Talk:Oxycodone/Archive 1

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I've been on liquid oxycodone, 20 mg/ml, each tiny bottle therefore having 30 ml (600 mg oxycodone) and I've been taking it for several years now at 240 mg each day, so I have accrued a very high level of tolerance. It can be taken either orally (prescribed route) or via IM or IV if you have a syringe, as the medication is 99% pure with no adulterants, BUT it is NOT antiseptic and one will get bacteremia followed by sepsis if done habitually. It's prescribed to chronic pain patients who've been taking moderately large doses of opiates for at least 4-6 months, or fentanyl patches at 125 μcg or greater for 2 months or more, since the liquid format is extremely powerful and acts in seconds and peaks within 30-45, orally and IM. IV is, of course, immediate but not a prescribed method (better if you have a midline or PICC or a Hickman tunneling central catheter as you can use a louis locke syringe very easily). Does anyone know what the formula is that if given a high dosage for many months/years that this tolerance becomes sufficient enough to preclude the CNS and respiratory depressant effects, no matter how much you ingest or inject? Thank you to anyone who knows the answer.

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Stagns677 (talk) 05:03, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

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Dose discussion

40mg is a safe dose of oxycodone? If that is the same amount in a 40mg dose of oxycontin, then that's not true at all. 40mg of oxycontin is dangerous. -Nathan J. Yoder 05:40, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)

The reason why 40mg oxycontin can be considered safe is because oxycontin is a time-released form of oxycodone, all 40mg of the oxycodone don't hit you at once but rather slowly enter your system over a period of roughly 12 hours... --The Way 06:49, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

Safe doses can also vary if the individual has become oxycodone tolerant. --PandaPounce 22:28, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Oxycodone related fatalities are rare. You should probably remove that statement as it misleadingly makes it seem more dangerous then it actually is. -Nathan J. Yoder 05:55, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Oxycodone-related fatalities are on the rise. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.64.14.109 (talk) 20:16, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Is it really appropriate to tell people here what doses to take for recreational use?

Depends how common it is. Such information is readily available online from other outlets. As for Wikipedia, only very common forms of abuse require mention: "Up to 2% of all US citizens report taking doses of 40 mg oxycodone for recreational purposes" - this is encyclopedic. JFW | T@lk 21:34, 16 Oct 2004 (UTC)

If it's commonly medically prescribed, prescription doses should be reported. If it's commonly used for recreation (or self-destruction), those doses should be reported too. The goal of Wikipedia is to be a source of accurate and useful information. It's not our job to decide what people should and shouldn't be putting into their noses, just to inform them as well as possible about all sides of the issue. IMO. - toh 07:24, 2004 Nov 27 (UTC)

It's been pointed out to me that part of the comment above might seem to automatically equate recreational use of oxycodone with self-destructive behaviour. The implication was instead intended to be that medical, recreational, addiction-serving and self-destructive doses can all be relevant information and in fact serve to define what "dose" means for a drug. Use Wikipedia responsibly kids. - toh 19:52, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Citations?

where are these numbers coming from? 50 dollars for an 80mg pill? oxycontin and percocet especially are often given out freely by people with broken limbs. what idiot is paying 400 dollars for a prescription, let alone 50 dollars for 1 pill!?

$50 is definitely payed for 1 80mg pill of oxycontin in many places. Some places even go up to 80$ per pill. It's rediculous, I agree. But it is definitely a cash crop.

At a major university in the miami area, yes students do spend $80 for the 80 milligram, i'm 100% positive. ~Nj9 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.70.209.115 (talk) 19:33, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Street price is 1$ per MG. Beam (talk) 11:31, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

LOL wow those people paying $1/MG are retarded here its $2 or $2.50 MAX for any pill only thing is highest MG oxycontin one can get is 40mg but still $4 or $5 max for 80mg of oxy, i would slap and steal (their stash) if someone tried to sell me 1 pill for $80 i just cant understand how anyone can think or justify that price i mean most ppl whp get scipts from being hurt don't even have to pay for them it's usually under some kinda insurance, anyway keep being dumb and wasting that much money maybe some day i'll buy all the oxy's here for $2 and come there and put all those stupid pill deals outta business $15/80mg oxy! tards LOL —Preceding unsigned comment added by Oxykhadafi (talk • contribs) 18:26, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Street price of $1/MG is common in many regions. Prescriptions are much less expensive. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.64.14.109 (talk) 20:20, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Deadly dose

Anybody knows what is the "deadly dose" of Percocet? —Preceding unsigned comment added by AAAAA (talk • contribs) 07:50, October 13, 2004 (UTC)

There is no specific "deadly dose" of Percocet. However, the acetaminophen that is a part of Percocet (Percocet is a combination of acetaminoiphen and oxycodone]] can be dose limiting because of toxicity to the liver. Andrew73 12:22, 14 October 2005 (UTC)

Acetaminophen (tylenol) kills your liver in large doses, or even at relitivty low dosages if combined with alcohol. Since opiates are water soluable, you can use a process known as cold water extraction to remove most of the acetaminophen. While I dont condone abuse of opiates, some people will anyway, at least they shouldn't kill their livers with a substances they dont even want in their systems.

It is recommended that people taking any form of acetaminophen not to exceed 4 grams in one day. In a typical Percocet, let's say the 5/500 pill, up to 8 pills can be consumed over the period of 24 hours. Even then, this is a lot of acetaminophen to be exposing your liver to. Most people do not realize how serious acetaminophen overdose and liver damage is; the onset of symptoms is extremely slow, and once you realize the next day that it is liver damage/failure caused by excessive amounts of acetaminophen, you are in serious trouble. Keep in mind that much of this also depends on the individual themselves, but it is better to be safe and not take enough, than to cause damage. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.86.164.164 (talk • contribs) 02:04, September 29, 2006 (UTC) -Colin

As far as a deadly dose of oxycodone (the schedule II substance in Percocet/Percodan/Tylow) again this is dependent on the individual. A first time user of oxycodone with no other opiate tolerance could go into respiratory failure from a dose of 50-80mg (this is just an estimate; a really small person might experience respiratory failure at 35-40mg). Be careful not to mix with other CNS depressants, and if you begin to throw up, it's time to stop and evaluate the situation. Get help if you need to. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.86.164.164 (talk • contribs) 02:04, September 29, 2006 (UTC) - Colin

On the subject of abuse - I've seen people have breathing problems off of 20 mg alone (snorted). Base your dosage off of your weight, your length of use and be wary of using if you've had any alcohol or benzos whatsoever. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.86.164.164 (talk • contribs) 02:05, September 29, 2006 (UTC)

How about signing your name to your statements? Did you know that Percocet contains OxyContin? It's only dangerous if you abuse it. --Thoric 21:42, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Oxycontin and Percocets are just trade names. oxycontin and oxycodone are the same thinggggggg oxycodone is just the ingredient, im a pharmacist...( to the posts above and below me) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rofleprosy (talk • contribs) 05:03, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

Percocet contains Oxycodone perhaaps but not OxyContin. It is not clear what you mean by "abuse" or "dangerous" above. The anon poster above is not talking about abuse - he is talking about withdrawal after prescribed use. Like heroin, morphine or any other opiate, there is a physical addiction that makes it difficult to stop using the drug comfortably. Whether the physical withdrawal - which is universally described as horrible, painful, etc. - is "dangerous" is another question, I suppose.--csloat 22:09, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I find your story interesting, as I'm taking precisely the same amount of oxycontin as you report, and if I run out (due to not making an appointment to see my prescriber in time) then I also go through "withdrawal", which I can only describe as a rather light dose of the flu. I make a point of going for a week or two without it every 6 months or so just to see what life is like without it, and for me, the withdrawal effect is minimal. I have to wonder if you are actually being over-prescribed? In my case the oxy only just takes the edge of my chronic pain, and I've heard a theory that if opioids are being all used on pain then they don't contribute much to addiction and being whacked. I have no idea if that's true or not though. I should also mention that I've been taking opioids for pain management for over 6 years now, so I guess that's long enough to get horrid withdrawal type addiction if it's going to happen. Johnpf 07:24, 3 February 2006 (UTC)

Typically a doctor will ween you off of oxycontin to help reduce the withdrawal syptoms. So if you were on 40mg/day, he would reduce it to 20mg/day (by giving you 2-10mg doses), then reduce that to one 10mg/dose or even maybe a couple of percs a day. You probably would still feel some symptons, but not as pronounced.

