Can You Take Hydrocodone And Baclofen Together?

Xarlaxis asked

I am on hydrocodone (10/325) for a week while my nerve burn procedure dies off. It is rather painful. I also take 20 mg of baclofen but I haven’t because I’m afraid of the interaction. Can I resume it or should I just wait and take it again in a week? Thanks!

Answer

Hi and thank you for your great question. I always appreciate when my patients ask me to double check that their prescription medications are safe to take together. I would much rather double check for a drug interaction than something slip by.

Hydrocodone/acetaminophen (or by the brands Norco, Vicodin, Lortab, Lorcet, etc.) is a combination drug that contains hydrocodone, an opiod that’s commonly prescribed to help treat acute pain. It is an immediate release tablet and usually lasts about 4-6 hours. It usually causes drowsiness, but if the dose is too high or it’s combined with other medications, it can cause respiratory depression or even death. 

Baclofen is a muscle relaxant. It’s used for a number of different conditions, but it’s probably most commonly used to help reduce any sort of muscle spasm, tightness, or twitching. It is usually well tolerated, but usually causes drowsiness or dizziness, especially at higher doses.

In general, it’s recommended to avoid combining baclofen and hydrocodone together if possible. However, it can also be a bad idea to abruptly stop baclofen as it can cause withdrawal symptoms. If you can avoid taking baclofen until you are finished taking your hydrocodone/acetaminophen, that would be ideal. 

However, if you need to take your baclofen, you can probably do so safely. First, try to separate the medication doses by at least 3-4 hours, that way both medications aren’t “hitting your body” at the same time. Next, both medications are immediate release tablets which are safe to break. I wouldn’t recommend taking a full dose of both medications. Try breaking your hydrocodone/acetaminophen in half and see if that offers adequate pain relief. If you are separating your medications and taking a half dose of hydrocodone, you are significantly less likely to experience any respiratory depression.

Lastly, if you are taking both medications, you will almost certainly experience dizziness, drowsiness, or both. Please make sure that you start these medications at home, and don’t drive or operate any heavy machinery while taking these. I can’t think of a much worse place to be than drowsy and behind the wheel.

Thanks for reaching out to us and I hope this helps.