Prescription medication · Opioid Analgesic Combination

acetaminophen/hydrocodone

Also sold as Vicodin, Norco, Lortab. This medicine can relieve minor aches and pains.

Data updated 2026-05-15

247,238
FDA reports
Rx
Availability

acetaminophen/hydrocodone (Vicodin) is a prescription Opioid Analgesic Combination. This medicine can relieve minor aches and pains.

This medicine contains acetaminophen and hydrocodone. It is used to relieve moderate to severe pain.

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What it does

This medicine can relieve minor aches and pains.

Common side effects

Nausea, Headache, Dizziness

Key warnings

This drug has a risk of serious side effects, including addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death.

The sections below are summarized in plain English from acetaminophen/hydrocodone's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.

How It Works

Acetaminophen relieves pain and reduces fever. Hydrocodone is an opioid pain reliever. It works in the brain to decrease pain signals.

Side Effects (from patient reports)

Based on 247,238 FDA adverse event reports.

Most-reported reactions

Adverse reactions in FAERS for acetaminophen/hydrocodone, by number of reports

reports

What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.

Source FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS)

Serious Warnings

This drug has a risk of serious side effects, including addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death. Your breathing may become dangerously slow. Do not take more medicine than prescribed. Never give this medicine to anyone else, especially children.

Common Questions

Can I take more than 6 gelcaps in 24 hours?
No, do not take more than 6 gelcaps in 24 hours unless your doctor tells you to.
Can I take this medicine for more than 10 days?
No, do not take this medicine for more than 10 days unless your doctor tells you to.
Can children under 12 take this medicine?
Children under 12 years should ask a doctor before taking this medicine.
What should I do if I miss a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose.
How should I store this medicine?
Store at room temperature and avoid high humidity.
Can I drink alcohol while taking this medicine?
Talk to your doctor before drinking alcohol while taking this medicine.
Is this medicine safe during pregnancy?
This medicine may harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
Can I breastfeed while taking this medicine?
It is not recommended to breastfeed while taking this medicine.
What are the most common side effects?
The most common side effects are nausea, headache, and dizziness.
What should I do if I experience serious side effects?
Contact your doctor immediately if you experience serious side effects.
What are the common side effects of acetaminophen/hydrocodone?
The registry lists Nausea, Headache, Dizziness among the most-reported FAERS reaction terms for acetaminophen/hydrocodone. The compiled record contains 247,238 FDA adverse-event reports. These counts are not an individual symptom assessment.
What drug class is acetaminophen/hydrocodone?
acetaminophen/hydrocodone belongs to the Opioid Analgesic Combination drug class. It requires a prescription (Rx). This medicine can relieve minor aches and pains.
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for acetaminophen/hydrocodone?
The FDA label for acetaminophen/hydrocodone contains product-specific pregnancy or breastfeeding language. PlainMeds does not apply that source text to an individual.

Related Medications in Opioid Analgesic Combination

Other drugs grouped near acetaminophen/hydrocodone - same-class peers and common alternatives.

abatacept

Orencia

Orencia is a medicine that helps to reduce inflammation.

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acetaminophen

Tylenol

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a medicine that can relieve pain and reduce fever.

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acetaminophen/oxycodone

Percocet

Percocet is a strong pain medicine.

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adalimumab

Humira

Idacio is a medicine that blocks a protein called TNF.

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allopurinol

Zyloprim

Allopurinol is a medicine that lowers uric acid levels in your body.

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What the FDA Data Shows for acetaminophen/hydrocodone

The FDA label for acetaminophen/hydrocodone (sold under brand names such as Vicodin, Norco, Lortab) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Opioid Analgesic Combination class. This medicine can relieve minor aches and pains. Official labeling lists 3 commonly reported side effects, including Nausea, Headache, Dizziness.

Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 247,238 voluntary reports. Interaction data is drawn directly from FDA-approved prescribing information. Acquisition-cost data is surveyed weekly by CMS and updated as manufacturers report changes.

Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.

Data Sources

Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.

Last updated: April 14, 2025

PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.

All federal data sources used on this page