I'm currently on 300mg of OxyContin, taken daily. I'm also on Actiq (which is a transmucosal Fentanyl) for my cancer pain. Let me tell you- withdrawal from OxyContin is NOTHING compared to withdrawal from Fentanyl. (In my opinion, of course.) I've been on both of these drugs for 3 years. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.159.178.15 (talk • contribs) 17:04, March 24, 2006 (UTC) -Jason Uliano

Opioid dependence is opioid dependence. Your level of dependence matters most as to how bad your withdrawals are; the opiate you took to gain the dependence doesn't matter. The reason some people switch to long-acting opiates to detox is because the withdrawal comes on slower, but it lasts longer. But whether you developed your physical addiction through a long-acting or short-acting opiate, you can detox faster but with more severe withdrawals by switching to a shorter-acting opiate (like fentanyl), or slower but with less severe withdrawals by switching to a long-acting opiate (like methadone). As a side note, if you are trying to detox, it may be a good idea to ask your doctor for some benzos and clonidine to take the edge off.--71.108.173.45 09:38, 2 June 2006 (UTC)

I think that one of the reasons that Fentanyl withdrawl might be worse than Oxycodone is that Fentanyl agonizes specific serotonin receptors as well as opioid receptors... Flying Hamster 19:00, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

An Opioid is a dualistic drug. It has many beneficial values, but when abused it can also have unwanted effects. Remember, dependence and addiction are different things. Dependence is when you need the drug to get by, Addiction is where you want the drug to get high. Most opioid users are dependent, and function perfectly fine when their dose of opioids are present. However, once someone is addicted to an opioid, they will keep increasing their dose chasing after that high which in the end will lead to withdrawal. The best advise I can give is to take just enough to function and possibly feel the slight content opioids bring you, that way, you can maintain the same dose for years. However, if you keep wanting to get high and higher, soon tolerance will develop and you will be digging a hole. If opioids are used right, they can bring happiness to ones life, cure depression and also emotional pain as well as real physical pain. But when one simply wants to keep getting high and higher, is when things go wrong. Doctors need to educate patients on the contentment opioids bring and tell them about different tactics they can use to also enjoy the emotional well being opioids bring as well as the comfortness for physical pain without developing an addiction, but being dependent (remember dependence and addiction are different things). But when patients are not educated on the euphoric , they will lure themselves into addiction by passing dependence. But best thing is try to function without any dependencies in life. Also remember, the withdrawal one might experience can easily be overcome by mind control. You simply should ignore the discomfort and carry on with life. Your mind brings pain. Alot of dental patients refuse any anesthetics when needing dental care simply because they tell their mind to ignore the pain, focusing on different things. --87.194.3.52 19:30, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

I agree with the above, I have been taking fast acting oxy for bouts of pain in my neck which has 4 ruptured discs. If you use it responsibly the drug is truly a great advance in medical technology, it does not have as many adverse effects(for me anyway) as the natural opiates and is very strong. If you are chasing a high and are doing it with great frequency then you are in big trouble. However, some people are subject to addiction more than others and if you are one of those people it might be a good idea to prepare for withdrawal by weaning and some other strategies.--jvman 16:18, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

IV?

When recovering from brain surgery, I was given intravenously what I'm 90% certain the doctors said was Percocet. The article makes no mention of IV administration though, so am I just misremembering the name? Junkyardprince 02:45, 18 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Oxycodone does not have a formulation that can be given intravenously. However, people who abuse oxycodone do give it intravenously. Andrew73 12:21, 14 October 2005 (UTC)

You were probably given a morphine drip in the IV. Often Percocet is given oraly as a post-operative medication for immedate pain relief after IV use is discontinued; typicaly post-opt. medications include Darvon Compound, Darvocet, Morphine-Sulphate, Vicodin, Percocet and Demerol. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dhewlett (talk • contribs) 14:07, April 13, 2006 (UTC)

FYI, there are IV, IM, and PR (suppository) formulations of Oxycodone, but generally not the HCL salt. Most IV solutions are Oxycodone Bitartrate or O. Citrate - although it's not likely you encountered percocet in an IV form. Acetaminophen is toxic to the liver and the possible benefits (fever reducer) don't justify the likely risk of liver/kidney failure.--Legomancer 07:12, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

I've had doctors tell me I was taking something that I was not. They called Adderol Riddilin in the past, and called hydrocodon Vicodin. They call things by popular names often to simplify it for the patient, or possibly to keep them from freaking out. It's possible that she said that as a way of keeping you from getting pure oxycodone if you wanted to seek more after you got out of the hospital. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.78.181.210 (talk • contribs) 15:15, August 3, 2008(UTC)

i just started taking PERCOCET and it is great for pain and sleep. however i noticed when i first started taking it, i was giving me nightmare's i do not have all the other side effects, but this one is a big one because sleep is vital to healing. i tried to do some research on it, but it has not been properly monitored by doctors so there is close to no information it. i have seen people write about it here and there, i think it is freaky.

I've had nightmares just about everytime I've abused oxycodone as well. I thought it was just a coincidence.

Opioids do not cause nightmares. Au contraire, they often cause a blissful apathy when used in supratherapeutic doses resulting in "good" dreams. This euphoric state is often called "Nodding" among abusers. absolutecaliber

The first couple of nights I was on oxycodone, waking up in a confused state caused unpleasant disorientation and gave me disturbed dreams. I got used to it fairly quickly, though.--PandaPounce 03:41, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Dreams are a weird topic, by any classification. Opiates (and many, many, other meds) are known to interrupt "normal" sleep patterns. Absolutecaliber might not personally experience nightmares, but he (?) is in the minority. Anything that effects your brain chemistry can (and will) have wide-reaching influence into seemingly unrelated but geographically similar parts of the brain. Most doctors will give patients at least a brief talking to regarding the different side-effects Oxycodone can have including, but not limited to: nightmares, insomnia, constipation, flatulence, dry/itchy skin, nausea, dry eyes, ringing in the ears, etc. Very few people will experience all of these, and similarly few will experience none of these. As with all chemicals you take into your body - YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY.--Legomancer 07:12, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

Addiction

How much can you get addicted from and how often do you have to do it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Xoxymor0nx (talk • contribs) 22:10, July 12, 2005 (UTC)

you can get addicted by any amount if you take it long enough...a body generally experiences physical dependence after 5-7 days of consistent usage.

It takes much longer than 5-7 days of continuous usage to develope significant physical dependence. In my experience it takes closer to 3 or 4 weeks, possibly more depending on how little or how much you are taking.

I've had weak symptoms of withdrawls after 4 nights of partying lol.

I've been abusing oxy for about a year and a half, and I must say that the withdrawal I experience from using for a long period of time (Even if it's just something like 20-40 mg daily for a few months) is much worse than what I experience from short term use (again, even if it's something like 100-200 mg daily for a week or so). It must also be noted that with long term addicts, the physical withdrawal is a cake walk compared to the crushing depression one goes through. My physical symptoms can be somewhat alleviated (pepto, aspirin, non narcotic painkillers), but the depression lasts weeks or sometimes months. It's at this point that group therapy becomes very helpful.

Numerous studies have contradicted each other. A Japanese study showed that withdrawal symptoms were only observed after 14 days of continuous 3 daily morphine shots in a group of rats. Another study brings the number to 7 days, another study 21 days. The 5 days rule is safe practice. I would personally say it takes close to 14 days to experience any withdrawal symptoms and 21 days for any severe withdrawal symptoms. The problem is many withdrawal symptoms is caused by the mind rather than the drug, because one is expecting withdrawal symptoms, thereby bringing it on. If no one told you opioids cause withdrawal symptoms, there would be no expectation and therefore only severe withdrawal symptoms would become apparent. Coffee has withdrawal symptoms, how many people have gone 4/5 days without coffee after drinking it for a while? Did you notice any withdrawal symptoms? Probably not, because you weren't expecting it, but if you recall, those 4/5 days you might have had episodes of slight fatigue, a slight loss in temper and other unnoticeable withdrawal symptoms which one can easily blame on different circumstances and issues of the day other than the fact they haven't been drinking coffee. I hope this has helped. --87.194.3.52 16:40, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

I have been prescribed Oxycontin 80mg, four times a day. The time release ones. What will happen if I cut one in half and chew it? Is this a safe dosing? I have a high tollerance> I've been taking other medications for 3 years now. Norco, 60mg every 3 hours. My dodtor is trying to switch me to the Oxycontin 80mg every 6 hours. ?I am not getting pain releif. Sometimes, I can feel the medication working, then go away. This sucks. My back hurts!!! Can I crush and swallow these? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.109.252.105 (talk) 01:26, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Oxycontin danger/overdose

Someone may want to write a section on statistics concering danger/overdose.

In addition to the forbes link I re-added to the article, here are two other links with some statistics:

• Statement of Asa Hutchinson Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration Before the House Committe on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary
• General Facts About Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders, Addiction Treatment, and Recovery
• OxyContin - Why DEA Enforcement Is Misguided

Nathan J. Yoder 16:40, 13 September 2005 (UTC) I have been prescribed Oxycontin 80mg, four times a day. What will happen if I cut one of them in half and chw half of it? Is that a salf dose? This time release stuff isn't even helping with a tooth ache. !!! Please help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.109.252.105 (talk) 01:22, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Methadone Clinics

Why is this line here?

