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:
- Years of Research
- Client Testimonials
- Doctors
- Drug Pharmacology
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.
Table of Contents
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:
- Pain Relief
- Euphoria
- Sedation
- Constipation
- Nausea
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:
- Epilepsy
- Hot Flashes
- Restless Leg Syndrome
- Neuropathic Pain
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.
As of 05/24/25 Drugs.com classifies Hydrocodone & Gabapentin as a “Major” drug interaction.
“Using narcotic pain or cough medications together with other medications that also cause central nervous system depression such as gabapentin can lead to serious side effects including respiratory distress, coma, and even death. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. 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. Do not drink alcohol or self-medicate with these medications without your doctor’s approval, and do not exceed the doses or frequency and duration of use prescribed by your doctor. Also, because these medications may cause dizziness, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, and impairment in judgment, reaction speed and motor coordination, you should avoid driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how they affect you. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.”
I’ve taken Vicodin and then Norco for major depression since 1993. I started with 1/2 EX Vicodin in the morning and sometimes I took another in the afternoon. After 30 years, my use of Vicodin zoomed up from 1/2 EX in the am to 1/2 EX in the am. Kaiser, however, had refused to prescribe it. I secured it from a non Kaiser doctor.
Kaiser isnsits that with a 0% increase in 30 years, my dosage would soon kill me. Thus, KP leaves me to get my Norco on the street where I risk getting Fentanyl, but then I will kick the bucket on the street and not inside KP. I had a large supply of Norco when the DEA shut down my non-KP doctor. It’s about to run out.
KP did, however, provide me with tons of Gabapentin, knowing that I was taking Norco with no warning whatsoever. Both work fine, Norco at 1/2 a 10-325 pill and 100 mg Gabapentin three times a day. I’ve noticed no interaction.
It is vital to note that I have idiosyncratic reactions to upper’s and downer’s. I had one tiny taste of MDA in the 1980’s and I had to go home and go to bed well before 12 midnight, when I could dance all night without any MDA. Vicodin and Norco do not make be sleepy, but make me alert but not manic.
KP prefers that I die of a Fentanly over dose than prescribe 1/2 Norco in the morning and 1/2 in the afternoon. They claim I will become addicted and overdose. At 0% increase in 30 years, how many decades will it take for me to reach lethal dosage of Norco? KP won’t see me anymore. Thus, I am on my own to manage my Major Depression. I guess doctors can abandon patients.
I take Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen 10-325 T three times daily, every 5 hrs., along with Gabapentin 300 MG one daily, in the evenings with my evening meal. These meds were prescribed due to back and leg pain. I have gotten no relief whatsoever. Any ideal/comments fromSan anyone. Would it be ok to take two Gabapentin daily? Any suggestions/comments?
M7 84 year old mother is taking 10g hydrocodone every 6 hours and 1200 once daily. That dosage makes her jumpy and paranoid. Docs orders were to take one gabapentin at night and in am. Is this safe for her?
Love your explanation since I’m taking both drugs, one half dose at a time, but not together. I have low blood pressure with history of fainting, blackouts resulting in 5 severe concussions over a 38 year time span.
All this has brought me closer to my Savior as these drugs lower my blood pressure even more. I’m very careful about this but welcome your input.
will I have any withdrawls from vicoden if I am taking Gabepanten..
I am taking Gabapentin and Hydromorphone, sine staring I am experiencing double vision. Could this combination be wwat is causing it?
It could be just the gabapentin or the combination of the two, and I doubt it’s not either the former or the latter situation.
I have been taking 2400mg hydrocodone daily, and it stops my agonizing nerve pains. I wanted to try gabapentin in order to clean out the hydrocodone. I was prescribed 300mg gabapentin, and it was ineffective for my pains. I increased the dosage to 2400mg and when I got to that dosage, it was like a miracle; pains were gone day and night. Then the pills ran out, and the doctor prescribed 1800mg. The pains returned and they forced me to add hydrocodone which I have a small supply. The combo worked for me, no pains, and my mind was clear. So far, I have combined the two 6 times, and have few side effects. This drug combo works good for me, but may not have positive effects for other people. Be careful and start low dosage. My disease of 10 years is Erythromelalga. Nerve and vascular.
That is a high dosage but, apparently, it worked. I only take 300mg of Gabopentin 2 x per day and 3 Hydrocodone per day for a bulging disk and would like to get off of all of these if I can.
senGood luck to you John R. Samsen
Judith D Browning
Bradenton, Florida.
I get double vision unless I keep my head vertical. Not a big deal since I now can have a pain-free life. I hope you can manage your pain.
I know you have gotten this same question over& over but I assume the same relations as hydrocodone with gaba are the same as oxcodone? Because you left it the same under final thoughts. By the way it’s been great to hear that you (unfortunately) had to go thru this but when you`re living it there are certain ways of explaining it that anybody living it knows you`re the real deal. Anyway thanks a lot and what you`re doing is great!!!☆☆