Oxycodone Explained – Uses, Side Effects, and Warnings

“Is oxycodone safe to use as a pain reliever?” “How oxycodone works” These are the main questions people Google about oxycodone. Before we reveal what it is, let’s understand why this is so popular worldwide and widely prescribed as an opioid medication.

Oxycodone is specially used to heal moderate to severe pain. It is a type of drug known as an opioid analgesic and controls brain reactions toward pain.

In this article, we will learn the uses, risks, and other necessary details about oxycodone. Stay tuned and never try to consume it without a doctor’s prescription or instructions.

What Is Oxycodone?

Oxycodone (ox i KOE done) is an opioid (narcotic) analgesic that comes into the field to save you from severe pain when every medicine fails to work. This pain reliever is manufactured using the chemical thebaine that comes from the opium poppy plant.

Oxycodone was first produced in Germany in 1916 but became available in the USA in 1939. For many years, it was used internationally as a component of a combination of short-term painkillers, like paracetamol and NSAIDs. The controlled release of the Oxycodone formulation, OxyContin, was approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the USA in 1996.

If you are wondering about how oxycodone works, you need to know that it controls the nerve system and brain to react to pain. Basically, it blocks the pain signals in the human body. Research has proven that oxycodone improves the quality of life of patients who are suffering from multiple types of pain. Oxycodone works much better and provides immediate relief than other pain relievers like morphine, heroin, and cocaine. But remember, this drug has great potential for addiction and is a Schedule II controlled drug in the USA.

Medical Uses of Oxycodone

Oxycodone is globally recommended as the best treatment option for moderate to severe acute pain. It is effective for different types of pains, but highly effective for:

1. Paroxysmal spontaneous pain;
2. Steady pain;
3. Pain related to postherpetic neuralgia;
4. Cancer-related pain;
5. Injuries and trauma;
6. Post-surgical pain.

Oxycodone is the number one treatment for moderate to severe pain. It improves the quality of life of patients. Whenever you consume this opioid, make sure you always consult with your pharmacists or doctor. Never overdose or change your prescribed medicine without asking your doctor. You must be very careful during the post-surgical recovery.

How Oxycodone Works in the Body

Now, let’s focus on the main question: how exactly does oxycodone work in the human body? Well, it ties up with the opioid receptors in the CNS (central nervous system) that is brain and spinal cord, especially the mu-opioid receptors, i.e. MORs. This binding triggered several effects in the human body, like:

1. Strictly Blocks the Pain Signals – While binding the receptors, Oxycodone activates the G protein-coupled receptors that reduce the chemical known as cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP. Once you stop getting pain signals, you start feeling good and relaxed.)
2. Calms Down the Hyperactive Nerves: Once taken in, the medicine calms down the hyperactive neurons in the CNS, thus relieving pain.
3. Activation of the natural pain control system: In the process of analgesia, Oxycodone would activate some discrete specific areas within the brain, like Midbrain periaqueductal gray-PAD, and rostral ventromedial medulla-RVM

Forms and What Does Oxycodone Look Like?

Oxycodone comes in different forms like slow-release tablets, standard tablets, capsules, oxycodone oral liquid, or injections that work immediately. Let’s take a look:

• Immediate-Release Tablets: Provide quick pain relief that stays for 4 to 6 hours. Tablets like Oxycodone 10 mg, 5 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, and 30 mg come under the brand name Roxicodone.
• Extended-Release Tablets and Capsules: Oxycodone extended-release tablets are used to treat severe and chronic pain. But keep in mind that extended-release products never be used as pain relief.

Difference Between Short-Acting and Long-Acting Forms

Oxycodone	Short-acting Forms	Long-acting Forms
How fast it works	The immediate-release form provides quick relief that reduces pain.	On the other hand, the extended-release form releases the medication slowly for a long period.
Duration	The immediate-release formulation works within 15 to 30 minutes	Whereas long-acting extended-release works for 1 to 2 hours
Uses	It can be used for acute pain and post-surgical pain.	Extended-release tablets are mainly used for chronic pain and long-term pain management.
How frequently consume	Consume the tablets every 4 to 6 hours	To get relief from pain, consume it every 12 to 24 hours

Many people are still looking for its design. It looks small, white, and round. A 10 – mg oxycodone table looks white and comes oval. A 20 mg tablet looks pink, and a 40 mg tablet is yellow, but the shape is the same for every dose, which is oval.

