Oxycodone: Drug Information
What is Oxycodone?
Oxycodone belongs to the class of drugs called opioid agonists. The chemical formula used while formulating this drug is similar to the natural substance in the brain known as endorphins.
Endorphins are responsible for decreasing the pain signals that our body sends to the brain.
This medication is prescribed by the doctors to treat pain ranging from moderate to severe. Doctors can prescribe this medication for both long term and short term, depending upon the patient’s situation. Oxycodone is available in the following form.
- The immediate-release tablets
- Extended-release tablets
- Extended-release capsules
- Immediate-release capsules
- Solutions
What to know before taking oxycodone?
You should not take oxycodone if you are allergic to it or experiencing:
- severe asthma or any other breathing issue
- blockage in the intestine or stomach
- You should not take oxycodone if you are already using a similar kind of medicine.
- You should not take oxycodone if you have taken an MAO inhibitor in the last 14 days.
Examples of MAO inhibitors are isocarboxazid, linezolid, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, etc.
To ensure that oxycodone is safe for you. You should tell your doctors if you have or ever had the following medical issue.
- Breathing issues
- Sleep apnea
- Head injuries, brain tumor, or seizure
- Drugs or alcohol addiction
- Mental illness
- Lung infection
- Kidney infection
- Liver infection
- Thyroid disorder
- Adrenal disease
- Urination problem
- Gallbladder or pancreas infection.
Expecting women should not use this medication as it may harm the baby.
Breastfeeding mothers should not take oxycodone.
How to take oxycodone?
It would be best if you take oxycodone as may be prescribed by the doctor. You must follow the instructions provided on the prescription or label of the medicine. Please don’t take this medication in excess or for a more extended period.
You should not share this medication with anyone as an improper dose of oxycodone can result in an unpleasant situation. Misuse of this mediation may lead to overdose and addiction. You must be aware that buying or selling oxycodone without any prober prescription is an offense under the law.
Never break or crush an oxycodone pill to inhale the powder or mix it with liquid to inject the drug into your vein. It can cause death. Ask your doctor before leaving this medication; otherwise, you may experience withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly stop taking oxycodone.
After completion of the medication course, you should dispose of all the leftover medicines properly.
Oxycodone dosage
The dosage prescribed by the doctor is entirely dependent on the following factor.
- Age of the patient
- Symptoms
- The seriousness of the situation
- Other medical issues that a patient have
- Reaction to the first dose of medication
Dosage for pain ranging from moderate to severe
Oxycodone immediate-release tablets
For Senior adults (65 years or above)
The kidney of older adults may not function properly, resulting in a slow drug process in our body. As a result, a high amount of oxycodone stays in the body for an extended period, resulting in significant risk.
After the full checkup, the doctor should suggest dosage for the patient above 65 years of age. They may increase or decrease the dose to get the desired result.
For adults (18-64 years of age)
If you never used this medication, the doctor may start your dose from 5mg to 15mg, which is to be taken by the patient after 4- 6 hours. Your doctor may increase or decrease the dosage based on the patient’s response to the drug.
For children ( 0-17 years of age)
The doctor should never recommend oxycodone immediate-release tablets to a patient below 17 years of age.
Oxycodone extended-release tablets
For Senior adults (65 years or above)
The kidney of older adults may not function properly, resulting in a slow drug process in our body. As a result, a high amount of oxycodone stays in the body for an extended period, resulting in significant risk. risk to the patient.
After the full checkup, the doctor should suggest dosage for the patient above 65 years of age. They may increase or decrease the dose to get the desired result.
For adults (18-64 years of age)
If you are not used to this medication, the doctor may start your dose from 10mg to the patient after 12 hours. Your doctor may increase or decrease the dosage based on the patient’s response to the drug.
For children (11-17 years of age)
The doctor will recommend the dose for children of this age group based on the symptoms.
For children (0-10 years of age)
The doctor should never recommend oxycodone extended-release to a patient below 11 years of age.
Overdose
If you experience the symptoms of oxycodone, you should consult the doctor and seek medical help immediately. You should never ignore overdose symptoms as an overdose of this medication can be fatal. You can avail of medical assistance by calling on 1-800-222-1222.
The following are some symptoms of an overdose of oxycodone.
- fatigue
- abnormal thoughts and dreams
- confusion
- agitation
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Hallucination
- Loss of appetite
The above list of symptoms of an overdose of the medication is inclusive. The patient may experience many other symptoms too. You are required to keep a check on how your body responds.
What to avoid while using oxycodone?
You must avoid alcohol until the time you are on this medication as oxycodone and alcohol interaction can be hazardous. You should avoid all the activities that require alertness. You should try to avoid medication errors. Always check the medicine while purchasing it.
Oxycodone side effects
Oxycodone may cause drowsiness when you start taking this medication. You should not drive or use heavy machinery until you are affected by the drug.
The following are some common side effects of using oxycodone.
- Nausea and vomiting
- Lack of energy
- Itching
- Trouble in falling asleep or staying asleep
- Sweating
- Dry mouth
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
- Headache
- Constipation
It is completely fine to have these mild symptoms, but you should consult your doctor if they are severe and unbearable.
You should consult your doctor and seek help immediately if you experience any severe side effects of using this medication.
The following are some severe side effects and their symptoms:
- Serious breathing problem
- Slow breathing
- Shallow breathing
- Fainting
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Sleep-related issue
- Blood pressure issues
- Seizures
- Physical dependence
- irritability or anxiousness
- increased blood pressure
- fast heart rate
- teary eyes
- yawning
- stomach cramps and diarrhea
- chills
- sweating
- nausea, vomiting, and a loss of appetite
- runny nose
- dilated pupils
- fast breathing rate
- trouble sleeping
- restlessness
- Addiction to the medication
- Adrenal problems
- Tiredness
- Muscle weakness
- Pain in the abdomen
- Androgen deficiency
- Lack of energy
- Sleeping problems
What drugs can interact with oxycodone?
Before you start taking oxycodone, you must ensure that your doctor knows every detail of your medical history. You should tell your doctor if you use or had used the following medication to interact with oxycodone.
- sleeping pills
- medicines for irritable bowel syndrome, motion sickness, or overactive bladder
- muscle relaxants or tranquilizers
- cold or allergy medicines
- bronchodilator asthma/COPD medication
- medications used for the prevention of nausea
- medicine for anxiety, depression, or other mental illness
- medicine for Parkinson’s disease
- migraine headache treatment;
- sedative medications including Xanax, alprazolam, clonazepam or Klonopin, Valium, lorazepam or Ativan, etc.
- other narcotic drugs – opioid pain medicine or prescription cough medicine.