Exact Answer: 3 – 5 Days
Norco is a medication that consists of a combination of two pain relief medicines hydrocodone and acetaminophen. When the over-the-counter medicines don’t work to treat moderate to severe pain, Norco is used for its treatment. However, it is an addictive drug that can lead to dependence and tolerance in people who consume it frequently for a long time.
Hydrocodone in Norco is an opioid that soothes the pain and calms the body down by blocking pain signals. Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is a non-opioid that gets rid of the pain by blocking the production of certain chemicals in the brain. Opioids are commonly known as narcotics and can have serious side effects if not used correctly.
Addictions of opioids like Norco start with just a prescription of the said drug. Thus, if a person is consuming them to treat their pain, utmost care should be taken to not let it becomes an addiction by adhering strictly to the doctor’s guidelines.
How Long Does Norco Stay In Your System?
Norco is a pain relief medication and such medicines work best when taken at the early signs of pain. If one waits for a longer duration, the pain might get worsened and the medication might then not work in its highest efficiency. Norco when taken at the appropriate time can greatly help one to relieve their pain and the discomfort caused due to it.
To avoid the risk of overdose, Norco should be taken exactly as prescribed. One should always read the direction on the prescription label carefully and act accordingly. It is strongly advised by numerous health practitioners to never take Norco in larger amounts than necessary. An overdose of the said medication can be extremely fatal to one’s life.
Norco is easily detectable in one’s system for about 3 – 5 days. It is detectable in the urine of a person for up to 3 to 4 days after the person took the last dose of the medication. It remains in the blood for up to 24 hours and the hair for approximately 90 days.
The half-life in the case of medications refers to the amount of time half the quantity of a particular drug takes to metabolize completely and get eliminated from the body. The hydrocodone present in Norco has an average half-life of 3.8 hours. It takes only about 20 – 30 for the drug to start showing its effects inside the body. Acetaminophen, another main component of Norco, reaches its peak concentration levels between 10 to 60 minutes after the medication is ingested.
| Presence Of Norco | Duration |
| In Blood | 24 hours |
| In Urine | 3 – 4 days |
| In Hair | 90 days |
Why Does Norco Stay In Your System For So Long?
Several factors determine and influence the length of time any particular substance will stay in one’s system. In the case of Norco, both its main constituents, acetaminophen, and hydrocodone are dependant on the liver for metabolism. Thus, a person with poor liver health will take a longer duration of time to clear Norco from his system as compared to a person with a liver having normal efficiency.
The next important factor that can impact Norco’s clearance time from the system is the age of the concerned person. The older a person is, the lesser is the efficiency of his organs. Hence, as the person becomes older, his body metabolism slows down and it takes time for Norco to break down to get eliminated from the body.
In addition to the above factors, the frequency of use also has a great impact on how long Norco stays in one’s system. The higher and more frequent is the use of the drug, the longer it will take to eliminate it from the body. Thus, in such a case the drug might stay in the system for longer than usual. Factors like weight, diet, etc also have a considerable influence in this regard.
Conclusion
Norco is a brand name for pain relief medication that contains both acetaminophen and hydrocodone. It is a highly prescribed medicine for treating moderate to severe pains. Some of the common side effects of Norco are dizziness, headaches, sedation, nausea, and vomiting. Apart from these some of the rare side effects of Norco include confusion, anxiety, frequent mood swings, etc.
The pain-relieving effects of Norco can last anywhere from 4 to 8 hours. However, it remains detectable in one’s system for about 3 to 5 days after the last dosage. One must always remember that misuse of narcotic medicines like Norco can cause addiction, overdose, or even death.
References
- https://academic.oup.com/jamia/article-abstract/27/1/56/5582687
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-019-05421-9
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