"Canadian methadone clinics dispense oral methadone for use only in combination with Tang, an orange-flavored beverage powder, in hopes that it would be taken correctly; however, it was still abused."

Seems more appropriate for a Methadone article.

Agreed - I'm removing the line. If someone else really feels it belongs here there should be some kind of context to Oxy there, other than just "addiction: (in which case why not Serepax, Coffee and Chocolate!!) Johnpf 21:34, 2 June 2006 (UTC)

There is an article at [1] that I strongly disagree with. My father passed away seven years ago. The autopsy declared the death to be caused by natural causes. I know that's not true. My father was 44 with no history of any life threatening diseases or disorders. He was a smoker for ten years, but he quit when I was born and never started again. He rarely drank alcohol, so all in all he was pretty healthy. My father was in a car accidents about two years before his death. He hurt his back very badly. It took him one and a half years to find a doctor who could determine what was wrong with him. I don't know the exact details about the diagnosis. I know that it was a lower back problem, so he had a titanium disc inserted in the problem spot. After the surgery he began a regular dosage of oxycontin and vicodin to regulate pain. He continued on that prescription for almost seven months. He would visit his doctor once a month and a couple times, he asked if he could increase his strength of oxycontin and the doctor approved. He increased it twice more and the doctor said it was ok. When he died, his doctor asked our family if he could receive information from the autopsy. The doctor and my aunt suspected an overdose caused by oxycontin. If he died because of an overdose, it wasn't because of an addiction, it was because of tolerance. I think that drugs as strong as oxycontin should be banned. The tolerance will increase with every patient, and it is just as hard to quit as heroin.

Not quite. See, opiates aren't toxic per se, and death by overdose is due to their effect of slowing respiratory function. HOWEVER, the effect on the respiratory system depends on tolerance. Thus, addicts have been observed to sometimes take as much as HUNDREDS of LD50 fatal doses for nothing but a weak buzz. Someone with significant tolerance is not in fact any more likely than any average person to overdose; on the contrary, someone without tolerance is more likely to accidentally overdose by taking a pill made for chronic pain patients with tolerance. For example, note the mention of the 80 mg Oxy in this article - one such pill could be fatal to anyone without a tolerance. However, tolerance does rapidly decrease after periods of non-use. The primary risk to long-term patients is taking their usual dose after a month without their painkillers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.195.186.70 (talk) 12:43, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

If he had been taking oxycodone for a while then he would of developed some kind of tolerance. But it's extremely unlikely that he would of overdosed on just the dosage prescribed by a doctor. What is possible, and I've had happen myself, is that you can "forget" that you've taken a dose and then take another. For example, I wake up and usually, as soon as I've started up the kettle to make a cuppa, I have an oxycontin. My pain is pretty shocking at this time, and sometimes I'm really pushing to function at all. I've had it where I've forgotten I had a tablet 10 minutes ago and then had another, which makes me pretty high and quite sick. I've also have it quite often where I'll start the day with an oxycontin and an endone, where the endone acts fast and the oxycontine acts slow. I'm pretty sure that if I was to double dose oxycontin and have endone I'd be very very ill.

When you're in terrible pain all the time it's very easy to forget things and to get distracted and confused. This is part of the terrible thing that pain can be. Try to understand as well that when you're living in constant, 24 hour pain your mind can start to do some pretty terrible things. I know personally that opiate medication is instrumental in me not commiting suicide. It's easy to say "Oxy is terrible, too strong and it should be banned", but if you were in 24 hour agony then you'd appreciate that for many of us the only option to proper pain control is to stop the pain in whatever drastic way we can. It sounds like your father may have been under-medicated. I believe that if I were under-medicated, and could not get doctors to prescribe adequate pain relief, or if I was getting guilty about taking pain-killers (this happens due to the "if you take opiates you are an addict and a bad person" messages we get told) then I could easily stop the pain by simple taking 60 oxycontin tablets at once. I'm very confident that would stop my pain forever.

I commiserate with you on your loss, it's never an easy thing to lose a parent. Please remember that he is no longer suffering, and this is a blessing, even though you still hurt. Johnpf 00:23, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm sorry, but there is no reason for opioids to be banned. Oxycontin simply has been underfire from yellow journalism and sensationalist media; all it does is make it harder for those who really need the medicine to be able to live a tolerable life. absolutecaliber

If you live in a country like UK or US autopsies are almost always accurate, and if somebody has tolerance of a drug, they don't overdose so easily. Oxycontin has a higher overdose risk because it is slow acting and you may forget you took it . Oxycodone is less dangerous than heroin, morphine, oxymorphone or hydromorphone. I agree it should be banned because Cannabis and cannabinoids are far superior analgesics because they are safe drugs which don't kill. Methadone also a safer alternative to morphine and thebaine derivatives.

Although Cannabis has some analgesic effects, it does not come remotely close to the effectiveness of morphine or oxycodone for severe pain. Based on my own experiments, the amount of grass that could provide effective analgesia would leave me in a near coma. I can function and have a life with oxy however. Johnpf 21:16, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

Cannabis is far less effective for treating pain than Opioids, THC in cannabis only has mild pain killing properties and does it by very mild activation of selective u1 opioid pathways, whereas opioids fully activate opioid receptors at a far greater degree than any amount of THC could possibly do. Opioids also provide greater pain relief with increase in dosage, where as cannabis seems do not show this property. The pain killing properties of THC also fade away with prolonged use at a faster rate than opioids when cross comparing their effects on u1 opioid receptors in relation to tolerance. Another reason THC is the least desired form of pain management is due to its mentally impairing effects. Patients requiring pain control would want to be able to carry on with daily tasks while on pain management. THC's mental impairment makes it difficult for it to become a pain treatment without limiting the performance of the user, causing short term memory loss and changes of the thought process. Another reason research has favored opioids over any other pain treatment where long term pain management is required, is that it has no serious long term effects except for habituation and possibly tolerance. All other pain treatments pose long term side effects which can prove fatal or damaging. Paracetamol is known to affect the liver in toxic ways when taken long term, Aspirin is known to cause internal bleeding if taken long term at large doses, especially in the elderly, Ibuprofen and NSAIDs are known to degrade the muscle's as well as damage the lining of the stomach and induce kidney problems when used long term, and as for THC, a great number of studies has shown memory impairment, uncontrollable social paranoia which in some cases leads to schizophrenia, mental addiction as well as irreversible brain deformations when used long term. The reason opioids are so widely used is that they can be adminstered long term without much if any side effects as well as their effectiveness in pain management, particularly pain that is bone related, pain resulting from nerve damage, post operative pain, moderate to strong dental pain, burn related pains, phantom pain and emotional pain. The only noting side effects are dependence and tolerance, other than that, there are no other serious side effects with long term opioid use. It is said Cannabis is comparable in strength to paracetamol, but has an unusual pain killing property in MS patients, but its worth to note, even in MS patients, opioids are more effective painkillers than cannabis. --87.194.3.52 16:08, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

THC has not been proven to cause any long-term health effects and as far as irreversible brain damage it is rediculous to claim so without any medical studies cited. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.183.231.96 (talk) 21:01, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Driving

Is it safe to drive while taking OxyContin? If so, at what dosage for the typical adult?

Driving is usualy fairly easy while on recreational doses of pain medication, however its level of safty would be propotional to the amount of experiance that individual had with said medication. Most people who use recreational doses will be familure with "The Nod", where one is very relaxed and can "Nod-off" for a few seconds or minutes. This can happen while driving on high doses and of course can be very dangerous

Is it safe to drive on Oxy? The question is vague, so you get 2 answers:

1) If you're a recreational user, have some damn sense. Set & setting - plan your experience with like-minded people and a trip-sitter who will call 911 if things go awry. Don't involve unconsenting individuals (passers-by on the street, for instance), and don't take unnecessary risks (mixing drugs, taking unknown substances, acting before knowing the full effect you will experience, etc).

