Two medicines, side by side
Hydrocodone vs methadone
Hydrocodone and methadone are both labeled for pain. Drugs@FDA records approvals of hydrocodone since 2013 and of methadone since 1947. Pharmacies paid $7.95 per hydrocodone ER 15 mg capsule and $0.177 per methadone HCl 10 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Hydrocodone's other strengths are brand-only: $13.31 per Hysingla ER 20 mg tablet. How each works, in its label's words: Hydrocodone, “Hydrocodone is a full opioid agonist with relative selectivity for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can interact with other opioid receptors at higher doses.”; Methadone, “Methadone hydrochloride is a mu-agonist; a synthetic opioid with multiple actions qualitatively similar to those of morphine, the most prominent of which involves the central nervous system and …”
Check it at the source: the hydrocodone FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 29, 2026); the methadone FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 8, 2025).
Highlights of the hydrocodone record
Hydrocodone (Hysingla) · label of May 29, 2026
SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF HYSINGLA ER Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Because the use of HYSINGLA ER 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 and Precautions (5.1) ].
Used for
From the label: indicationsHYSINGLA ER is indicated for the management of severe and persistent pain that requires an opioid analgesic and that cannot be adequately treated with alternative options, including immediate-release opioids. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- October 25, 2013
- Generic labelers
- 1 labeler
- Pharmacy cost
- $7.95 per capsule
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Highlights of the methadone record
Methadone (Diskets) · label of December 8, 2025
SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF METHADONE HYDROCHLORIDE TABLETS: Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Because the use of methadone hydrochloride 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 and Precautions (5.1) ].
Used for
From the label: indicationsMethadone hydrochloride tablets are indicated for the: 1. Management of severe and persistent pain that requires an opioid analgesic and that cannot be adequately treated with alternative options, including immediate-release opioids. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- August 13, 1947
- Generic labelers
- 18 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.177 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 4
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Hydrocodone label of May 29, 2026, Methadone label of December 8, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do hydrocodone and methadone differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Hydrocodone, “Hydrocodone is a full opioid agonist with relative selectivity for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can interact with other opioid receptors at higher doses.”; Methadone, “Methadone hydrochloride is a mu-agonist; a synthetic opioid with multiple actions qualitatively similar to those of morphine, the most prominent of which involves the central nervous system and …”
Both are in FDA's class opioid agonists.
Half-life, in each label's words: Hydrocodone, “The mean terminal half-life (t 1/2 ) was similar for all HYSINGLA ER dose strengths ranging from 7 to 9 hours.”; Methadone, “Published reports indicate that after multiple dose administration the apparent plasma clearance of methadone ranged …”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: hydrocodone since 2020; methadone since 1981 (Drugs@FDA).
| Hydrocodone | Methadone | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Pain | Pain, Opioid use disorder |
| Pharmacologic class | Opioid Agonist | Opioid Agonist |
| How it works (label) | Hydrocodone is a full opioid agonist with relative selectivity for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can interact with other opioid receptors at higher doses. The principal therapeutic action of hydrocodone is analgesia. | Methadone hydrochloride is a mu-agonist; a synthetic opioid with multiple actions qualitatively similar to those of morphine, the most prominent of which involves the central nervous system and organs composed of smooth muscle. |
| Half-life (label) | The mean terminal half-life (t 1/2 ) was similar for all HYSINGLA ER dose strengths ranging from 7 to 9 hours. | Published reports indicate that after multiple dose administration the apparent plasma clearance of methadone ranged between 1.4 and 126 L/h, and the terminal half-life (T 1/2 ) was highly variable and ranged between 8 … |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | October 25, 2013 | August 13, 1947 |
| First generic approved | January 21, 2020 | May 22, 1981 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 1 labeler | 18 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $7.95 per capsule (Hydrocodone ER 15 mg capsule) | $0.177 per tablet (Methadone HCl 10 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | +34% | -7% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 4 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 43,191 | 45,988 |
| DEA schedule | CII | CII |
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?
Hydrocodone label, warnings and precautionsUse with Benzodiazepines or Other CNS Depressants Profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death may result from the concomitant use of HYSINGLA ER with benzodiazepines and/or other CNS depressants, including alcohol (e.g., non-benzodiazepine sedatives/hypnotics, anxiolytics, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, general anesthetics, antipsychotics, gabapentinoids [gabapentin or pregabalin], and other …
Methadone label, warnings and precautionsRisks from Concomitant Use with Benzodiazepines or Other CNS Depressants Profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death may result from the concomitant use of Methadone hydrochloride tablets with benzodiazepines and/or other CNS depressants (e.g., alcohol, non-benzodiazepine sedatives/hypnotics, anxiolytics, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, general anesthetics, antipsychotics, gabapentinoids [gabapentin …
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to hydrocodone
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions