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Vicoprofen is the brand name for hydrocodone and ibuprofen. It is a prescription drug and analgesic pain reliever that contains both hydrocodone bitartrate and ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It is administered to injured patients when the subsequent pain is severe enough to require opioid treatment for short-term relief (10 days or less).
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The hydrocodone in Vicoprofen simulates the pleasure sensors in the brain, forcing it to create large amounts of dopamine to mask the pain. The ibuprofen in Vicoprofen reduces swelling, fever, inflammation, and pain in the patient.
Before beginning use, let your doctor know if you have any of the following:
Do not use Vicoprofen after a coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG.
Vicodin is a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen, whereas Vicoprofen is a combination of hydrocodone and ibuprofen. The combination of hydrocodone and ibuprofen helps avoid liver failure from acetaminophen use.
Vicoprofen can be a highly effective drug for pain relief after a significant injury or surgery. However, it can be highly addictive if misuse of dosage occurs for extended periods of time.
Every prescription is based on pain levels, the surgical procedure being performed, and the type of injury (e.g., resetting broken bones, broken ribs that cannot be mended via surgery, back pain from an injury, such as falling or heavy lifting).
After assessing these factors, a doctor will evaluate a patient’s prior history of opioid treatment and other possible risk factors for addiction before prescribing Vicoprofen.
However, a typical dosage of Vicoprofen is taking one ingestible tablet every four to six hours. Patients should not ingest more than five tablets in 24 hours for no more than 10 days. If taken incorrectly, a tolerance to the drug can develop quickly.
Doctors ask patients a series of questions about previous injuries and medications to determine if Vicoprofen is a practical choice for the patient or if it puts them at risk for future addiction.
In normal doses, Vicoprofen will likely only produce minor to moderate symptoms. However, in high doses, the drug can produce serious side effects.
Adverse effects and risks of Vicoprofen include:
NSAID medications put patients at an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, or in severe cases, heart failure. Allergic reactions can also occur, so it is important to seek medical advice before beginning use.
If you experience any of the following serious side effects, call emergency services immediately because an opioid overdose may be occurring:
Vicoprofen was originally a Schedule III substance. In 2014 it became a Schedule II substance, which categorizes Vicoprofen as a drug with a higher risk of physical or psychological dependence, but that still has medical value. Like Vicodin, Vicoprofen can lead to addiction, abuse, and misuse after long-term use (e.g., taking it without a prescription or in higher doses than prescribed). It can also cause an overdose or death.
Over time, opioid use can induce physical dependence, meaning that more substantial amounts of the drug will be required to achieve the same pain-relieving effects. While a dependence timeline differs from patient to patient, the symptoms remain the same.
The most apparent addiction symptoms to recognize are:
Not all patients are subject to Vicoprofen addiction. When appropriately applied for pain reduction, psychological dependence is not likely to occur with narcotics, and the patient may be able to make a full recovery without the desire for extended use of the drug.
Unless the patient is prone to addiction, the mind will more than likely go back to regulating its own dopamine production once the patient has stopped using the drug.
However, the body will still go through withdrawal symptoms once drug use decreases. Symptoms can last up to seven days, and tapered dosage along with therapy may be the only way to relieve physical withdrawal symptoms and prevent future addiction.
Some of the most common withdrawal symptoms of Vicoprofen involve:
Vicoprofen should not be used in conjunction with:
The use of these drugs with Vicoprofen can increase the euphoric effects of the drug. It also creates a higher risk of addiction for the patient.
Overdose is more likely to occur if the patient exhibits other substance abuse behaviors like alcohol abuse, is recreationally using benzodiazepines, or other opioids.
Overdose of Vicoprofen can lead to life-threatening respiratory depression. Some signs of respiratory depression include:
If a person exhibits any of the signs above, call 911 immediately, as they will not be able to recover from respiratory depression on their own. Respiratory depression is fatal and causes the patient to suffocate from within as the lungs slow or stop functioning.
Structured Rehab is the only way to ensure the successful treatment of a Vicoprofen addiction. Vicoprofen and general opioid use disorder cannot be defeated alone, and "cold-turkey" is not an option as it is too much of a risk to cause further addiction in a patient. Privately owned, insurance designated rehabilitation centers, and methadone clinics are all viable options for structured treatment.
Structured rehab facilities and medication-assisted therapy (MAT) creates an environment for analyzing the baseline of an addiction. These facilities explore the possibilities of emotional addiction, as well as physical, as overexposure to opioids cause the brain to believe it needs more opioids for survival. These facilities provide a safe and standardized regimen for detoxing from the drug and processing opioids from the system.
Multiple treatments may be the only way to break an addiction to hydrocodone and other opioids.
One generic tablet of Vicoprofen contains 7.5mg of hydrocodone and 200mg of ibuprofen. Other strengths of the drug can include up to 10mg of hydrocodone, but the amount of ibuprofen per tablet never exceeds 200mg. You should also not take more than 5 tablets in 24 hours.
Vicoprofen is short-acting and will wear off in four to six hours.
There are no known interactions between Vicoprofen and Tylenol. However, it is not necessary to take both medications at the same time.
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World Health Organization. Methadone maintenance treatment,
2009. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310658/
American Society of Anesthesiology. Opioid Abuse. https://www.asahq.org/whensecondscount/pain-management/opioid-treatment/opioid-abuse/
Scot Thomas, MD. American Addiction Centers. Hydrocodone Withdrawal Timeline, Detox Centers, and Treatment. 27 September 2019.
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/withdrawal-timelines-treatments/hydrocodone
Drugs.com. Vicoprofen. http://www.lb7.uscourts.gov/documents/12-92679.pdf
IMB Watson Health. Hydrocodone And Ibuprofen (Oral Route). 1 February. 2020. https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/hydrocodone-and-ibuprofen-oral-route/description/drg-20062862
FDA.gov. Vicoprofen. December 2016. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2016/020716s012s013s014s015s016lbl.pdf
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