Brief Answer: As below. Detailed Answer: Hi, Welcome to Healthcare Magic! Hydrocodone is an opioid and while an overdose can cause acute effects like intoxication, seizures, sedation, and coma, the long term effects appear after one becomes dependent on the drug. You can identify this by noticing if you feel any withdrawal symptoms if you do not take your usual dose. These are likely to be symptoms like muscle aches, dilation of pupils, loose motions, lacrimation, running nose, goose flesh, yawning, sneezing, restlessness, craving etc. If you have become tolerant to the drug, that is, if higher dosages are needed to produce the same effect, this is another sign that you are becoming dependent on it. Damage to internal organs like liver and kidneys is usually evident only after years of heavy use and is unlikely in people who are not dependent on it. I hope this helps clear up things for you. Please feel free to ask if you need any clarifications. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry

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Brief Answer: Explained below. Detailed Answer: Hi, There is no definition of heavy usage. It varies from person to person. For example, one may take the dose you mentioned all his life without becoming dependent or without suffering from any damage to their kidney or liver. But another person may notice tolerance and withdrawal within a few months, and so hike up the use, ultimately using dosages far higher than prescribed and end up damaging their internal organs. The ability of internal organs to resist damage from medicines also varies from person to person. If the liver and kidneys are weakened by pre-existing disease, they would be more likely to fail earlier. In your case, I think you need to be watchful for two things: 1) See if you are developing tolerance and withdrawal, as these two imply that your body is becoming dependent on the drug. Once you become dependent, then your usage is likely to increase over time and at some point, it may end up damaging your liver and kidneys, in addition to the mental effects of dependence. 2) The paracetamol component in your medicine does not lead to dependence but can damage liver and kidneys more than hydrocodone. So you must do blood tests for liver and kidney function at least twice a year. If you can keep an eye on the functioning of your liver and kidneys and avoid becoming dependent, you can avert serious long term damage from the drug. Please feel free to ask if you need any other clarifications. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry

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