Any Otc Substitute For Hydrocodone/apap? (Page 2)

Hello! I was prescribed Hydrocodone/APAP 5-325 MG. (It also says on bottle: generic form NORCO 5-325). The only medication that's worked for my condition. Is there any OTC substitute or anything they'll more likely prescribe me? Everyone thinks I have an addiction. I only had a quantity of 12. I'm not having withdrawals. I could go a few days without my medication too. It just really helps. I haven't been able to work due to my condition and I need an income. But they won't give me a refill.

My condition: I was given this because the past year I've been dealing with mysterious, unknown painful urination. I've seen specialists, had a ct scan done, been on multiple pills for UTI, urine culture. Nothing they can figure out. It comes up as an infection though. It has affected my ability to work and attend my college. I've had to remain at home, in the bathroom for hours on end. Or have to lay in bed, curled up in a ball. I've had fevers of 104 alongside chills. As of, (3/3/17) I did blood work- so I'll get the answers soon on that. I'm twenty one, I've become hopeless with my health. I have no social life anymore. Please help!

REPLY

REPORT

Which pharmacy do you get your qualitest pharmaceuticals from?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi Tina, sorry for your pain, but I can promise you that I am no stranger to excruciating pain on a daily basis. With FMS, spinal stenosis, hernated disc, DDD, sciatica, ect. ..to name a FEW! :( I understand about not being able to play with grandkids the same :( Haven't worked in 2 yrs bc dr won't "release" me, yet can't get any sort of financial help either!:( I, myself, have almost become a human hermit:( Quality of life is not an easy chore when you're in SOME pain, even WITH pain medication! It just makes it "tolerable" to get out of bed! I get inj's., which help more than anything else, but only allowed 3 a yr and lasts appx a month so 7-8 months are totally reliable on pain medication. ANYWAY, ask your dr about nucynta. I had been prescribed 8/ 10mg norco myself, but when the new "laws", thanks to all the a**hole's not NEEDING medicine abusing them, put an end to getting sufficient pain relief, my pain management doc prescribed them for me. Nothing takes the pain completely away, but he currently has me on 4/ 100 mg daily with muscle relaxants, ect. It's comparable to percocet 10mg without as much of the addictiveness. Dr's are MUCH more likely to prescribe it than norco, altho it's actually stronger, class II. sorry for so much, but I hope you can at least try it and hopefully it will work for you! :) Also, ask for the "insurance" card. Even with insurance, they are EXTREMELY expensive but with the card the doc can give you, you're able to get first month free and never pay more than $25 for 19 months! :)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Thank u so much I will talk to my doctor. I really appreciate you help.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I get it from the clinic who prescribed me it. It's an urgent care, hospital, and pharmacy combined. Otherwise, I get it from Walgreens.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi K, i've been out of town and just checked my emails and read your response. We live in St. Louis and I'm sure there is a qualified urologist here given the excellent medical universities in our city. My daughter wanted a female urologist when this started and I understood why but she is open to whom ever is most qualified.your comment about the food allergy specifically black pepper was interesting because she had food allergy testing in high school when she experienced a bout of stomach troubles and black pepper was one of the foods listed she should stay away from. The functional medicine doctor that she sees has recommended that she stop all dairy, especially yogurt and she has done that and noticed some relief , also the sulfates in red wine will cause a flareup. Thank you again and I will keep you posted on the progress .

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Cindy, thank you for updating me on your daughter. It sounds like you both are on the right track. Since she already had allergy testing in the past and has a Functional Medical Practitioner she may be farther ahead in finding relief than I thought. It is great that she has an accessible Functional Medicine Practitioner. I haven't found one near me in the Augusta area. Decades ago, I traveled to Atlanta to have a Medical Doctor with additional 'Functional Medicine type' training help me identify sources causing my fatigue and GI-type problems. He did an allergy and hormone work-up that used ancient techniques and labs. I assume today's methodology and diagnostic availability have come a long way since then. At that point in time, any legit doctor who admitted to having any kind of "alternative medical" approach was widely accepted as some sort of Voo-du or Crank doctor. Lol. Doctors who actually understood that Western Medicine typically didn't address the root of health disorders and ventured to dig deeper were pretty much "underground". It seems like the mainstream medicine is finally opening up to these kinds of physicians and thereby hopefully improving their available tools, methods and better over-all healthcare choices. In any case, my "ancient" allergy and hormone work-up revealed that I was reacting to a slew of things (environmental and foods) as well as not being able to detoxify well, nor properly absorb/utilize a variety of minerals and vitamins. I also had indications that my HTPA axis was over-burdened and dysfunctional in some mysterious way. Admittedly, the testing and information regarding neuro-immune-endocrine dysfunction was way ahead of its time and relied heavily on the patient's history with crude diagnostic testing. However, decades have gone by since that allergy/hormone evaluation and much of those results have been validated by routine tests done by my "regular" doctors today, as well as, lifestyle choices that help/hinder my daily quality of life. To my frustration, the sciences of neuro-immuno-endocrine interplay is still in its infancy. So, it seems nearly as true in the sciences relating to poor detoxification and various metabolic dysfunction. The "ancient" allergy/hormone tests that I had done helped by providing me with a general list of do's and don'ts and things to try by the way of nutrient supplementation. Following the suggested plan of care was tedious, expensive and required sincere dedication. It was a an entire lifestyle change and it did help. It just didn't help enough. I would practically have to live in a bubble all day - every day - to get an acceptable consistency of improved health. I am inclined to believe the protocol I originally received was excellent knowledge for my particular body but was mainly effective as a preventive modality. Even with following the program that worked best for me, I still ended up with IC (among other things). I guess the point I am fumbling to make is that while I learned many things to avoid/add, certain areas of inflammation needed intervention from the mainstream medical establishment. My case in point, having the bladder wash the wrench in the monkey system. It afforded me the opportunity to reboot my bladder, so to speak. Without washing and cooling the mess inside my bladder, all of the do's and dont's on my list could not break the chain reaction that was already existing. I did have days, weeks and even months that were good until the good days were less often and the "flares' were more frequent, longer lasting and more intense. No matter how disciplined, aware and adaptive in avoiding my triggers...my bladder needed more help than what I was doing. The marginal treatments from the medical docs (Elmiron, various pain meds and Yoga/Pilates/Physical Therapy) didn't cut it. In hindsight, I believe my "good" days were not as good as I thought. Even when my IC symptoms were not apparent, I think it was still a silent problem. The "silent" periods lead me to believe that it was an intermittent condition rather than an on-going dysfunction that remained active (although not always acute). In my opinion, of course I am not a doctor, IC is a kind of auto-immune reaction that is chronic and by swiftly knocking into "remission" is the best way to get the upper-hand. The bladder wash abruptly and gently interrupts the cycle of IC escalation thereby allowing daily do's and don'ts to be of maximum efficiency and effectiveness. The great thing about your daughter is that if she can have the bladder wash, then what most people find the hardest part to do.....the avoidance list....she will already be on top of keeping the flares to a minimum and possibly into a nearly constant state of remission. I think most people with IC do 1/2 of the equation and not reach the desired results. The bladder wash isn't effective without following with the avoidance of triggers. And avoiding triggers without the bladder wash is generally not too effective once IC is established.
So, there you have it.....the ramblings of a Zebra. *The Mayo Clinic and my local doctors have termed me, and my son (thankfully, not my daughter, too), as a Zebra. They know without a doubt that my body doesn't work right but figuring us out is a real trick.* Please, keep me posted as I am hoping for her progress.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Cindy! I don't know why I didn't suggest Pancreatic Enzymes! I have tried numerous kinds and have various levels of benefit depending on the brand, etc., but a doctor's Rx for pancreatic enzymes have worked wonders for me. Check into the science of how supplementation of enzymes works on the histones, scar tissue, endothelial and undotheliol (spell?) ....the lining just under the lining of the endothelial layer work for repair and relief. Their is good science behind it and it has worked wonderfully for me over the years.
I took them years ago when I was searching for anything that might assist in bettering my health.
They worked but after I was on them for so long and feeling pretty darn good...I started to not take them regularly because they are not inexpensive. Eventually, I forgot about how much they helped me. When I started feeling crummy again... my doctor asked me if I had ever experimented with them. He was hoping I had and that if I had any positive results from over the counter kinds in the past, maybe a Rx of pancreatic enzymes would be more therapeutic. And yes! They are! Do look into it.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Found some very interesting things after searching " healing powers in TEA " was surprised , you'd never know .

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi K, preparing for a cross-country move back to St. Louis so I just took the time to read your reply. Lots of good information. My daughter will be asking her doctor about the enzymes. I don't know if I mentioned she is pregnant with their first baby, in her fifth month and everything going well. She did have a flareup seven weeks ago that kept her miserable for a while but she has completely eliminated dairy and it seems to be helping, at least for the time being and we are grateful for every day she's feeling good. We have taken copious notes on all of your suggestions, advice and personal experience. After the delivery and appropriate healing time she will see her urologist, this time she is well-informed, knowing the right questions to ask and making a decision moving forward with phase 2 in this healing process. Can't thank you enough for taking the time to share your insight concerning this issue. I will keep you informed as to how she is doing and any new information I may come across. Good health to you and have a great day!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I am trying to substitute for 10/650 Percocet. When I see my MD soon, I was going to ask for the equivalent Percodan ins...

3 REPLIES

have been on hydrocodone for 8 years now due to regulations doctor will no longer prescribe narcotic drugs need somethin...

4 REPLIES

Is there anything out there that can be used that could be similar too lortab/hydrcodone ## Hello, Sharon! How are you? ...

2 REPLIES

I take hydrocodone for back pain, but I ran out over the weekend. What can I take until I get a new refill? ## This is a...

1 REPLY

I take 4 hydrocodone 10/375 a day for neck pain. It is getting filled as norco now. Is there anything else that might no...

3 REPLIES

Can this be substituted for hydrocodone ? ## Hi, Ace! How are you? No, they are not the same type of medication. Hydroco...

3 REPLIES

I had my knee surgery yesterday and am on hydrocodone 10/325. It manages pain pretty well but it seems to make me itch. ...

2 REPLIES

Looking to start driving trucks. CDL does not allow hydrocodone. My dose is 10/325 x4 a day for chronic lower back pain,...

1 REPLY

I just had knee surgery may 3rd.I had Hydromorphone and ran out and because of the slow healing process that i am expere...

6 REPLIES

I have been prescribed 5/325 due to a possible meniscus and ACL tear. It is not doing anything for the pain. I was takin...

2 REPLIES