Also, don’t be confused with Oxycodone and OxyContin. OxyContin is a brand name for extended-release oxycodone. In oxycodone, you can find the active ingredient in analgesic painkillers like Oxycontin, Percodan, and Percocet.

Oxycodone Dosage: Can You Take Tylenol With Oxycodone?

See, whenever you take this medicine, make sure it is prescribed by your healthcare provider or doctor. Some factors like the type of pain, method of opioid administration, age, and sex of the patient can affect the dosages. The following is a brief outline of common dosages:

Immediate-Release Preparations

• Adults (opioid-naive): 5-15 mg every 4-6 h as required
• Children: 0.05-0.15 mg/kg (up to 5 mg) every 4 – 6 hrs PRN

Extended-Release Formulations

• Adults (opioid-naive): 10 mg every 12 hours if starting dose
• Opioid-tolerant patients: Higher doses may be used, up to 80 mg every 12 hours

Timing and Frequency

• How long does oxycodone take to work? A standard oxycodone takes a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes to work.
• How long does oxycodone stay in your system? A blood test, based on oxycodone half life, will clear within 3 to 6 hours or five – half – lives. In a saliva test, it may be traced for 36 hours after the previous use. And in hair tests, oxycodone can be detectable for up to 90 days from the last use of this drug.

Key Points

• If you want to change the dose, consult with your pharmacists or doctor.
• Do not take it for a longer time than recommended by your doctor.
• Make sure you understand the rules of the Opioid Analgesic REMS program so that you can beat the habit or addiction, abuse of Oxycodone.
• Don’t forget to read the medication guide or the information leaflet.
• Measure the oral liquid medicine with the calibrated dropper which is included in the pack.
• Shallow the Oxaydo, or Oxycontin tablet with fresh and pure water.
• Don’t break, crush, chew, or cut it. For ER capsules, make sure to take the medicine with food and maintain the food quantity the same each time.

Potential Risks and Side Effects

Like any other drug, oxycodone has some side effects in some people, but many have no side effects or only a few. If you consume a higher dose, chances are quite high, you will get side effects. But you can manage the oxycodone side effects, and talk to your doctor or healthcare team. They can guide you on what will work best.

Common Side Effects

• Headache
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Drowsiness (Feeling sleepy)
• Dizziness
• Tiredness
• Stomach Pain
• Vomiting
• Itching, red eyes, Flushing

Serious Side Effects

• Difficulty breathing,
• Swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat
• Slow heart rate
• Cold, clammy skin
• Confusion, unusual thoughts, or behavior
• Low blood pressure
• Depression

Long-term Effects

• Some people require long-term pain relief, that’s why they use oxycodone for a long time. Once you start using this in such a way, your body becomes used to it, this is known as tolerance. During this period, you need higher doses to control your pain.
• During this medication, some people become more sensitive to hyperalgesia. It causes hormonal imbalance issues that, badly affect your immune system. If you face this, consult with your doctor immediately, so that your doctor can reduce your dose gradually.

Remember one thing, any combination of alcohol, opioids, and benzodiazepines is very dangerous. It can badly impact brain circuits that are involved in physiological functions.

Addiction and Dependence

Many people or patients are always facing this dilemma about how they can be dependent on a drug like opioids without being addicted to it. Before digesting this, you need to understand the facts properly, the difference between addiction and physical dependence.

Difference Between Opioid Addiction and Dependence

Physical Dependence	Addiction
When the body requires a certain dose of a certain drug like Oxycodone opioid.	It’s a mental dependence, it happens when opioids are used for a long time and become a habit.
It can be controlled by your doctor, by reducing the dose.	It’s tough to control when you are addicted to this drug. Possibilities are so high that you start to abuse them.
During physical dependence, patients can notice withdrawal symptoms, if the treatment pauses suddenly. But it can be prevented.	Opioids create a sense of euphoria that leads to an immense pleasurable to getting addicted to it.

What Are the Risk Factors for Developing Addiction?

Addiction is a stage that starts with a pleasurable feeling but after a few days, it feels like something you can’t live without. It is an out-of-control feeling that you must continue to use it even if it harms you.  Opioids trigger the release of endorphins that make you happy for a short time. But once the dose wears off, your brain forces you to back the feelings. This is how the whole scenario started and became worse.

Sometimes this addiction comes from genetic disorders, if anyone from your family was addicted to any drug, alcohol, or cannabis, chances are very high, you could follow the same path. So, make sure to consult with your doctor before starting to take this drug.