2) If you have a medical reason and current prescription for Oxycontin/codone, use your best judgment regarding the safety of others. Everyone who uses opiates for prolonged periods develops some level of tolerance and decreased effects of the drug. The packaging insert warns against driving, operating heavy machinery, etc - until you know how the drug will affect you. So I guess that advice is valid. If you have a history of using the drug, and think you can safely operate a vehicle (even if there's an emergency), then drive. You shouldn't have to add confined to your home to your list of worries. This is assuming you recognize the inherent risk associated with driving under the influence and can handle said risk - a lot of responsibility to be sure.--Legomancer 07:12, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

You really have to use judgment with this sort of thing. Some people prescribed oxycodone can function just fine, and others get so loopy they can barely walk, much less drive. My mother was one such person -- she was prescribed oxycodone during back surgery and literally couldn't stay on the sidewalk when she walked down the street. If you're going to take any prescription medication, it's best to hold off driving until you have a good idea how it affects you. Never just assume you'll be fine. 206.194.127.112 (talk) 22:47, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

Changed first word in the article from oxytocin to OxyContin

Remoxy

I've toned down the comments on Remoxy and "Pain Therapeutics Inc". I'm still uncomfortable with the paragraph though. Should it even be there? I'm not convinced it's not some kind of advertising. I find the implication in the original version that those who use oxy for treatment of pain to be somehow connected to the abuse issues to be a bit wierd. As someone who uses oxy for chronic pain, the last thing I want is to (1) lose my scripts and authority by dealing drugs so that I have to live without pain relief and (2) abuse the drug so my tolerance increases hence increasing my dosage when I have a lifetime of needing pain relief ahead of me. Johnpf 15:36, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

There are other opioid pain treatments in clinical trials, so I don't think this one deserves mention over the others. I think it was added for advertisement purposes (the same editor also created an article for the company).--Ed (Edgar181) 15:43, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

So does anyone have any good reasons why the reference to Remoxy shouldn't be removed? Johnpf 02:43, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

Not advertising. I don't work for the company, but have followed it as an MD because I think it could really change the way pain med is administered in the future. Right now, pain is drastically undertreated in this country because of great fears of addiction. A product like this could very well address this problem. Maybe a different paragraph, maybe somewhere else. Anyways, edit away if necessary. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Drnanotech (talk • contribs) 21:23, June 20, 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps you could provide some references to justify your belief, beyond just "I think it could really change the way pain...". Note that you shouldn't refer to stuff that's not legal to put here btw - if your information is c-i-c you'd need permission from the Remoxy people to include it. And you should also keep in mind that the readers are not just in the USA. As an aside, have you ever considered that the problem with under-medication of pain in the US is due to your profession letting political ideologues dictate medical policy? I ask this as I experienced the horror on a pharmacist's face when I asked for over-the-counter codiene in california - it was as if I'd asked for a weight of smack - I was told to "leave now or I'm calling the police!" in La Jolla of all places. I was amazed when I found out what the regulations are in the USA - no wonder people can't get adequate pain treatment and then end up over-using the big-gun pain killers!! Johnpf 14:04, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

"Wash off the coating"

There is a line in the Oxycontin bit where it says users "wash off the coating and crush the tablets" to defeat the time release mechanism. Just after that, it says the coating isn't actually the time release. Which is it?

Also, out of curiosity, what preparation would one need to take to snort Oxycontin. Do you just crush it into powder or do you "wash it off" or what?Roland Deschain

For example, Purdue Pharma makes OxyContin pills in 4 sizes; 10, 20, 40 and 80. The 10's are coated white, the 20's coated pink, 40's yellow and 80's green. On one side of the pill the dosage is imprinted (10/20/40/80) and on the other side, for Purdue Pharma, there is an imprint of OC or ABG (the ABG is a pill made by Purdue Pharma for Watson). If one were to snort these pills, this is what they would do; either put the pill in their mouth and use the tongue and saliva to wash off the coating, or using a wet paper towel and rubbing the pill between the fingers and the paper towel. Either way, the user should dry the pill before crushing it. After crushing into a fine powder, it can best be snorted. The reason for taking off the coating is to keep less stuff from going up the nose that isn't oxycodone. If you didn't want to snort the pill, you could put it in your mouth with the coating and chew it up really well to destroy the time release; the oral bioavailability is higher than when oxycodone is snorted. Just remember that destroying the coating is dangerous, and not recommended. - Colin

It is crushed. (absolutecaliber)

Colin, you my friend are completely WRONG. The outercoating is not the time release. The outer coating is just an indicator of what dosage of pill it is. The time-realease is embedded within the contents of the pill, and therefore one could safely remove JUST the outercoating, and swallow the whole pill, and effectively recieve the time-released oxycodone. If one wants to effectively remove the time release coating, the only safe way to remove it is to thoroughly crush the pill into a fine powder, and insufflate it (snort it). -Blake

Blake- You are pretty much right BUT it is just as effective to wipe the coating off and chew the pill and it will hit you full force. Actually you do not even have to wipe off the coating for that. But yes I also believe the BEST way to use it is the either snort or inject. This particular drug is not any different when you inject instead of snort though, in my opinion. -Weztside

Added Symptom

I added itchiness because a rash doesn't appear in all cases. Sometimes it's just the sensation to itch. Not only did I notice that myself, but other patients have recorded the same symptoms. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Youknowthatoneguy (talk • contribs) 00:05, August 25, 2006 (UTC)

I also wanted to add that the withdrawl affects are horendous. If you are an avid user of oxycontin you know the effects of not having any after a weeks of using everyday. You're body becomes very sore and achy almost like a really bad flu, you are constanty yawning and sneezing for 2-3 days. Forget about getting any sleep...the only thing that works in keeping the withdrawl symtoms at bay is methedone and good luck finding that, unless prescribed by a doctor. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.196.77.200 (talk • contribs) 10:59, December 16, 2006 (UTC)

you are right but dont forget about anxiety thats a long term side effect as well not just from oxy but perks do it to not nearly as bad though its usually only really bad when you crush and swallow it gives severe anxiety after about 4 to 6 months of doing it you get panic attacks almost everytime you take it and after you cross that line even just swallowing them whole which usually sucks after crushing for so long you still have them attacks trust me dont crush and swallow snorting is probally better than that i dont like taking it at all oxy will ruin you no matter what and if you become dependant you will for the rest of your life think about oxy whether you control it or not {{Subst:unsigned|71.226.197.122|01:06, 2 November 2007 (UTC) [ WierdJohn 02:50, 2 November 2007 (UTC)]

This itchiness is a side-effect of most opioids and is due to their effect on mast cells (a type of white blood cell). Opioids act on mast cells to cause the release of histamine, which then acts on histamine receptors around your body to cause an itch. Lots of people think that they are allergic to opioids because they get itchy, but it's actually just a side-effect. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pharmajane (talk • contribs) 04:10, January 30, 2007 (UTC)

Hated_Loved Drug

There r too many young lives that r beeing distroyed by Oxy. Somebody has to do something about that.I had never touch Oxy's until My best friend and at the same time the father of my unborn baby girl past away april 04 at the age of 25. The baby was born in nov perfectly healthy. Since then ive had multiple friends that past away from the same thing. This pain pills need 2 be administrated and prescribed with more caution. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.190.157.94 (talk • contribs) 08:39, August 31, 2006 (UTC)

^you need to get your priorities straight lady. stop complaining about "the young lives that r beeing distroyed by Oxy" and spend your time learning to write complete sentences and spell words correctly. people of below-average inteligence don't deserve to have an opinion, let alone the right to vote. although i guess if you tried oxycontin for the first time with your friend while you were pregnant and your husband magically droped dead at the same time, only for the same rediculous situation to happen twice more to your friends, then that would be a story worth putting off grade school for so that you could tell all the concerned citizens on wikipedia. prohibition of drugs and alcohol is unconstitutional (in america at least). anyone who thinks they have the right to tell others what they can and cannot do with their own bodies doesn't even deserve the freedom to voice that opinion. so many people adopt these facist mentalities because they are unable/unwilling to decide right and wrong for themselves and think that regurgitating what they hear from the media is an appropriate solution to their own lack of moral understanding. evolve before you get us all killed.

What are they supposed to do. Just be like; Doctor: "Now you aren't going to sell these to kids who want to get high are you?" and if you're trying to make a point and want people to take you seariously try spelling out are.

Oxycontin can be used/abused, it's people who are stupid enough to take insanely high dosages that overdose. They deserve to overdose if they are dumb enough to take insanely unrealistic doseages. I believe Oxycontin as well as EVERY other drug (including Heroin/Meth/Ecstasy) should be over-the-counter, and if countless overdoses from ignorant and stupid people occur..well that's just called population control. Smart, and even non-stupid people can safely and effectively use and even abuse drugs for an overall postive result. They should not be punished for the stupidity of the 2% of the world's population of stupid overdosers. In reality, who gets to decide what we put in our own body? We do. The restriction of drugs is protective of the aforementioned 2% of dumb individuals, which leaves the other 98% of the world recieving the punishment (drug-restriction) as a result.

There are drugs which can seriously affects ones mental state of being and also make one less functional, and there are drugs when used correctly can actually bring comfort to their lives. An Opioid can bring some comfort to someones life if used correctly, and most opioid users function fine when they take their daily dose, as their mental thinking is not affected. However, with drugs such as marijuana, ecstasy and lsd, one can permanently damage his/her brain, way of thinking and cause a dull future. Imagine opioids being like nicotine, which does not severly affect how someone can perform in their lives as long as the drug is there. So personally, things which does not affect your performance too much, should be over the counter. But drugs that can cause mental destruction such as marijuana and ecstasy should be banned. Addiction and dependence should not be an issue, since it is easy to get addicted to anything in life, including sex, chocolate and fastfood. Therefore, drugs should be controlled on the basis how much they affect ones performance and ability to live a life without the question of addiction or dependence. The safest opioid is codeine, due to its ceiling effect, high euphoria to sedation ratio and general ability to go without it, i would suggest heavy opioid users to ween themselves onto codeine.

Marijuana destroys your brain??? Since when??? I know this is just that talk page, but can you please site your source? Thanks.

You can suggest codeine all you want, but for my pain condition I may as well pop jelly beans as take codeine. OxyContin is not an evil drug. It does not significantly impair my cognitive function. By taking the edge off the pain I live with it probably has extended my lifespan by a good 30 to 40 years. Johnpf 21:38, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I don't think he or she said Oxycontin is evil, but I think he meant people who have opioid dependence (non-medical users) should try to ween themselves onto codeine. Marijuana is well documented to cause brain damage/changes. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/2/newsid_2540000/2540141.stm - there are many other studies aswell, and some even saying Marijuana doesn't cause brain damage, but what is 100% proven is that marijuana does change a humans way of thinking, whether for the better or worse is up for question. You should also know, marijuana users have higher rates of schizophrenia. Also, the word "damage" is the problem, marijuana does cause changes in the brain, but whether they should be classified as "damage" or just changes is also another argument. Hope this has helped.--78.86.117.164 17:32, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

I hate to break to break it to you but the article you are citing was one from the 1970's. Though it is still debatable, more studies show that there are no DEFINITIVE long term health causes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.183.231.96 (talk) 21:15, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Percodan, Endodan, Roxiprin

Percodan, Endodan, and Roxiprin are combinations of oxycodone with acetylsalicylic acid, otherwise known as aspirin. Someone changed this to acetaminophen but this was a mistake, so I changed it back. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cstimler (talk • contribs) 23:28, October 11, 2006 (UTC)

Edit help

Because oxycodone is highly regulated, when acquired illegally it is quite expensive. Black market prices in Washington, DC, and Portland, Maine, for example, have been reported to reach upwards of one dollar per milligram. In parts of Kentucky, particularly in Appalachia, nearly $1.25/mg. Legally acquired OxyContin is however rather expensive, costing as much as 400 US dollars for a normal month supply. Again, in mid-2006, brand-name or similar-quality generic (e.g., Watson, Purdue) eighty-milligram tablets sold for approximately twelve dollars whereas low-end generics (e.g., the above-referenced "footballs") scarcely pushed three dollars.

That paragraph is very screwed up. I am not sure if they mean illegally it is inexpensive, and there is no above referenced footballs. Also the order seems to be messed up, for me.

Down here in Sarasota, Florida a 10mg tablet of Oxycodone is $5 on the street. They aren't very expensive lol. OxyContin however is about $50 for a 40mg tablet.

there isnt an official street price for oxycodone its for whatever the person who stole it from whoever wants to sell it for. or depending on the co-pay of the patient who purchased it who would sell it accordingly to make a profit. —Preceding unsigned comment added by XJFACx (talk • contribs) 23:10, March 5, 2007 (UTC)

XJFACx (the user who wrote the above 2 paras) you should know that it's people like you who make life harder for people like me who take Oxy just in order to not jump in front of a train. You think it's a cheap way of getting high, but to we who suffer unending pain it's onje of the few things we have that give us a chance at a (somewhat) normal life. Everytime someone ODs on Oxy from partying, that's another hoop we have to jump through to get the medication that gives us and our families some kind of hope. Johnpf 13:01, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

To the user who posted 'it's people like you who make life harder for people like me who take oxy, just in order to not jump in front of a train. You think it's a cheap way to get high, but to we who suffer unending pain it's one of the few things that give us a chance at a (somewhat) normal life. Everytime someone ODs on Oxy from partying, that's another hoop we have to jump through to get the medication that gives us and our families some kind of hope. Johnpf 13:01, 6 March 2007 (UTC)'

I would just like to say, that Oxycodone is also a way for people who lead stressful and hectic lives with bouts of depression nearly 24/7, Oxycodone can also give a sense of relaxation and euphoria, that can temporarily allow those people to get 'high', and forget about the normal confines of reality for a few minutes, Oxycodone should NOT be given to just those in pain, as we are all the master's of our own bodies, and therefore should be allowed to take whatever we need to make ourselves better. Just because people like YOU who and I note (not always), but usually get hurt doing something incredibly stupid, that believe you're the only ones who should be able to use these powerful narcotic pain relievers, when in reality you should be in the hospital. In conclusion: If others want to use drugs, why do you care? People in pain have no superiority over being able to use drugs, than those of us who keep ourselves out of pain and healthy through our own cautious behaviors. So don't complain that 'drug users' make life harder for you. Sure it may cause overdosing in those who take it without a doctor monitoring their usage, but those are only people who are too dumb to take moderate doses. Everyone should be allowed to use the same drugs as everyone else. Deal with it. In my opinion EVERY drug should be available over-the-counter, and those who are stupid enough to not read the instructions, should suffer the consequences. Those who are intelligent enough to be smart about drug usage would find it extremely helpful to help us relax / help us relieve stress, and give us a nice euphoric state of mind for a few hours. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.105.15.118 (talk • contribs) 07:14, July 30, 2007 (UTC) –Blake

I have a genetic condition that prevents my body from making collagen correctly. My body deteriorates a little bit each day. I know many people like myself who suffer chronic conditions that are no fault of their own. The list of people that take this drug post-op is crowded with people with conditions or injuries that are also no fault of their own. For a long time I resisted starting pain medication because I am terrified of addiction, and I'm afraid of whether my pain will be able to be continuously effectively treated for the many decades I have left. But when the pain destroyed my sleep to the point that my health was significantly suffering, I started taking Oxycodone ER at the lowest dose I could obtain. The difference was incredible. It takes the edge off enough that I can sleep and heal each night. However, my wonderful doctor failed to mention how difficult it is to refill my prescription. I just spent a couple nights with no sleep worth speaking of because it is more difficult to refill than any other drug I've ever taken, to several orders of magnitude. I don't think I should spend the rest of my life in a hospital. I think I have the right to live as fully and as happily as I can manage. There are separate medications for depression, anxiety, or any other psychological condition I could name. Oxycodone is a analgesic, it's designed to reduce physical pain. Even some illegal drugs, such as pot, seem better suited to deal with the problems you describe. I don't think you're a bad person for using Oxycodone recreationally, but you do, in fact, make my life a little bit harder. --PandaPounce 23:40, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks Panda. I think that other poster misunderstood what I was saying. I don't take Oxy from "get hurt doing something incredibly stupid" but from a MRSA infection acquired in Hospital, which caused some major nerve damage. About 70% of Chronic Pain sufferers who are under medicated attempt suicide. In that sense Oxy helps stop me from stopping pain by tragic and desperate measures. Every month I have to jump through hoops just to get my scripts filled, as you do. Last May the regulations changed again here (in Australia), and I had to go and get a whole lot of extra opinions, even though I've been taking Oxy for some years now, have a permanent authority to acquire and possess Oxy, and have never got a script from anyone other than my pain specialist and my GP (who has been granted authority to prescribe for me every month. Every time there's another public "Oxycontin is a terrible dangerous drug that turns people into raving junkies" statement by the illinformed things get harder for us. It probably is like that as a recreational drug. Personally I'd like to see a few of the drug abusers die off, it would improve the gene pool. Johnpf 01:09, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Guys, I said 'not always' as far as it 'being your fault for being in chronic pain', I understand that alot of people like you two are in chronic pain for something that is not your fault. When I made that statement I was referring to people who for example get in car crashes because they were driving under the influence of alcohol, and therefore are in chronic pain. I know that drug abusers make things harder for people who need prescription Oxycodone; however,think about it this way. If every single person on the planet used OxyContin twice a year, and never exceeded say..10mg in dosages - Would anyone be dead from overdosing? No. A few people might die from say - allergic reactions. I was simply stating, that there are more annual deaths from things such as alcohol, lung cancer (tobacco related), and other drugs that are used legally. My belief is that if people used these drugs safely, then we wouldn't even NEED to schedule drugs, and everyone would have access to them. Why shouldn't we be able to use them? I suffer (and have been diagnosed by a psychiatrist) from depression, which makes me just as liable as chronic pain sufferers to 'jump in front of a train', or 'comitting suicide', and I know that when I had my wisdom teeth removed, and was taking Vicodin (hydrocodone - which has very similar effects to oxycodone, only a bit milder.) for the pain related to the surgery, that my mood was significantly improved, and I loved every moment I was on it. Yes there are anti-depressants that are used to treat depression, but to be honest they work very ineffectively. I do understand that drug ABUSERS make things difficult for all of the chronic pain sufferers, but not everyone who uses Oxycodone recreationally is an ABUSER. There is responsible and irresponsible drug usage. Think about social drinking, and alcoholics. Social drinkers don't get flamed the same way alcoholics do, because they don't let alcohol take over or negatively impact their lives. Alot of Oxycontin users choose to use Oxycontin very rarely, for example once every 1-2 months, and in VERY moderate dosages (20mg). I know that if I took 20mg of Oxycontin it would not kill me. I would bet $10,000,000 that 20mg monthly-bimonthly would not kill me (unless perhaps I choked on the pill or something xD). Please forgive me if it seemed as if I was flaming you guys, I was not intending too, I was just expressing my frustration at the fact that since I am allergic to alcohol, and find tobacco to be nauseating, that opioids are really the only opportunity I have at chemically relieving stress, and that it IS possible to use opioids responsibly, without making things harder for chronic pain sufferers. -Blake

