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Suggest Dosage Of Hydrocodone And Acetamin After Shoulder Surgery

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Posted on Wed, 18 Mar 2015
Question: husband has been receiving 300 hydrocodone w acetamin
per month.... he is filling 2 separate prescriptions (150 pills each) at 2 diff
pharmacies every month..... we dealt w addiction to these pills 3 years ago.... he had
shoulder surgery 1 1/2 years ago .. because of his prev addiction I am
concerned..even if he never had an addiction is this too much?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shubham Mehta (44 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
very high doses; may prove lethal.

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to HCM.
I can understand your concerns for your husband.

May I please tell you some prescribing information about hydrocodone/acetaminophen:

-No more than 10 mg hydrocodone should be taken at one time, and should not be taken more frequently than every 6 hours.

-No more than 1000mg of acetaminophen should be taken at one time. Higher amounts can cause liver damage.

-It takes 1-4 grams of acetaminophen to overdose. Hydrocodone can be fatal at 90mg.

Your husband is receiving 300 pills each month. Keeping the above facts in mind, I think this is way too much. Most probably, he has developed addiction to the pills again.

Please consult your doctor for a de-addiction program for your husband.

Hope this helps.

Feel free to ask further.

Thanks.
Dr. Shubham Mehta, MD (Psychiatry).
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Shubham Mehta (8 minutes later)
Does it seem "normal" that this doctor is writing 2 scripts per month and using 2 different pharmacies... I would think if the was legit the same pharmacy would be used.... he is also prescribing Fentanyl patches occaisionally....
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shubham Mehta (7 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
no legitimate reasons for 2 scripts using 2 different pharmacies.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for the follow-up query.

There is no legitimate reason, in my opinion, so as to why the doctor is writing 2 scripts using 2 different pharmacies.

Fentanyl patches would have additive effects in causing opioid (hydrocodone and fentanyl are both opioids) overdose.

Kindly discuss this with your doctor.

Hope this helps.

Would be happy to discuss further, if you have more queries.

Kindly close the discussion if you are satisfied with the response and give your valuable feedback.

Thanks.
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Shubham Mehta

Psychiatrist

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 2144 Questions

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Suggest Dosage Of Hydrocodone And Acetamin After Shoulder Surgery

Brief Answer: very high doses; may prove lethal. Detailed Answer: Hello Welcome to HCM. I can understand your concerns for your husband. May I please tell you some prescribing information about hydrocodone/acetaminophen: -No more than 10 mg hydrocodone should be taken at one time, and should not be taken more frequently than every 6 hours. -No more than 1000mg of acetaminophen should be taken at one time. Higher amounts can cause liver damage. -It takes 1-4 grams of acetaminophen to overdose. Hydrocodone can be fatal at 90mg. Your husband is receiving 300 pills each month. Keeping the above facts in mind, I think this is way too much. Most probably, he has developed addiction to the pills again. Please consult your doctor for a de-addiction program for your husband. Hope this helps. Feel free to ask further. Thanks. Dr. Shubham Mehta, MD (Psychiatry).