hydrocodone / aspirin

Taking hydrocodone/aspirin can lead to abuse, misuse, or addiction, even if you take it at the recommended dose. This can cause serious problems, such as overdose and death. Because of this risk, the FDA has required this medication and all opioids to be under a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program. This means your provider or pharmacist will talk to you about proper use, serious risks, and appropriate storage and disposal of this medication in order to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Hydrocodone/aspirin can slow your breathing down to the point where it's life-threatening. This can cause symptoms, such as shortness of breath, slow and shallow breathing, and bluish-colored lips, fingers, or toes. If this change in your breathing isn't recognized and treated right away, it can lead to death. Though this can happen at any time while you're taking hydrocodone/aspirin, the risk is the highest when you first start the medication or when your dose is raised.

Certain medications can interfere with how your body gets rid of hydrocodone/aspirin. This can affect the amount of hydrocodone/aspirin in your body, how well it works, and the risk of side effects.

Taking hydrocodone/aspirin for a long period of time during pregnancy can cause neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. This is a condition where your unborn baby becomes dependent on hydrocodone/aspirin while in the womb, because the medication is passed into their system through the placenta. Once your baby is born and they're no longer exposed to hydrocodone/aspirin, they experience withdrawal symptoms, such as poor feeding or sucking, breathing problems, fever, high-pitched crying, or seizures. This can be life-threatening if it's not recognized and treated, and your baby will need special care after birth from experts in this area.

Hydrocodone/aspirin can cause serious problems, such as ulcers, bleeding, and tears in the stomach, intestines, or esophagus (tube that leads from your mouth to your stomach). This can happen at any time without warning while you’re taking hydrocodone/aspirin, and it can lead to death. Get medical help right away if you vomit blood, have bloody stool, or if your stool is black and sticky like tar.

Hydrocodone/aspirin can cause your body to produce less hormones. This is more likely to happen if you've been taking hydrocodone/aspirin for more than one month. Let your provider know if you develop nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, or low blood pressure, because these can be signs that your body isn't making enough hormones.

Hydrocodone/aspirin can cause extremely low blood pressure, including a drop in blood pressure when you stand from a sitting or lying down position. This can lead to dizziness and fainting. To avoid falling, get up slowly if you've been sitting or lying down. If dizziness or lightheadedness doesn't go away, talk to your healthcare provider.

Taking hydrocodone/aspirin or other NSAIDs at high doses or for long periods of time can lower the blood flow to your kidneys, which can cause kidney damage. If you have severe kidney problems, it's not recommended that you take hydrocodone/aspirin unless you really need to. Your provider might order blood tests to monitor your kidneys while you're taking this medication.

The hydrocodone in hydrocodone/aspirin can cause people with a history of seizures to have seizures more often. It can also raise your risk of seizures in certain situations. Let your healthcare provider know if you've had seizures in the past before you start taking hydrocodone/aspirin.

The aspirin in hydrocodone/aspirin can cause a rare but serious condition called Reye's syndrome if it is taken by children or teenagers who have viral infections, with or without a fever. Reye's syndrome is known to cause brain and liver damage, which can be life-threatening. Children and teenagers should avoid using hydrocodone/aspirin if they have a viral infection.

Hydrocodone/aspirin can cause serious skin reactions that can lead to death. If you develop any type of rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and swelling in the face, stop taking hydrocodone/aspirin right away, and contact your provider as soon as possible.