Opioids do seriously help with depression. Most people who take prozac, and other serotonin inhibitors, say it simply makes them feel like a robot, without being able to control their emotions. Opioids are the real anti-depressants, the natural anti-depressant and yes it is not only an analgesic, it is also an anti-depressant due to its effects on the dopamine system leading to contentment and general feeling of well being. Most people depressed are depressed because of negative issues in their lives. Most young people taking prozac and similar anti-depressants get suicidal tendencies, and some go as far as killing themselves. And the general attitude of people who use drugs such as prozac is that they feel robotic and emotionally synthetic. Pot or marijuana infact increases depression, and makes most users introverts and anti-social, opposite to what you have suggest Panda. I can understand why people might use opioids for depression having spoken to many users. I come from a culture where opium use is generally accepted as long as it is used instrumentally, and generally by the elderly and people in pain (natural opium that is). But the way I understand it from talking to others, is if you maintain a dose, you can enjoy its contentment, but if you keep wanting to get higher and higher you will build a tolerance and dig your self a hole. I would rather see something natural being given for people to releive both emotional and physical pain than man made synthetics such as Prozac or tramadol. The safest opioid is codeine, due to its ceiling effect, high euphoria to sedation ratio and general ability to go without it, i would suggest heavy opioid users to ween themselves onto codeine. However, best thing is to not be dependent on anything in life, not even a word, and practice mind control. It is when you end joy, you will really enjoy. God bless. --87.194.3.52 20:04, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

Chemistry

The information about 14-cinnamyl esters is incorrect and also found in the oxymorphone chemistry section. If you search you will find absoulutely no research/evidence to support that. Furthermore, cinnamyl is not a carboxylic acid group so it cannot form an ester with the hydroxyl group in oxymorphone. It would form a cinnamyl ether. I believe there is evidence that an acetyl ester (at least in the -3 or -6 position) increases potency about 2-3x by increasing its transfer blood brain barrier (I think due to acetyl groups polarity)before an enzyme reconverts to the hydroxyl (i.e. heroin->morphine via esterase i think). This may or may not be true at the -14 position (i.e. I dont think 14-acetyloxycodone has been studied). 114x potency sounds made up. Should be removed. -Junky gettin a PhD—Preceding unsigned comment added by 144.92.229.97 (talk • contribs)

Regulation

Have clarified the section regarding regulation of oxycodone prescribing in Australia to remove confusion over State and Federal roles and expanding on record keeping at the point of sale. 59.167.18.189 11:46, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

I WAS A USER AND ABUSER OF OXYCONTIN!!

I had a motorbike crash and ended up with severe lower back pain. I tried to withhold the pain to myself but was not able too! I visited the local hospital where I was prescribed Oxycontin! I had a genuine reason for needing Oxycontin as after many xrays and tests I was to be told of my broken vertabrae and of my disc being without fluid, which I was born with! I was prescribed 20mg twice a day with Endep 50mg twice a day, Endep being an Antidepressent! I was in alot of pain. I couldn't work and stayed home. I found the pain was getting managable however being on these drugs was takeing my motivation away! I was also smoking Pot which I had done for the previous 20 years and still had a good career and house ,family etc! Love to have a smoke after work and water my garden! After a few months I started to chew my Oxycontin and started to enjoy the rush that I would get. I only would chew them from that moment on! I would chew 2X 20mg tablets together and would feel ,high and low! I think it depends on what you are doing at the time. I found it took about 20 minutes to really get the sweats up and to "be out there"! But of course "being out there" comes with a price, and not financial, well not for the high anyway as I was buying 60 tablets for $4.80!!! Yes thats correct! When I ran out I came down hard and would suffer severe diahrea .depression, anger and mood changes! I became antisocial and didnt even want to go out! I abused my wife lost my friends and ruined my life! In the end I ranaway from my country of birth just to escape the easy access to Oxicontin! I did it hard getting off the Oxy's but after 3 weeks I felt heaps better. I havn't used for 4 months now and have lost weight , which I put on heaps whilst on the Oxy's, and in turn my back pain has reduced by at least 90%! I have always been a recreational drug user and believe being on the Oxy's was the worst drug I was ever to depend on! You are safer to get a xtc pill from a stranger in a club than take what a doctor will give you!! And to the Doctors who just prescribe Oxycontin without much thought, you should be ashamed! Very addictive and Very addictive! And I'm not a Doctor but I believe prescribing Oxy's for back pain should be reconsidered as I think it promotes weight gain and relaxes muscles which puts more strain on the vertebrae and therefore has a reverse result.I should mention that I dont blame the Doctors as I was the one who chose to abuse it however I didnt decide to use it!! This is not a story , Please dont ruin your life !!

User above : ADDICTION IS A STATE OF MIND. WEAK MINDED PEOPLE WILL GET ADDICTED. PLEASE DO NOT POST THAT IT WILL RUIN A STRONG-MINDED PERSON'S LIFE. THIS IS NOT TRUE. A MORE HELPFUL IDEA WOULD BE FOR DOCTORS TO PREVENT WEAK-MINDED PEOPLE FROM USING OXYCONTIN! Weak-minded people in pain should be in the hospital with morphing i.v. drips, where a doctor can prevent their weak-minded abusage of Oxycontin, whereas prescriptions can be safely and effectively written for strong minded people like myself and countless others.

If you was strong minded, you wouldn't smoke pot. The problem is doctors not educating users on how to go by the emotional well being opioids bring without developing an addiction. When people are left to discover this for themselves, they end up taking more and more like a child left with chocolate. But if the dad said only take 2 bars a day, otherwise your teeth will rott, you will get fat and also find it hard not to eat them, eat two bars a day that way you can enjoy the taste without getting fat etc. By the way, opioids can cause and increase back pain when NOT taken or when the user ends up building a heavy tolerance, so that decrease of 90% is questionable as it might have resulted from your increasing tolerance and your withdrawal period which now have subsided and the bodies own endorphines have filled the opioid receptors in the back vertebrate. However, when the dose is kept, responsibly, it will infact, decrease your back pain by 90%. Also, opioids do not relax the muscles as you have mentioned. An opioid is not an muscle relaxant. Your thoughts that it relaxes the muscle's are illusional due to the opioid effect on the central nervous system. It will make your body feel relaxed not because it actually relaxes the muscles, but because it numbs the nerves, metaphorically speaking, that go to different parts of your body. Things like diazepam relax the muscle, and the feeling is more of sloppiness than relaxation. Opioids are not good, but can be beneficial for some. People really need to be told about how to tackle the urges to get more high and be trained on how to keep doses so they can enjoy both the emotional well being and pain control long term without dose increases. The safest opioid is codeine, due to its ceiling effect, high euphoria to sedation ratio and general ability to go without it, i would suggest heavy opioid users to ween themselves onto codeine. Staying free from dependencies, both physical, mental and habitual is the goal of humans. A word can even become a habit. Mind control. --87.194.3.52 20:30, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

Pretty sure about my edit, but...

I added that oxycodone isn't as powerful as morphine or heroin. Once again, I'm pretty sure this is true, but I still probably need something to back it up with. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.6.5.15 (talk) 04:01, 13 March 2007 (UTC).

The potency ratios for oxycodone vary. The manufacturers in the UK claim it is twice as potent as morphine, but in reality studies show a range, with an average of 1.5, ie oxycodone is 1.5 - 2 times as potent as morphine. Diacetylmorphine (heroin) is slightly more potent than morphine, but the difference is small and it is likely that oxycodone is a little more potent than diacetylmorphine. --Claud Regnard 22:40, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Oxycodone is only classified as a 'moderately potent' narcotic (heroin and morphine are classified as 'highly potent'). It may or may not be as potent as either morphine or heroin, depending on the route of administration. Orally, oxycodone is more potent than both morphine and heroin, however, parenterally, morphine and heroin are more potent.