Don’t depend on this drug or opioid mentally, if you start enjoying this medicine, immediately consult with your healthcare provider or doctor. Ask him for a dose reduction.

How Do You Understand You Are Addicted to Oxycodone?

Once you develop a dependence on oxycodone, you will start noticing some signs of addiction.

• You will start having cravings for opioids. It insists you raise the doses, and you may start having withdrawal symptoms including sweating, anxiety, muscle aches, chills, agitation, nausea, vomiting, goosebumps, worsening pain, and diarrhea.
• Once it starts controlling you, you won’t be able to stop the doses.

But remember, don’t stop opioids without consulting with any healthcare professional, this may lead to serious withdrawal symptoms.

Signs of Oxycodone Overdose

Oxycodone overdose happens when the user consumes too many medicines that contain this ingredient. When you do it, you will start feeling extreme drowsiness, and slow or shallow breathing issues. Once you or someone has overdosed on oxycodone, call the local emergency number (911) immediately or contact the local poison control center by dialing 1-800-222-1222 from anywhere in the USA.

In most states of America, people try first aid home care treatment also, they prefer Naloxone, which is an antidote for opioid overdose. You can get it from the pharmacy without a prescription. It is available as an intranasal spray and intramuscular injection, approved by the FDA.

Before seeking medical attention, make sure you have the following information that will be helpful for emergency assistance:

• Patient or person’s name, age, weight, and condition
• Product name (if possible then collect ingredients and strength)
• The time when he or she swallowed it
• Amount swallowed
• Was it prescribed medicine or not?

Treatment for Oxycodone Abuse

Opioid abuse or disorder is a complicated disease, but there are some processes or ways out for detoxification. So, an individual can try several therapies before finding the right one for him.

• Hospital Treatment – It is rare, but people may go to hospital emergency rooms due to physical or emotional breakdowns. Most hospitals provide primary treatment.
• Home care – People with oxycodone abuse can use naloxone as a home care treatment. When you have taken an overdose, you may stop breathing. Here, naloxone flushes out the narcotic from the brain’s receptors.

Oxycodone Use Disorder Treatment

• Counseling and behavior therapy can work well, it helps a person address the issue and get rid of this.
• Medicine like Methadone can treat opioid disorders. It can heal cravings and withdrawal symptoms. This medicine can be taken as a pill, liquid, or water.
• Another medicine buprenorphine can also heal opioid cravings without producing euphoria. Many doctors prescribe this as a daily dose, just need to place this under your tongue.
• One best treatments for recovering from this disorder is a rehabilitation center.

Safe Use and Alternatives to Oxycodone

Never share your specific medication with others. Sharing it is prohibited as it is against the law. Your medication has been prescribed based on your current condition. Don’t use it in the future unless you are asked to do so by your physician.

1. Missed Dose – If you missed any dose, take it as soon as you remember. But remember, if the time is near the next dose, then skip it. Take your next dose at a certain time. Never consume double doses to match or follow the medication.
2. Storage – Proper storage plays an important role. Always keep it at room temperature, but away from direct light or moisture. Don’t store it in the bathroom. Keep it away from children and pets.
3. Disposal – Don’t flush the medications into the toilet or drop them into the drain. Properly dispose of this product when it is expired or no longer required. For more details, you can consult with your pharmacist or local waste disposal company.

Compared to Alternatives

Are hydrocodone and oxycodone the same thing? Yes, hydrocodone and oxycodone are similar, both are opioids, and medicines are mostly used to treat chronic or extreme pain. But which one is better? If you Google hydrocodone vs oxycodone, you will find the key difference is that oxycodone is more potent than hydrocodone. It is an alternate drug.

What do you think is oxycodone the same as Percocet? Oxycodone is a generic opioid that is present in many branded drugs. Whereas Percocet is the brand name of a medication that contains oxycodone and Tylenol.

Сonclusion

Oxycodone is a widely used medicine to heal moderate to severe pain. It works amazingly in pain management, but you have to be very careful while consuming this medicine. Read the medication guidelines properly. Before starting to use the medicine, share your medical history with your doctor. And always consume the medicine as prescribed. If you are a regular user of oxycodone, make sure to take it with all responsibility, don’t skip any dose, or don’t overdose on it.

Opioids are highly addictive. There are several treatments to get rid of the addiction or misuse of oxycodone. Follow those above-mentioned treatment processes like a rehab center, counseling, and naloxone medicine.

So, be careful, if you face any issue like cravings, make sure to consult with your doctor immediately.