5 Things You Need to Know About the Use of Oxycodone
Oxycodone is a type of opioid drug that is generally used to relieve pain in adults who are not receptive to other types of painkillers. It typically comes in three forms: immediate-release, controlled release, and combination medication. Regardless of the type, this drug is typically prescribed to individuals who suffered a severe event. This may include surgery, trauma, and any excruciating pain they may experience.
Are you planning to take oxycodone to address any pain, trauma, and other issues? If so, you must be aware of what it can do to your body—its side effects, how long it takes to process, and so on. By knowing these things, you can take the drug and minimize the risk of addiction and other dangerous issues.
That being said, here is what you need to know before taking oxycodone to fight pain:
How long does it take for oxycodone to work?
While people generally should start feeling the effects of oxycodone after around half an hour from consumption, the exact number will vary from one person to the other. However, oxycodone will only reach its peak in the bloodstream after an hour or two. This will also depend on the type of drug being used.
Immediate-release oxycodone will work much more quickly, while controlled-release oxycodone will take much longer. Unfortunately, the more an individual uses the opioid drug, the more tolerant they will be. As such, the time to feel relief from the pain may take longer with continued use. When this happens, the doctor may increase the dosage or switch it out with another type of medication.
Avoid taking large amounts of oxycodone without consulting the doctor first. In many cases, it is recommended to start with small doses, slowly increasing under the doctor’s supervision until the pain is well managed.
How long does oxycodone stay in the body?
How long oxycodone stays in the body will be based on its half-life. The half-life is how long it takes for half of whatever is taken to be eliminated from the body.
The average half-life of immediate-release oxycodone is approximately 3.2 hours. While controlled-release variants take as long as six hours, it can take approximately 24 hours for the drug to be fully eliminated from the blood. However, depending on the part of the body, the drug can still be detected.
For example, oxycodone can be detected in the saliva up to four days after the drug has been taken, and it can be detected in the hair up to three months after the last dose.
Be aware that, even before the drug is fully cleared from the body, the drug’s effects may disappear. To avoid overdosing on the drug, doctors typically recommend taking one tablet of immediate-release oxycodone every four to six hours when experiencing pain. For controlled-release oxycodone, that recommendation can go as far as one every twelve hours. However, this will vary depending on the patient’s condition.
Is there a risk of addiction and overdose?
While oxycodone has been formulated to be as safe as possible, it is still one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs around if not taken as prescribed by the doctor. For example, crushing or snorting the drug and taking it with other substances (alcohol, for example) are just some incredibly dangerous things you must avoid at all costs. It can lead to fatal overdoses. In truth, oxycodone is responsible for far more deaths than even heroin.
For the reasons above, many oxycodone products are designed in such a way that makes users feel sick if they have taken too much. Some drugs are also created with film coatings that are hard to break to prevent the possibility of snorting the drug. However, overdosing is still a real risk and is a problem that must be considered seriously.
What are the side effects of oxycodone?
Even for those taking oxycodone exactly as prescribed by the doctor, there are still many side effects. For instance, a user can experience blurred vision, euphoria, seizures, headaches, lowered breathing rates, vivid dreams, loss of appetite, sedation, and pain relief. Other effects also include weakness, mood changes, sweating, fatigue, and more. All of that may sound quite severe and annoying to deal with.
Unfortunately, long-term side effects can co-exist with the short-term effects, and they can get quite deadly. These can include constipation, aches, cramps, depression, and even death. Long-term side effects will only affect those who have relied on oxycodone for long periods, leading to many physical and mental complications.
Are there any withdrawal symptoms?
Just like other opioids out there, oxycodone comes with various withdrawal symptoms that make it incredibly tough to stop using. For a few people, quitting the drug will lead to quite an uncomfortable and even painful experience. Some may end up in relapse simply because such withdrawal symptoms are too much to bear. As such, many of those who have previously relied on oxycodone may continue their use to avoid withdrawal.
Common withdrawal symptoms include diarrhea, runny noses, irritability, mood swings, inability to feel good, anxiety, shaking, poor concentration, and more. However, keep in mind that the duration of these symptoms will generally depend on how long the individual has been using the drug, how much of it they took, how frequently they consumed it, whether they mixed the drug with other drugs, and how they took it.
Because of this, withdrawal symptoms can appear at different times for different people. For some, it can appear as soon as eight hours after not using it. For others, it can be up to twelve hours. Regardless of when it does show up, symptoms can last a few days to a week, peaking at around three days then subsiding. However, some have shown that the hardest experience, known as acute withdrawal, can last for up to a week.
It is best to consult trained professionals at an addiction center about weaning from the drug instead of attempting it on your own. In some cases, withdrawal can prove fatal without medical aid.
Conclusion
We hope that you are more aware of the dangers of oxycodone and why it is so important to stick to the doctor’s prescription if you need it. It is an opioid drug, meaning it is highly addictive and dangerous. One wrong move can spell disaster for you or anyone else using it.
As such, if you have any questions or need any help, reach out to a doctor. They will educate you more about the drug, helping you become more aware of what you can expect and how you maximize its benefits while minimizing risk.
Other than that, if you do find yourself or someone you know addicted to the drug who wants to quit, do not hesitate to work with an addiction treatment center. It is never too late to quit, nor is it too early to stop, and getting started as soon as possible increases your chances of eliminating oxycodone from your system and regaining control of your life.
