Hydrocodone and Constipation: What Users Say

• Kri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 13, 2019

Hydrocodone for Pain "Tried morphine and Percocet for severe, intractable pain from injuries and surgery. Hysingla was then prescribed as those did not help. Hysingla did nothing for my pain and also made my head feel swimmy, and it’s very constipating, like severely. The doctor tried Norco, and I’m finally pain-free most of the day now, the first time in years. I really can’t say why Hysingla didn’t work because Norco is the same ingredient, but it didn’t work for me and Norco really does work for me. Like, amazingly. And I’ve never had to step up the dosage nor ever had addiction or withdrawals to pain medication. (Only Cymbalta for me was highly addictive and took me over a year to get off of it. Withdrawal was severe. Strange because they say opioids are not safe, but for me, they are, and antidepressants were not. Very strange.)"

• Yog...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 8, 2019

Hydrocodone for Pain "I have CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome), which is one of the worst chronic pain conditions known to man, and I get a lot of relief from this medication. Prior to Hysingla, I was prescribed Opana ER until it was taken off the market, and I must say I'm thankful for the change. I like the fact that it works without making me feel 'drugged.' The only downside is constipation that requires daily doses of laxatives. There aren't many extended-release choices, but hopefully, more options will become available soon for people that aren't getting relief from Hysingla."

• Pas...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 31, 2016

Hydrocodone for Pain "It takes about 2 hours to start working, so it's definitely a long-acting medication. It says it lasts for 12 hours, but it only lasts 7 for me, every time, without fail. I cannot just take the Zohydro ER, but I need to take my rescue medication, or else be miserable for 2 hours before it works. It gives you constipation sometimes, even if you drink a ton of water. It seems to be weak pain relief. I wish it could work better and last longer. My doctor is switching me to a different ER pain medication now."

• ton...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 20, 2017

Hydrocodone for Pain "I have 3 herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and osteoarthritis. I suffer from constant pain every day. I've been on Norco 10/325 4x a day for 3 years now and never abused my medication. A few months ago, my doctor had me try Hysingla ER 40 mg. This medication only lasts about 17 hours and gave me about 30-40% relief with random breakthrough pain. Plus, I felt lethargic the entire day, nauseous, constipated, anxious, and excessive yawning. After putting up with it for two months, I talked with my doctor, and he switched me back to the Norco. So disappointed. I had high hopes for this medication since it was one pill every 24 hours. It just does not work as promised and is expensive."

• Mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 21, 2022

For Pain "First pill, I had nausea and constipation that sent me to the ER. No pain relief there. I took a couple more doses when I had already taken other pain medications that couldn't be repeated until a couple of hours later, and I had no pain relief—nor any bad side effects. Can't use it for pain or to even make myself constipated if I wanted that! Super hyped-up, overrated junk."

• San...
• December 22, 2020

Hydrocodone for Pain "Have had chronic pancreatitis for years. After 5 failed surgeries and trying about 30 different medicines for pain, I went to a pain clinic and got put on 10 mg Zohydro twice a day along with the 10 mg of oxycodone every 6 hours for breakthrough pain I had been on for a year or two prior. Works amazing. Take the everyday pain down to a 1 or 2, and I can actually function and have a life now! Only side effect I had was constipation, and laxatives make my abdominal much worse, so got put on SYMPROIC, which works well for the constipation. Only downside is trying to get the prescription at pharmacies has been kind of a pain, and every month my script ends up getting filled anywhere from 1 to 3 days after my previous script has run out due to the government having new rules and regulations on ordering these types of medicines."

• Way...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 6, 2016

For Pain "I take Oxycodone HCL for fibromyalgia, CFS/ME, four times a day at 20 mg. It really helps my breakthrough pain. I'm glad to have it. I also take Hysingla ER 100 mg. I don't really get what the Hysingla is supposed to do if there is expected breakthrough pain? I'm still trying to read about it. Thank God I have Oxycodone to help me be able to function. I haven't had any severe side effects that I couldn't handle. The one I hate most is the constipation, it makes me ill. I get nauseous and pain in my side until it's taken care of."

• Pai...
• August 6, 2021

For Pain "This medication works great for pain, but gives me a constant feeling like I always need to brush my teeth or chew gum. I've been on it for two years due to a spine and shoulder injury that is pretty severe. The worst thing ever is the constipation. I have to take Dulcolax twice a week just to feel like I'm not 900 pounds of pure poop. But hydrocodone takes care of the pain quite a bit, so that it is manageable pain. It doesn't get rid of all the pain obviously, but enough that I can work and sleep without the excruciating pain my injuries normally bring me. I experienced no nausea from this medication, either. Downside is that it's extremely addictive. I don't have an addictive personality, so I can go days without it if my pain levels are low, and I don't even think about it. But it's worrisome how addictive it is for some."

• Sup...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 22, 2019

Hydrocodone for Pain "For me, it is really good at controlling long-term chronic pain. My biggest downside is increased constipation. I'm taking 3-4 laxative/stool softeners daily, including Movantik."

• Jew...
• November 14, 2015

For Pain "Constipated, ringing in ears, depression, blurry eyesight, weight gain, swelling, hot sweats."

• Lad...
• January 7, 2014

For Pain "Hydrocodone causes me constipation constantly, but I need to use it if my pain spikes for my sciatica and arthritis. I also wear a weekly Butrans 10 mg patch."