Vicodin (hydrocodone / acetaminophen) is a combination of two medications that work together to treat pain. Hydrocodone is an opioid. It attaches to certain mu-opioid receptors in your brain to lower how much pain you feel. Acetaminophen is an analgesic. It blocks the production of certain chemicals in your brain that play a role in pain. Vicodin is a combination of two medications: hydrocodone (an opioid pain medication) and acetaminophen (a non-opioid pain medication). Vicodin is used to treat severe pain when other pain medicines do not work. Long-acting opioid pain medicines, such as hydrocodone bitartrate ER tablets, can put you at risk for overdose and death. Even if you take your dose correctly as prescribed, you are at risk for opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse that can lead to death. Vicodin was a strong prescription combination pain medicine containing an opioid, hydrocodone, in addition to acetaminophen, which was used to manage moderate to moderately severe pain, when other pain treatments such as non-opioid pain medicines did not relieve pain well enough, or were not tolerated. Norco and Vicodin are prescription medications composed of hydrocodone and acetaminophen, a non-opioid pain reliever, in different dosage forms. Although commonly known by their brand names, they are now only prescribed as generic versions. Hydrocodone is a synthetic opioid that operates in the same way as an opiate drug like heroin. The Drug Enforcement Agency labeled Vicodin as a Schedule III Control Substance but changed it later to Schedule II in 2014. If you’re wondering, “Is Vicodin an opioid?”, the answer is yes. It is a prescription opioid used to treat pain. It is made in a lab from natural opioids and is much like morphine in producing opiate effects. The Vicodin is formed by combining the generic drug, hydrocodone, with acetaminophen. It is also used to manage severe and persistent pain that requires an extended opioid treatment and when other pain medicines did not work well or cannot be tolerated. Hydrocodone belongs to the group of medicines called opioid analgesics (pain medicines). It acts on the central nervous system (CNS) to relieve pain. Before I started taking opioids, I honestly believed the myth that just one 10mg dose of Vicodin could result in life-long addiction. In reality, that’s nearly impossible. So, Is Vicodin an Opiate or an Opioid? Since Vicodin is a synthetic, man-made product, it is not an opiate. However, since it does contain a semi-synthetic substance that was derived by modifying an opiate, it is an opioid.