Well, technically, diacetylmorphine has zero potency. Heroin seems more potent because it easily enters the brain, where it is rapidly converted to morphine, giving the user a rush. But either way, potency is a very difficult thing to measure objectively. For some, oxycodone is considerably more potent than morphine, and for others, not so much. 206.194.127.112 (talk) 22:58, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

As an abuser for two years, let me tell you that morphine does not even begin to compare to oxy. When I'm out of oxycontin, I will sually purchase morphine to stave off withdrawal. I need to take about 120 mg of morphine (orally, with the 12 hour time release still intact) compared to 40 mg (snorted) of oxycontin in order to achieve the same effect. Heroin, when slammed or snorted, can give me the same rush as oxy with as little as 30-40 mg. When tested, a gram of heroin around here is about 30% actual heroin. - Never

A bit of a problem with the history...

There is no citation for it. I've never seen any of that information anywhere. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.6.5.15 (talk) 00:34, 2 April 2007 (UTC).

"Misuse or long-term medical use of the drug can cause temporary impotence as well as a significant prostate enlargement in men."

There does not appear to be a citation for this side effect and I have not been able to find any further information on this subject. Can someone please verify whether or not this is true.

24.109.42.185 05:39, 9 May 2007 (UTC)PhrAil

OxyContin Abuse is Quite Well Documented

I think we should remove the tag that claims the abuse section is not verified. OxyContin abuse is extremely well documented. Has anybody heard of Rush Limbaugh? I'm sure we can find all kinds of evidence for this. It destroys families, especially those families that are already prone to addiction, drug-related violence, and/or many other forms of criminality. How can an article section that is so highly verifiable be called original research? The internet is replete with examples such as this [2] Putting together the necessary sources should be no problem for us here. Qworty 03:20, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

Doctor Shopping in Australia

The sentence:

As such there are professional "Doctor shoppers" making a tidy profit each week from OxyContin.B

Has no references and is unsubstantiated. In addition it is rendered unlikely due to the mechanisms, below, in place to detect Doctor Shopping.

In Australia a General Practitioner can prescribe for short term treatment without consulting another practitioner or government body. Ongoing treatment requires approval from their state Health Department.

Only twenty tablets are normally available per prescription on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, Australia's government-funded pharmaceutical insurance system. Prescriptions for larger quantities require prior approval from Medicare Australia. These prescriptions (i.e. for chronic pain or cancer patients) require the prescriber to have referred the patient to another medical practitioner to confirm the need for ongoing treatment with narcotic analgesics.

Pharmacists must record all incoming purchases of oxycodone products, and maintain a register of all prescription sales for inspection by their state Health Department on request. In addition details of all Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme prescriptions for oxycodone are sent to Medicare Australia. This data allows Medicare Australia to assist prescribers to identify doctor-shoppers via a telephone hotline.

The initial doctor shopping statement should be removed unless a cite is provided to Medicare figures.

At the minimum the words "professional" and " tidy profit" are not neutral. If any statement is to remain it should read something like:

It has been alleged that there are persons doctor shopping on Australia's Gold Coast and selling OxyContin.B Tim O'Leary 16:14, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Oxyxodone in system

Hi There...

How long does 5 mg of Oxycodone stay in your system? I had a Thyroidectomy recently and also got a new job that requires a drug test and want to know how it will affect the drug test.

Let me know.

Many thanks.

Sarah

Sarah, the article claims it is detectable in urine for 4-5 days, but I have no idea if this is true. Perhaps you should get a medical certificate explaining your situation if you are concerned - you can't be the first person in this situation. I hope you get well soon, Johnpf 20:03, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

It slightly depends if you have developed a tolerance, how often you take the 5 mg, how long you have been taking oxycodone and so on. But that is for an precise answer, generally 24-48 hours for it to be detected in the urine, 24 - 72 hours for a blood test, since the effects of the last tablet has worn off. The 5 days in this article is absurd, especially for a urine test. 5 days possibly in the worst case scenario, but as a physician, I can confidently say I have not heard of any opioid being detected past 3 days in a urine test, not even a thebaine derivative such as this. Drink plenty of water, excercise as it will generally help.

Also of note is that, depending upon the screening method used, oxycodone may not be detected if used in low doses. With many immunoassay kits, oxycodone has a very low cross-reactivity. 206.194.127.112 (talk) 23:01, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

Will taking Oxycodone start to make your teeth brittle.

I have been taking oxycodone plus other pain meds now for 3 + years and allf a sudden i have some of my teeth break off. Normally my teeth were very strong. anyone else have this problem

yeah but for me it only came after 3 + years of smoking crack. although maybe its all the stds i have from whoring out my body for all the crack i smoke. good luck and happy crack smoking! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.228.114.29 (talk) 11:50, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

street names and slang

For the purposes of preventing abuse of oxycodone, especially by youth, a list of street slang refering to illicit use would be very helpful. Thanks166.70.240.252 20:40, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

Since street names vary by location, I'll give you some of the slang names I've used and heard here in Orange County and LA - Oxy, OC, Orange Crush, Orange County, Maintenance, 40s, 80s, Greens, ABGs, and my personal favorite, starter heroin.

Eukodol?

The original german brand name was Eukodal, by Merck Darmstadt. I therefore change the brand name given in the very first sentence.--84.163.112.11 18:56, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

Merging and original research

The Illicit use and recreational use sections should be combined as they are essentially the same. Wikipedia editing guidelines need to be reviewed so that the introduction to this article is short, concise and a paragraph or two at the most. The remaining info needs to be moved to relevant sections or should be removed.

Further the amount of original research and unverified (or sourced) claims must be heavily edited. If a statement cannot be backed up with verifiable and valid source then it does not belong in an encyclopedia, especially absolute garbage like this: " Black market prices in Washington, DC, and Portland, Maine, for example, have been reported to reach upwards of one dollar per milligram, though it is more typical to pay $50 for an 80-milligram tablet on the streets of Washington. In parts of Kentucky, particularly in Appalachia, the cost is nearly $1.25/mg (its popularity in this region giving OxyContin the slang term "hillbilly heroin")."

Unless there are valid, verifiable sources to backup these claims and figures, it must be truncated entirely. Nja247 (talk • contribs) 21:33, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Oxycodone vs. OxyContin, Percocet

The contents of the page oxycodone should be separated into several different pages. The main reason for splitting the page up is the difference between oxycodone and OxyContin, which is unclear as the page is now. Oxycodone is a drug and OxyContin is a pill. Some other pages that separate the substance and medicine are morphine and MS Contin, fentanyl and Actiq/Duragesic, methamphetamine and Desoxyn, and amphetamine and Adderall. A new page for "OxyContin" should be created and should contain information specifically about OxyContin as a pharmaceutical. A new page for Percocet should be made and should cover Endocet, Roxicet, and Tylox. Percodan is already a separate page and should cover Endodan and Roxiprin. A page for Roxicodone would also be useful. Additionally, Combunox, Endone, OxyIR, OxyNorm, Percolone, OxyFAST, Supeudol, Proladone, Eukodol/Eucodol, and Dinarkon could all be made into their own pages if there is enough info. Images of each medication along with info on dosage, time release, availibility, etc. are a good place to start. Doing this will also help to clear up the oxycodone page. An alternative to making a bunch of new pages would be to make OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan, and Roxicodone sections as part of the oxycodone page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Davidlawrence (talk • contribs) 07:08, August 9, 2007 (UTC)

DJM -- I agree -- Percodan and OxyContin should be separate pages given the unique history of each. 71.141.242.199 (talk) 03:19, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

The two prescription drugs are often used for two totally different conditions. Percodan/Percocet are short term conditions and the abuse potential is much lower. I am against the merge. --DizFreak ^{talk Contributions} 06:15, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

FWIW, I agree that we need to be careful in separating the discussions of Oxycodone and OxyContin. As noted, Oxycodone is the basic drug, while Oxycontin is a specific delivery formulation designed to provide a long acting dose of Oxycodone.

Likewise, the Percodan and Percocet discussions should remain separate from the Oxycodone discussion. Both Percodan and Percocet are combination drugs that utilize Oxycodone as the basic opiod painkiller while mixing in another drug such as asprin or tylenol, respectively. Merging the discussion of the combinational drug delivery formulations with the Oxycodone article can lead to confusion, particularly when it comes to discussing dosages. -- Danny - E-Mail - Danny Weiss 02:04, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Since Percodan/Percocet is a mixture of acetaminophen and oxycodone I would say no dont merge it. Not the same thing. -OSA

Slang

Is there someway that the slang term for the drug "Hillbilly Heroin" can be incorporated? It is in common use. 70.53.130.246 21:58, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

Outcome

I added an update on the patent litigation, as there was a 180 done by the Federal Appeals court. Bob Herrick 22:59, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

I can see that the change was undone on the basis that this was not relevant to the article. This is not clear to me since the insert in effect corrected an incomplete statement as to the status of civil litigation with repsect to the patent held by PP. As it stands now, the article states the patent status incorrectly. I have asked the reverter for an explanation and will await the reply. Bob Herrick 16:49, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Simply incorporate verifiable citations to collaborate that the text you're inserting is in fact true. Nja247 (talk • contribs) 17:36, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Sorry for the "lol", but LOL. I did. You deleted them too.Bob Herrick 18:31, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

Ah. I see the issue is that the links have moved on. This is the deleted paragraph with links restored:

On February 1, 2006 the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a revised decision that affirmed-in-part, vacated-in-part, and remanded in part their prior decision. The court concluded "The trial court's judgment that the patents-in-suit are unenforceable due to inequitable conduct is vacated, and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. The trial court's judgment of infringement is affirmed." Purdue Pharma LP has since announced resolution of its infringement suits with Endo (August 28, 2006), Teva (October 19, 2006), and IMPAX (May 25, 2007). Endo and Teva each agreed to cease selling generic oxycontin. IMPAX negotiated a temporary, and potentially renewable, license.

