I have suffered from chronic pain from multiple back surgeries and spinal stenosis in my neck and back for years. These are my options other than vicodin without taking something stronger. Is there a difference in the two?
2007-03-01 03:42:37 · 4 answers · asked by glyn 1 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Pain & Pain Management
Loracet and Lortab are identical. Hydrocodone and acetaminophen.
They come in various dosages. Vicoden is the same thing. All 3 are Class III narcotics.
2007-03-02 13:34:45 · answer #1 · answered by iraq51 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are both the same thing, and they are the same thing as Vicodin. Lortab used to be made with aspirin but it has acetomenaphin in it now. The active ingredient in all 3 is Hydrocodone. Each comes in 5, 7.5, and 10 mg strengths. It may or may not make you drowsy. The side effects of narcotics occur when the painkiller is much stronger than the pain. IF you are in severe pain, all the meds will do is make you feel like yourself and reduce or negate your pain. People get "high" when they take more or strpnger medicine than they need. I take around 100 mgs of Oxycodone every day and I never feel drowsy, euphoric, or anything else--- I just feel normal and pain-free. I can drive, cook, work... pretty much anything I want.
Don't be ashamaed to take them or something stronger. Opiates have gotten a bad rap in the last several years because of idiots who abuse them, but if you genuinely need them (which you clearly do) and you take them exactly as prescribed, you won't become addicted. You may become dependant, but that is a very different situation. Diabetics are dependant on insulin to control their disease... same thing with chronic pain patients and narcotics.
Do you have a pain management doctor? If not, I would suggest getting one. All that Tylenol is not good for your liver. A Pain Management doc can put you on a pure opiate... meaning it has no tylenol, ibuprohen, or aspirin, just the narcotic. He can also give you a long lasting med that you take once or twice a day, along with something for breakthrough pain. I take Oxycontin and Oxy IR and they have been a godsend. Last year at this time, I couldn't even get out of bed or function at all, and now I'm doing great. There are also modalities that are not pharmocological that a PM doc can and will use, like nerve blocks, TENS unit, massage and acupuncture that help in conjunction with the medication. You deserve to be pain free. It's your right. If you don't have a PM doc, this website can help you find one who is a member of the American Academy of Pain Management. http://www.aapainmanage.org/search/MemberSearch.php
My doc is a diplomate member, and he's really great. Very compassionate and genuinely concerned about my comfort. Good luck to you. If you have any questions or want to talk to someone who understands what you're going through, feel free to e-mail me anytime.
2007-03-01 14:02:38 · answer #2 · answered by Mandy VZ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Vicodin, Lortab and Lorcet are all brands of acetaminophen (paracetamol) + hydrocodone combinations, and each is available in several different strengths of each component.
2007-03-01 11:55:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lortab is a narcotic pain killer. It will make you incredibly drowsy, so you have to take it when you are at home.
I'm not familiar with Lorcet. I've heard of Percocet, which is also a narcotic pain killer, stronger than Lortab. It will make you sleep.
2007-03-01 12:22:45 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