Hydrocodone affects more than just pain. Learn how it works in the brain, gut, lungs, and hormones — and what changes with long-term use. Hydrocodone and acetaminophen is a strong prescription combination pain medicine containing an opioid, hydrocodone, in addition to acetaminophen, which is used to manage moderate to moderately severe pain, when other pain treatments such as non-opioid pain medicines do not treat your pain well enough, or you cannot tolerate them. Hydrocodone is a potent opioid used to manage severe and persistent pain that requires an extended treatment period with a daily opioid pain medicine, when other non-opioid pain medicines do not treat your pain well enough, or you cannot tolerate them. Hydrocodone is used to relieve severe pain. Hydrocodone is in a class of medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics. It works by changing the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain. This monograph only includes information about the use of hydrocodone alone. If you are taking a hydrocodone combination product, be sure to read information about all the ingredients in the. Common Brand Name (s): Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Vicodin Common Generic Name (s): hydrocodone bitartrate/acetaminophen Pronunciation: hye-droe-KOE-done and a-SEET-a-MIN-oh-fen Drug Classes: opioid. Hydrocodone is the name of a drug—not the medicine containing this drug that you usually see at pharmacies. The hydrocodone medications you usually interact with have hydrocodone and another drug with it, depending on the use case of a medication. Hydrocodone plus homatropine (Hycodan) in the form of small tablets for coughing and especially neuropathic moderate pain (the homatropine, an anticholinergic, is useful in both of those cases and is a deterrent to intentional overdose) was more widely used than Dicodid and was labelled as a cough medicine in the United States whilst Vicodin. Hydrocodone and oxycodone are both opioid pain relievers. Learn how they’re different and how to safely use them. Hydrocodone can cause serious unwanted effects or fatal overdose if taken by children, pets, or adults who are not used to strong opioid pain medicines. Make sure you store the medicine in a safe and secure place to prevent others from getting it. Drop off any unused opioid medicine at a drug take-back location right away. Most hydrocodone pills combine an opioid with acetaminophen, and understanding what’s in them helps explain both how they work and their risks.