Can I take other drugs when using Vicodin?

Vicodin is a painkiller, a very potent painkiller and it is used primarily for short-term relief of pain. This pain may be cause by different things, such as surgery, injuries or certain medical conditions that cause moderate to severe pain, for which Vicodin is perfect. Vicodin is a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen. This is very important to keep in mind when we are talking about Vicodin, as we always have to be aware of the fact that there are in fact two medications in Vicodin, all with their own characteristics, upsides and downsides. This combination of two medications also brings extra benefits as the drug synergy that occurs in this combination makes the final combination a much more potent medication than just the sum of two drugs.

Due to the specific cases in which it is used, often for acute injuries and painful conditions, it is possible that people who wish to start taking Vicodin will already be on some other medications, due to some other conditions they might be suffering from. They are wondering if they can safely take Vicodin with their medications, worrying about possible interactions. And once again, due to the fact that Vicodin is a compound medication, the chances for interactions are somewhat greater than if it was a simple medication, as both of its main ingredients bring with their beneficial effects a certain possibility for interactions.First of all, Vicodin is known to cause sedation in certain patients, meaning that it will cause dizziness and drowsiness of varying degree.

There are many medications out there, both prescription drugs and over the counter products that include ingredients that can enhance the sedation and you should be very careful about combining these medications with Vicodin. These include antidepressants, muscle relaxers, sleeping pills, seizure medications, narcotic painkillers, as well as allergy and cold medicines.These are some of the most common medication that may interact with Vicodin: irritable bowel syndrome medications (dicyclomine, propantheline, hyoscyamine), bronchodilators (ipratropium, tiotropium), urinary and bladder medications (darifenacin, flavoxate, oxybutynin, tolterodine, solifenacin), MAO inhibitors (furazolidone, isocarboxazid, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, tranylcypromine), antidepressants (doxepin, amitriptyline, nortiptyline), atropine, benztropine, dimenhydrinate, glycopyrrolate, mepenzolate, methscopolamine, scopolamine.

You need to keep in mind that Vicodin contains paracetamol, which is a medication that is often used on its own, and even more often in other medications that are combination drugs. Majority of these drugs are over the counter medications and you should always talk to your doctor or the pharmacist about taking any new medications while you are already taking Vicodin.Alcohol is also known to interact with Vicodin and for two reasons. First of all, it can enhance the sedative side effects that are caused by hydrocodone in Vicodin, but it can also cause harm to the liver as it is known to interact with paracetamol, the second ingredient in Vicodin.The best thing to do would be to ask your doctor or the pharmacist about combining any substance, supplement, vitamin, over the counter or prescription drug with Vicodin. This is the safest way to avoid any harmful interactions.