Gabapentin and Hydrocodone – Is This Combination Okay or Not?

In this article, I’m going to educate you on the combination of gabapentin and hydrocodone. Many people have gotten mixed answers from doctors and articles on the internet about using gabapentin and hydrocodone together.

Thus, I decided this would be a good subject to write about and end the confusion by bringing clarity to the topic.

So…can you take gabapentin and hydrocodone together?

I’ll answer this question and provide you with reasons to back up my claims that come from:

 

Most medications have black and white answers when it comes to their combinations. However, with gabapentin and hydrocodone, it’s a gray area.

I’ll do my best to explain this in a simple way that makes sense.

To begin, let’s start with a brief overview of hydrocodone, then I’ll provide an overview of gabapentin.

And after covering the basics on gabapentin and hydrocodone, I’ll teach you about the interactions of these two drugs, and why some doctors say it’s dangerous, while other doctors commonly prescribe the two together.

Gabapentin and Hydrocodone – Hydrocodone Overview

Hydrocodone is an opiate painkilling drug. Opiates are drugs that are derived from the opium poppy plant. Opioids are synthetic or natural drugs that do not originate from the opium poppy plant, however, they still bind to the same opioid receptors in the brain and body that opiates bind to, resulting in the same types of effects.

Hydrocodone is commonly prescribed for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. Hydrocodone attaches to specific proteins called opioid receptors, which are located on nerve cells in the brain, spinal cord, GI tract, and other organs.

Once hydrocodone attaches to the opioid receptors, the hydrocodone effects come on, which include, but are not limited to:

 

Gabapentin and Hydrocodone – Gabapentin Overview

Gabapentin, sold under the brand names Neurontin among others, is a prescription medication that was designed by chemists at Parke-Davis to be an analog of the neurotransmitter GABA that could more easily cross the blood-brain barrier, thus making the effects in the brain very significant.

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that acts as a mental relaxant. I often to refer to GABA as the “brain’s natural Valium.”

Gabapentin is commonly prescribed for the treatment of:

Gabapentin is also commonly prescribed for many off-label uses, such as the treatment of:

 

Gabapentin For Opiate Withdrawal

In addition to gabapentin being useful in the disorders mentioned above, multiple studies have shown significant benefits from using gabapentin for opiate withdrawal.

In fact, whenever I have coaching clients that have consultations with me, I always ask them if they have the ability to get gabapentin as it’s one of my favorite opiate withdrawal medications out of dozens I’ve studied.

Gabapentin and Hydrocodone Taken Together

So now we’ve arrived at the section on using gabapentin and hydrocodone together. To provide you with the best answer, I’m going to quote a passage from what I believe to be the most reliable source on the internet…Drugs.com, which states there is “Moderate” interaction between gabapentin and hydrocodone.

Here is what this authority website states on the combination of gabapentin and hydrocodone:

“Using hydrocodone together with gabapentin may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. “

Gabapentin and hydrocodone are both central nervous system (CNS) depressants. Gabapentin and hydrocodone by themselves can both cause respiratory depression and used together, this results in synergy.

Gabapentin/hydrocodone synergy is when the combined effect is greater than the sum of the effects of these two CNS depressants.

When you combine two CNS depressants, in this case, gabapentin and hydrocodone, this significantly increases the chances of respiratory depression and can ultimately lead to death from your body not breathing anymore.

However, it can be safe to use gabapentin and hydrocodone together.

Why?

Because your doctor can adjust your doses of medication and frequently monitor you to make sure your body does okay with the combination of gabapentin and hydrocodone.

Gabapentin and Hydrocodone – Final Thoughts

Now you’ve been educated on the combination of gabapentin and hydrocodone. Again, Drugs.com states that there is a “Moderate” interaction between these two drugs.

The website defines Moderate as:

“Moderately clinically significant. Usually avoid combinations; use it only under special circumstances.”

However, the website also states “Your doctor may be able to prescribe alternatives that do not interact, or you may need a dose adjustment or more frequent monitoring to safely use both medications.”

As long as you’re under the care of a competent doctor, using gabapentin and hydrocodone together can be totally safe. Always listen to your body and start off with low dosages then work your way up when combining gabapentin and hydrocodone.

If you have any comments or questions on using gabapentin and hydrocodone together, please post them in the comment box below. Take care, and be safe.

Please review this post!