, narcotics, or any drug
which makes you drowsy. Many drugs are more dangerous in combination
than by themselves.
- Tranquilizers such as Haldol (haloperidol), Mellaril (thioridazine),
or Thorazine (chlorpromazine) may cause oversedation when used
with Vicoprofen.
- Trexan (naltrexone) - Causes narcotic pain medication to be
ineffective.
- Tricyclic antidepressants such as Elavil
(amitriptyline), Asendin (amoxapine), Anafranil (clomipramine),
Pertofrane or Norpramin (desipramine), Sinequan
(doxepin), Tofranil (imipramine), Aventyl or Pamelor (nortriptyline),
Vivactil (protriptyline), and Surmontil (trimipramine), may increase
the central nervous system suppressant effects from either the
antidepressant, or the hydrocodone in Vicoprofen.
- Ultram (tramadol) - Can increase
the likelihood of respiratory depression when taken with Vicoprofen.
- Valerian - May increase drowsiness when used with Vicoprofen.
In addition to the above medications, tell your doctor if you are
using any other major antidepressants, pain medications, or central
nervous system depressants in combination with Vicoprofen. Be cautious
about taking Vicoprofen with any medicine warning that it 'may cause
drowsiness.'
Vicoprofen Directions
Vicoprofen tablets come in a mix of 7.5 mg of hydrocodone to 200
mg of ibuprofen. You may see this figure represented on the bottle
as 7.5/200.
Doses should be administered overy 4-6 hours at minimum, and should
not exceed 5 tablets in any one day. It is recommended that
the longest comfortable waiting period should be used between
doses, as side effects are dose related, and tolerance can
develop with hydrocodone that would make treatment less effective.
Take this medication only as often, and only in the amounts,
as recommended by your doctor.
If you miss a dose of Vicoprofen, take it as soon as you
remember. If you are within an hour or so of your next dose,
skip the missed dose and go back to your schedule. Taking
double doses of Vicoprofen is not recommended, as it may lead
to an overdose, tolerance, or dependence.
Do not crush tablets before taking, as this could release
the drug into the bloodstream too fast, possibly resulting
in an overdose.
Avoid taking this medication if you suspect you may have to go
to the emergency room, or while you are waiting for an ambulance.
Vicoprofen may interfere with the diagnosis or treatment of
certain injuries, and hospital staff will be able to provide
you with pain control.
Store Vicoprofen away from direct light and heat. Store in
a dry location; avoid storing it in the bathroom, near sinks,
or other areas where it may become damp. Do not use after
the expiration date.
Keep Vicoprofen away from children; both when storing it,
and when discarding any unused medication.
Vicoprofen may cause drowsiness or disorientation. Be cautious
if you plan to drive or operate heavy machinery, avoid these
activities if you find yourself feeling tired or experience
slowed reactions.
Never share this medication with others, even if their symptoms
are similar to your own. Only a doctor is qualified to decide
if a medication is safe; sharing your prescription with others
could be dangerous to their health and well-being.
Pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children under the age
of 16 should not use vicoprofen. Seniors should use the lowest
possible dose, and take care to avoid oversedation.
Vicoprofen is a trademark of Abbott Laboratories
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This document is provided for information only. It is not a substitute for consultation with a physician, either to diagnose symptoms or prescribe treatment. Any dosages mentioned are general guidelines only, please follow the directions of your doctor or pharmacist exactly when taking medication. We have made every effort to ensure that this information is accurate, but only your doctor can say if a medication, or drug combination, is safe for you. Information intended for US residents only.
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