The court decision I have in hard copy at the moment. I added a link for it, too. Bob Herrick 18:37, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

I deleted an obviously false claim that oxycontin is useful for treating depression as well as erectile dysfunction. [Maybe not the latter but depression? Yes. Read: http://opioids.com/antidepressant/opiates.html, http://opioids.com/antidepressant/opiate.html]d l 08:24, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

Inclusion of personal stories

Please review the article about what wikipedia is, or is not WP:NOT. Wikipedia is not a publisher of personal thoughts or reflection, that is what personal blogs are for. Keep everything encyclopedic with proper citations and from reputiable sources. Cheers. Nja247 (talk • contribs) 17:33, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

Big revert of anonymous

A new user (User:WierdJohn), who has only one edit--the revert of anonymous--reverted a substantial addition to this page just minutes after it was added. The anonymous user does seem quite knowledgeable, if not a medical professional, especially considering their other edits to hydrozine. Most of it, from my knowledge, seems correct, wouldn't be too hard to find citations in medical literature for (aside from the debate stuff--that would be a bit harder) does add good information, it just hasn't been sourced yet. So as not to discourage the anonymous user, I'm reverting it back and am giving them a chance to add them. In the future, use a tag template such as fact (‹The template Talkfact is being considered for merging.› ). -Nathan J. Yoder 07:09, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Actually, I'm an old user (Johnpf) who had a hard drive crash and hadn't changed his registered email address from his old ISP. The edits in question were extensive and far-reaching, and changed the sense of the article radically. The earlier copy was widely sourced, citing journals and other reputable sources. The 'new' content did not include a single source. Perhaps the anonymous author should have added content to the article rather than blowing away the old, sourced content, or alternatively done his editing in several goes. I have difficulties seeing that a physician would add that much unsourced content. And yes, I completely overlooked the fact tag. WierdJohn 15:42, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Large portions of the article were already unsourced, should that all be removed too? Right now, the only sections with a good amount of sourcing are the recreational and manufacturing and patent sections. The current version contains dubious, unsourced statements like this: "There is no evidence that oxycodone is more effective than any other opioid, and, in palliative care, morphine remains the gold standard." I actually know that to be patently wrong, there are quite a few weaker opioids than oxycodone and the latter half is unsourced. In addition to poor sourcing, this article's writing style is also unencyclopedic and sometimes even advisory in nature.

The user didn't remove any content, they just added new content, so I don't know what you mean by blowing anything away. It might have been confusing given the nature of the edit, making it look like they removed content, but they didn't. Could you please be more specific with your criticisms? What parts did you have issue with? What about the 'sense' was changed in a negative way? This is why tagging is helpful--if you re-add the content and tag it, it avoids having to requote everything here. -Nathan J. Yoder 10:55, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

• Unsourced info can be removed at any time. If you know something to be true, you're unlikely to want to remove it, but if someone else (anon or otherwise) challenges and removes unsourced info, it should not be added back without sources. I know that can be counter-intuitive in practice - removing rather than adding text - but sourcing is a serious issue that has become more serious as WP has increased in standing and popularity. Anything in this kind of article that is anecdotal, rather than verifiably true, is out of place. Deiz talk 11:31, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Agreed. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia and therefore the information must go under its well established policy of verifiability, with appropriate sources. And further, yes this article needs a lot of editing and the addition of appropriate maintenance tags since the sourcing is very sporadic and haphazard. However, simply because someone else did it doesn't justify the addition of more unsourced information. Nja247 (talk • contribs) 14:24, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

I'd be more inclined to agree if specific criticisms were made, rather than just suggesting that some unspecified portion of it is incorrect without even specifying what their basis for that is. Lack of sources doesn't mean it's not verifiable, it just means that no sources have been added yet. I disagree that all information should just be removed immediately because someone says "it's far reaching and unsourced." If I actually knew what the specific issues were, I could better decide what to modify, include or exclude and find sources for. So can anyone give more clarification as to what additions they thought were incorrect and what their basis for believing this is? I agree that some of it regarding clinical practice is likely not verifiable, but some of it is accurate and could be verified. -Nathan J. Yoder 03:57, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

I see your point, however that goes against Wikipedia policy as it is first and foremost an encyclopedia. Reviewing the policy information at WP:V should give more insight into why sourcing from reliable (published) sources is important and why unsourced information can be removed at anytime. Specifically this reinforces Wikipedia's no original research policy, and helps to maintain its policy on a neutral point of view. Nja247 (talk • contribs) 11:07, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Unfortunatly Mr. Yoder you are entirely incorrect, and if it is unsourced, it should go immediatly. Well you are welcome to your personal opinion, it is directly contrary to at least three non-objective wikipedia policies I see (mainly Original Research, potentially PoV-OP and/or slander policies if the material unsourced in anyway can be taken as a comment against the manufacturer or demeaning the drugs credability). Even stuff like the Kentucky lawsuit of the makers, which can be found at many sources and is "common" knowledge, must still be credited to at least one source in the article. If a person is too lazy to bother finding and putting citations for their sources, they need to not edit wikipedia. You are suggesting that things be left alone while sources are looked for, and that is the opposite of what wikipedia asks. Wikipedia asks you not leave them up, until sources can be added. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.132.168.252 (talk • contribs) 14:33, October 4, 2007 (UTC)

Oxycodone vs. other opioids

Some time ago I added a statement that there was no evidence that oxycodone was more effective than other opioids. This has been appended by a 'dubious-discuss' marker. The difficulty here is that I am not aware of any comparative trials between oxycodone and other opioids that showed that oxycodone was superior. It is difficult to reference an absence of evidence, but this view is present in the current Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine (which I have referenced) and the same view has been repeated at two consequetive International Opioid conferences in Bristol, UK. If anyone has references showing oxycodone's superiority over morphine in particular, this would be interesting. --Claud Regnard 22:44, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

A while ago I read this page and I'm sure it mentioned somewhere that some people find that oxycodone has less of an effect on gastrointestinal problems (basically, less constipation). But I can't find anything that specifically mentions this side effect anymore. I'm pretty sure I've read it somewhere else, too (some newsgroup). Does anyone know if this is true? Perhaps it was changed to a more neutral point of view since people have different side effects in general and there wasn't any statistically significant evidence to back up that specific claim? Perhaps I'm confusing it with another opiate? — Soupisgoodfood (talk) 09:14, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps you're thinking about Hydromorphone? Hagen and Babul found that HM-contin induced a little less nausea than Oxy-contin ("Comparative clinical efficacy and safety of a novel controlled-release oxycodone formulation and controlled-release hydromorphone in the treatement of cancer pain," Cancer, 1997, 79; 1428-37), but I don't believe that gastrointestinal problems were examined beyond that. HTH. El_C 09:35, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Effects on Neuro Transmitters

I am using the article for aid on a report, and noticed there is currently no information on the neurotransmitters of the brain effected by use and how they are. I'd have added it myself if I had any idea, but I feel it should be added. If we are to go as far to even add information on recreational use, and even somewhat a how-to for it, the neurotransmitter information which is prevalent to the use of the drug as a whole should be important too Iggy880 18:35, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

This is becuase it activates the same receptors of other "classic narcotics." Perhaps a line should be added but it is generaly well understood how narcotics work. You should consult other articals such as morphine. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.92.107.39 (talk) 00:31, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Check Edit

Hi. Can someone check to see if the edit [3] is correct? No reason for the edit was given, and it was done anonymously. Thanks Igoldste (talk) 00:47, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

Clinical uses

This has been a surprising omission in this section which at present reads rather like a pharmaceutical company datasheet! I have started a short section on clincial use. --Claud Regnard (talk) 23:16, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

Still a pharmaceutical datasheet with each new preperation getting a mention! I have written a non-marketing description of the use of controlled-release and immediate-release preperations at the end of the Chemistry section. --Claud Regnard (talk) 01:09, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

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