How does Vicodin work?

Vicodin is a painkiller that has become one of the most commonly used ones and it is no wonder. The fact is that this medication is among the most efficient painkillers on the market, especially for treating moderate to severe pain that can result from different causes, such as injuries or surgeries, or even from certain medical conditions. It has been compared in a number of studies to other similar medications, most notably morphine and codeine and it has been found to be much more effective than codeine and slightly more effective than morphine. Also, it has become one of the medications that are very well known, both through the media and also because its efficiency has become widely known.

In this article, we will try and explain the mechanism in which Vicodin works as clearly and as efficiently as possible, not leaving out the crucial information, but also trying to make it understandable to the Average Joe.The first thing you need to know about Vicodin when we are talking about the medication and especially when we are talking about the way it works is that it is a combination of two different medications. Namely, in Vicodin, two distinct medications have been combined in order to achieve extra beneficial effects.
The first of the two medications is hydrocodone. This medication is an opioid analgesic (painkiller) which is derived either from codeine or thebaine, which are opiates which occur in the nature, in poppy seeds. As do the other opiates and opioids, hydrocodone works by affecting the way in which central nervous system registers pain. This is achieved by binding to the opioid receptors that are found in the CNS.

As hydrocodone binds to these receptors, they are less likely to receive the pain impulses that arrive from the place of the injury or the place where pain originates. This results in much relief from pain.
The second medication in Vicodin is acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, depending on the country. This medication is another analgesic, although much less powerful than hydrocodone. It also has certain antipyretic properties, meaning that it alleviates fever, as well as anti-inflammatory properties that differ in strength depending on the circumstances, but that are usually not very strong. The way in which paracetamol works is different from the hydrocodone’s mechanism of action and it includes inhibiting the enzyme called cyclooxygenase, which is responsible for the release of different mediators some of which are responsible for pain.

However, the beneficial effects of Vicodin are not simply the sum of the beneficial effects of hydrocodone and paracetamol. The beneficial effects of Vicodin are greater than this, as a certain process takes place, known as drug synergy. This process has yet to be explained in detail, but the simple fact is that the medications are much more potent in this combination than they are separately.
We hope that this article has explained the way in which Vicodin works clearly and efficiently, without over-simplifying and also without over-complicating it too much. We also hope that you will now appreciate even more the science and the hard work that has gone into developing this amazing painkiller drug.