Acetaminophen Toxicity More Likely With Vicodin Than Norco


Norco contains less acetaminophen than Vicodin so there it poses less risk of acetaminophen toxicity as the dosage is raised or course of treatment drags on.

The popular prescription pain reliever, Vicodin, contains two active ingredients, namely hydrocodone (a narcotic) and acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol).

Most people don't realize that acetaminophen (Tylenol) is toxic at high doses or if taken for more than a few days.

Norco contains the same active ingredients as Vicodin but the ratio of hydrocodone to acetaminophen is higher. As a result, patients who take Norco can take a higher dose of hydrocodone before reaching the limits of acetaminophen toxicity. Since hydrocodone is probably more effective at controlling pain than acetaminophen this means that patients taking Norco can probably reduce their pain more effectively and for a longer period (than those taking Vicodin) without risk of acetaminophen toxicity problems.

For more information on acetaminophen toxicity problems:

  http://pubmed.com/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11847957&dopt=Abstract
  http://pubmed.com/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12563581&dopt=Abstract
  http://www.norco-rx.com/acetaminophen.htm

Of course, at some point, high doses of hydrocodone causes problems itself, including hearing loss:

  http://pubmed.com/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10733182&dopt=Abstract

Information about Norco:

  http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/drugs/dru233.html
  http://www.norco-rx.com/norco5.htm
  http://www.norco-rx.com/norco7.htm

Posted: Thu - January 30, 2003 at 11:17 AM        

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