Acetaminophen and Hydrocodone

Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets are indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. Limitations of Use • Because of the risks of addiction, abuse, misuse, overdose, and death, which can occur at any dosage or duration, and persist over the course of therapy, reserve opioid analgesics, including Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets, for use in patients for whom alternative treatment options are ineffective, not tolerated, or would be otherwise inadequate to provide sufficient management of pain.

Hydrocodone is full opioid agonist with relative selectivity for the mu-opioid (μ) receptor, although it can interact with other opioid receptors at higher doses. The principal therapeutic action of hydrocodone is analgesia. Like all full opioid agonists, there is no ceiling effect for analgesia with hydrocodone. Clinically, dosage is titrated to provide adequate analgesia and may be limited by adverse reactions, including respiratory and CNS depression. The precise mechanism of the analgesic action is unknown. However, specific CNS opioid receptors for endogenous compounds with opioid-like activity have been identified throughout the brain and spinal cord and are thought to play a role in the analgesic effects of this drug. The precise mechanism of the analgesic properties of acetaminophen is not established but is thought to involve central actions.

Important Dosage and Administration Instructions Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets should be prescribed only by healthcare professionals who are knowledgeable about the use of opioids and how to mitigate the associated risks. Use the lowest effective dosage for the shortest duration of time consistent with individual patient treatment goals. Because the risk of overdose increases as opioid doses increase, reserve titration to higher doses of Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets for patients in whom lower doses are insufficiently effective and in whom the expected benefits of using a higher dose opioid clearly outweigh the substantial risks. Many acute pain conditions (eg., the pain that occurs with a number of surgical procedures or acute musculoskeletal injuries) require no more than a few days of an opioid analgesic.

Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets are contraindicated in patients with: • Significant respiratory depression • Acute or severe bronchial asthma in an unmonitored setting or in the absence of resuscitative equipment • Known or suspected gastrointestinal obstruction, including paralytic ileus • Hypersensitivity to hydrocodone or acetaminophen (e.g., anaphylaxis)

BOXED WARNING WARNING: SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF HYDROCODONE BITARTRATE AND ACETAMINOPHEN TABLETS Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Because the use of Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablet exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death, assess each patient’s risk prior to prescribing and reassess all patients regularly for the development of these behaviors and conditions. NA Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets contain hydrocodone, a Schedule II controlled substance. As an opioid, Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets expose users to the risks of addiction, abuse, and misuse. Although the risk of addiction in any individual is unknown, it can occur in patients appropriately prescribed Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets.

The following adverse reactions have been identified during post approval use of Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. The most frequently reported adverse reactions are light-headedness, dizziness, sedation, nausea and vomiting. Other adverse reactions include: Central Nervous System – Drowsiness, mental clouding, lethargy, impairment of mental and physical performance, anxiety, fear, dysphoria, psychological dependence, mood changes. Gastrointestinal System – Constipation. Genitourinary System – Ureteral spasm, spasm of vesical sphincters, and urinary retention.

Inhibitors of CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 The concomitant use of Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets and CYP3A4 inhibitors, such as macrolide antibiotics (e.g., erythromycin), azole-antifungal agents (e.g. ketoconazole), and protease inhibitors (e.g., ritonavir), can increase the plasma concentration of the hydrocodone from Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets, resulting in increased or prolonged opioid effects. These effects could be more pronounced with concomitant use of Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets and both CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 inhibitors, particularly when an inhibitor is added after a stable dose of Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets are achieved.

Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F).