Mize asked
Can I take half of a 10 mg hydrocodone and a quarter of a 10 mg oxycodone an hour later? Is that safe?
Answer
It typically would not be recommended to take hydrocodone and oxycodone so close together. Both drugs are classified as opioid medications and are very closely related. They work by agonizing the 'mu' receptor in the body which in turn provides pain relief. Since they are so closely related and work via the same mechanism of action, they usually would not be used within 1 hour of each other.
Both hydrocodone and oxycodone have a duration of action around 4-6 hours, depending on the person. If you do not have appropriate pain control from the initial dose of hydrocodone, speak with your doctor regarding increasing your dose on one of the medications, or look to use an extended release version of one of them. If you feel the need to take oxycodone as short as 1 hour after dosing with hydrocodone, it tells me that you likely are not at an appropriate dose.
It is not uncommon to be prescribed an extended release version of an opioid drug, like Oxycontin (oxycodone extended release) and also be prescribed an immediate release version of an opioid for breakthrough pain. This may be an option for you depending on how severe your pain is.
In terms of safety, everyone has different tolerances to opioid medications and the length of time you have been taking them is a major factor in how well you tolerate/react to them. 5 mg of hydrocodone and 2.5 mg of oxycodone would not be considered a high dose in the vast majority of cases, so it would be fairly 'safe' in regards to avoiding serious adverse events such as respiratory depression. Having said that, these are very powerful and addictive medications that require prudent use.
As mentioned, taking immediate release versions of hydrocodone and oxycodone so close together would be unusual. However, there could be a situaiton in which your doctor believes this is the best dosing regimen for you. I recommend speaking with your doctor if you have any concerns regarding it.
