Two medicines, side by side
Acetaminophen/hydrocodone vs buprenorphine
Acetaminophen/hydrocodone and buprenorphine are both labeled for pain. Pharmacies paid $0.152 per hydrocodone-acetaminophen 10-325 mg tablet and $0.277 per tablet (Buprenorphine 2 mg tablet sl) (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Buprenorphine's other strengths are brand-only: $7.54 per Belbuca 75 mcg film. In FDA's classes, acetaminophen/hydrocodone is an opioid agonist and buprenorphine a partial opioid agonist.
Check it at the source: the acetaminophen/hydrocodone FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 23, 2025); the buprenorphine FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 5, 2026).
Highlights of the acetaminophen and hydrocodone record
Acetaminophen and hydrocodone (Norco) · label of October 23, 2025
SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF HYDROCODONE BITARTRATE AND ACETAMINOPHEN TABLETS. Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Because the use of hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen tablets exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death, assess each patient’s risk prior to prescribing and reassess all patients regularly for the development of these behaviors and conditions [see WARNINGS ].
Used for
From the label: indicationsHydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen tablets are indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- n/a
- Generic labelers
- 36 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.152 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 14
Highlights of the buprenorphine record
Buprenorphine (Belbuca) · label of June 5, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsBuprenorphine sublingual tablets are indicated for the treatment of opioid dependence and are preferred for induction. Buprenorphine sublingual tablets should be used as part of a complete treatment plan to include counseling and psychosocial support. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 29, 1981
- Generic labelers
- 27 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.277 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 12
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Acetaminophen/hydrocodone label of October 23, 2025, Buprenorphine label of June 5, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do acetaminophen/hydrocodone and buprenorphine differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, acetaminophen/hydrocodone is an opioid agonist and buprenorphine a partial opioid agonist.
Half-life, in each label's words: Acetaminophen/hydrocodone, “Maximum serum levels were achieved at 1.3 ± 0.3 hours and the half-life was determined to be 3.8 ± 0.3 hours.”; Buprenorphine, “When buprenorphine sublingual tablets are administered sublingually, buprenorphine has a mean elimination half-life …”
Only the acetaminophen/hydrocodone label carries a boxed warning.
Generics: acetaminophen/hydrocodone since 1982; buprenorphine since 1996 (Drugs@FDA).
DEA schedule: acetaminophen/hydrocodone CII; buprenorphine CIII.
| Acetaminophen/hydrocodone | Buprenorphine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Pain | Opioid use disorder, Pain |
| Pharmacologic class | Opioid Agonist | Partial Opioid Agonist |
| How it works (label) | n/a | Buprenorphine sublingual tablets contain buprenorphine, a partial agonist at the mu-opioid receptor and an antagonist at the kappa-opioid receptor. |
| Half-life (label) | Maximum serum levels were achieved at 1.3 ± 0.3 hours and the half-life was determined to be 3.8 ± 0.3 hours. | When buprenorphine sublingual tablets are administered sublingually, buprenorphine has a mean elimination half-life from plasma ranging from 31 to 35 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | n/a | December 29, 1981 |
| First generic approved | May 3, 1982 | June 3, 1996 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 36 labelers | 27 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.152 per tablet (Hydrocodone-acetaminophen 10-325 mg tablet) | $0.277 per tablet (Buprenorphine 2 mg tablet sl) |
| 12-month price change | -4% | -11% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 14 | 12 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 56,022 | 99,861 |
| DEA schedule | CII | CIII |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What do the labels say about using others of their kind?
Acetaminophen/hydrocodone label, drug interactionsBenzodiazepines and Other Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants Due to additive pharmacologic effect, the concomitant use of benzodiazepines and other CNS depressants, such as benzodiazepines and other sedative/hypnotics, anxiolytics, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, general anesthetics, antipsychotics, gabapentinoids (gabapentin or pregabalin), and other opioids, including alcohol, can increase the risk of …
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to acetaminophen/hydrocodone
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions