I do not know what strength you are on and I am not a doctor.

My husband has done the same thing. He takes this medication and he was groggy but he was fine. You do need food and lots of water.

You may want to call your pharmacist or doctor and check with them. I don't know what other meds you are on and as I stated I am not a doctor.

Take care,
RJ

I'm an RN and it doesn't seem like enough for you to od on. Be very careful in future to take them as directed. You would be better served calling a pharmacist at your local CVS or Walgreen's just for reassurance. I hope it helped the pain.

I got some dinner and it helped me. I think the weakness and everything was a mixture of the meds and the lack of food. Typically how long do you wait between doses? I've tried looking it up on my inserts with the medication, but I can't find any information.

The directions are on the RX bottle.

All it says is to "take one-half to one tablet by mouth three times daily as needed for pain." It doesn't give any instructions of how much of a gap you need between the doses.

3 into 24 hours = 8 hours

Keep them 8 hours apart. Be safe. Put a paper next to your pills and write down the time that you take your pill so you don't forget.

Feel better.
Hugs-RJ

Hey girl,

Hydro is usually dosed every 4 - 6 hours and has a half life of 3.8 hours on average...which means after 4 hours half of the dose is still in your system. There should be instructions on the bottle as to how your Dr. wants you to take the med, how many pills, per every how many hours.

Taking 2 doses of hydro in a 2 1/2 hour period will not cause your to overdose, so you don't need to be concerned about that. It can make you nauseaus, tummy just not feel good, headachy, tired, dizzy, etc. Eating food with hydro's, even if it's just some saltines to keep something in your stomach, will help the nausea go away. If the stomach stays irritable you can take OTC pepcid or zantac with it to combat those particulars side effects.

Starting from your last dose you should get back on the schedule your Dr. wants you on, per the instructions on the bottle. If he wrote it for "x" number of pills every 4 - 6 hours, it simply means you can take it at 4 hours if your hurting and need it, or you can hold out for 6 hours if your pain is not that bad and you don't need it quite yet.

As with any PRN narcotics, if your not in pain and don't need them, don't take them....these aren't long acting meds and don't build up in your BPL (blood plasma level), they work as you take them and then work out of your system over a few hours.

I hope you feel better soon and get some rest this weekend. Try to continue using your other pain relief modalities along with the meds, i.e. ice, heat, ibuprofen, etc. they all work together to create a more effective pain treatment.

Take care,

Kat

Sorry I was typing one handed while RJ was typing.....your Dr. did you a disservice by that vague script direction. RJ is correct, your allowed maximum 1 pill every 8 hours.

Take care,

Kat

Thank you so much guys! I did think that the instructions were kind of vague. No where could I find more specific directions. I really appreciate you guys. I don't like taking heavier pain meds so I don't plan on using all of the ones he prescribed for me. The TENS unit is helping with most of the pain. I am immune to the effects of ibuprofen and advil and such as I used to take them a lot when I was a teenager and had chronic daily headaches from hitting my head in a swimming pool. Heat is definitely a good idea. I have a heating pad with a timer I can use. Thank you again.

i am so glad and relieved youre ok. i have done the same thing- i have been in such severe pain that i have taken a pain pill and then realized i forgot i had already taken one. i know how incredibly scary that is. someone on here made a suggestion that has benefited me enormously:

i went to the pharmacy and bought a pill holder- you might want to get one that has seven days and at least three slots for each day. you could take your pills and put one pill in each of the three slots for each day. that way, your pills are always in front of you and you can see exactly what youve taken.

it has helped me so much; i have never made that mistake again, because i see all of my pills for the day whenever i go to take one so i would see that id already taken one and would not take an extra by accident. i wish i could remember who suggested this so i could send them flowers!!! it has been so, so helpful for me. i hope you are feeling better in all ways hon. big hugs to you!

Hi M... If you ever have any questions call your pharmacy. Thats the best bet - IF yours is closed... you can call Walgreens or someplace that is open 24 hours - they would be able to help you.

You mention that you aren't planning on taking all the medication that you were given but...hun... if you need it... use it! Thats what its for! I hope you aren't feeling guilty or like you shouldn't etc... its okay. Its better to try and nip it in the bud rather than get behind the pain...

Hope all goes well :O)

Megan,

Hey girl, just wanted to check in and see how your doing? Is the pain receding any? Hope it's getting better and your able to get some rest and get some enjoyment out of this long weekend.

Take care,

Kat

Hi Kat,

I am doing a bit better today. I only took one of the pain pills this afternoon. I got some weird food poisoning or something...right after I ate lunch, I got sick 6 times in a row. That was horrible! It flared everything! That's when I took the hydrocodone and one of my Klonopin as my anxiety has been extremely high today.

It's been a pretty lazy day, just working on a family project scanning all of our pictures into my computer and organizing them. I've scanned over 4,000 pictures since I started this project in January. It's been amazing seeing all of the history and old pics of my mom and dad. I scanned a pic today of my mom's great-grandparents.

I am planning on driving to San Marcos to look at Texas State University. I am hoping to get into their Radiology Therapy program. I am going to Austin Community College right now working on the prerequisites. I am taking 3 summer classes, two of which start next Tuesday. I'm super excited cus I get bored super easily without having a set schedule.

I hope your day is going well and that there's not been too much pain for you. I really appreciate all of the insight you've provided and your wonderful words of advice. Even though I've had chronic pain since I was 13, I am only recently familiar with pain management. It's been a true blessing coming onto this site and joining this group.

Megan, bless you girl, you've had a rough time the past few days. I'm glad your stomach's better...vomiting definitely doesn't help with back and neck pain does it? Sounds like you've got a good plan going on the education front and San Marcos is soooo pretty, especially this time of year before it gets too unbearably hot and everything is covered in TX dust! LOL

Thank you for your kind words, your very sweet. I enjoy helping you any way I can hon.

I hope that tomorrow is a lovely day for you with no more unexpected surprises. That picture project sounds really awesome, but lots of tedious work...I love to look at our family picture on the computer, but have to admit I get lazy about putting them on....usually I get my son to do it, with his nimble hands.

Have a good night and hope you get some good sleep!

Kat