Is oxycodone stronger than hydrocodone?

hello,there are many myths&opinions,among doctors,patients&pharmacist about opiate painkillers. I personally have been prescribed most of these including most of the newer non-narcotic painkillers. Currently, I take 15mg oxycodone, 1 up to 5x day as needed. There are days when I do not take any. I have several bad discs and bone spurs in the back and neck. Most pharmacists and doctors will tell you that generics are just as good as name brand, but I know for a fact with all hydrocodone products and oxycodone products, after long time use, it usually takes to 1 1/2 or more tabs generic to one name brand. I have had some doctors and pharmacists to agree with this. I have been taking these medications almost daily for 15 years. I have also had fentanyl patches and I have never had a high or euphoric feeling from these and I also take them with soma or valium. I believe, if you only take pain medications when you have serious pain that it is unlikely that you would become addicted, but not impossible, but very easily to od from getting too tolerant and doctors not prescribing strong enough pain medication. If you are taking any of these medications, be very careful because everyone is different and there is no one size fits all as some physcians would like to believe and good pain management doctors are hard to come by but oxycodone is definately stronger than hydrocodone.

Thank you,
from somebody who knows from years of experience

I have been taking Hydrocodine for over 10 years, I have tried the Oxy but way to strong, actually the statstics have been proven that more people overdose while using Oxy then they do using hydrocodine, Vikodin is not as strong as Hydro either, it comes in a 5.5 mg I have had to take 2 of those for my back, yet a 10 mg of Hydro is to strong for me go figure, for me its 7.5 mg of Hydro for my back nothing else was as good or was to strong.

Neither of you know what you are talking about. First, To the poster right above me, you should practice what you preach, what you posted feigns ignorance of the worst type.

Oxycodone Hydrochloride IS the MAIN ACTIVE INGREDIENT in OXYCONTIN. Oxycontin is simpy a TIME RELEASE formulation.
Percocet is ALSO Oxycodone HCL, combined with APAP, and in INSTANT RELEASE form. THEY ARE THE SAME DRUG. PERCOCET IS THE SAME DRUG AS OXYCONTIN, PERIOD.

Second, Oxycondone is NOT "synthetic heroin". First of all, Heroin is Semi-synthetic, it is DIACETYL MORPHINE, A modified form of Morphine. Oxycodone is COMPLETELY synthetic, made from Thebaine. Both are totally different from each other.

Third, To the first 'guest', your post is nearly 100% accurate, BUT. You mention a time release COATING. There is no such thing. The time release mechanism is INSIDE the pill, mixed evenly into the matrix. In NAME BRAND Oxycontin (not the generic) the time release is WAX based. The coating on ANY tablet or pill is simply to identify the pill with a color, and in some cases to protect the pill from the elements (AIR, Light, etc..)

You guys think its no big deal but you can really get someone hurt spreading inaccurate information about drugs, so if you dont know what you are talking about.

not only that, but if I am correct, and I'm not sure that I am, half of you are using incorrect terminology. oxycodone is the opioid in all the previously stated medicines, but it is rarely prescribed straight. percocet is a mix of 5mg oxycodone, and 325mg of apap (tylenol), while other medications like oxycontin are usually higher doses of oxycodone with less tylenol content, depending on the prescription and color code. do not talk about generic oxycodone like it is a set amount of oxycodone with a set amount of apap. especially in the generic version. generics and nongenerics can come in doses as high as 80mg of oxycodone per pill. while generic oxycodone and oxycontin may contain the same drug, doses differ substantially, so do not use them interchangably. and another quick thing, vikodin and hydrocodone are one in the same. vikodin usually contains 5mg of hydrocodone, while generic hydrocodone, and other name brands like norcos may contain doses of 10mg per pill.

Some people may search for information on OxyContin vs oxycodone, wondering if there is any difference between these two medications. Oxycodone hydrochloride is an opioid pain reliever. It is an active ingredient in many different prescription medications, including OxyContin. It is available by itself (such as in OxyContin or short-acting OxyIR) or in combination with other active ingredients (such as in Percocet).

The truth is that you can create an addiction to any narcotic medications, but if you take hydrocodone and it doesn't work you are more than likely to take more and more until you are taking 10 to 20 a day. You may say no that won't happen to me, but I have seen it in my profession to so many people that never saw it coming. My advice is to talk to your doctor about the strongest pain medication that he/she thinks you can handle for your pain. This way whatever you take will last for a longer period of time and you wont be tempted to take more and more to get relief. Hope I was able to help.

Hey im a noob here so try to bare with me.i have some type of disease in my back and have hurt since i was a teenager.it got
worse over the years,to the point i couldn't get out of bed.they found out not long ago what was wrong with my back so they started trying me on 10 different meds and nothing was working.i was in such pain i would lay onthe floor with my legs on the bed crying and my chest even hurt from all the pain.finally they put me on lortab 10mg twice a day and it was like a miracle.well about 2 months ago my vision wqas staying blurry and i was dizzy and sick.i also was stubling.so i went back to the doc.my blood pressure was high.oh i had been having severe migranes everyday and night as well so he took me off and put me on a patch called something like duragesic 50 mcg/fentadol or something.welli i stoped having migranes and blood pressure got normal but the patches didn't help my pain so i had to call in and he called me in the lortabs again till i see him tommorow.with all that being said i have been wanting to know if oxycottin would be strong enough to help my back pain or atleast as strong as a 10 mg lortab without the migranes?i take 3 a day and i cant take the migranes anymore and im eating more goddys powders than i can afford.thanks for ant help you guys might have.note,this is a family pratice doc and not a pain management doc so im lucky to have gotten this far.

actually all you guys are not entirely correct. Oxycontin is the brand name for Oxycodone. This is why only one company can call it Oxycontin. When it is made by another company then it is called its generic name which is oxycodone. Purdue Pharma is the maker of Oxycontin and all the other companies that are in this business of killing people with pain meds make their own version of the drug. The street names for some of these Oxycodone pills are referenced by their potency. "Football 40s and 80s" these are 40 and 80 mg strength Oxycodone pills. These have a coating which people refer to as time release, this is the only difference between instant/immediate release and extended release. Addicts suck or scrape the coating off very easily and take them or snort them and guess what, no matter which way you use the drug, without the coating it is instant release. You will only see Oxycodone in other drugs containing acetaminophen such as percocet. Oxycontin is always by itself. As as addiction goes. Oxy and hydrocodone are opium based and so is heroin. Heroin is synthesized from morphine and derived from opium. The only difference between the medication and the heroin is the way its produced. If it is produced under supervision of a medical doctor then it is called an opiod. otherwise it is illegal and called an opiate. Any pain killer in this family are extremely addicting no matter how many excuses you give yourself take it. In any strength at any time of day, if you consistently take these kind of drugs for at least 6 months you will become dependent on them. This means within 24 hours of not taking the drug after taking it everyday for 6 months you will feel pain. whether it be physical or mental pain, you feel some discomfort. I dont why on all these posts everyone thinks they know it all even if they are doctors. Unless you have experienced taking the drug first hand then you should not have an opinion. You are potentially killing someone or at least changing their life forever. I'm sorry to disclose this info, but these drugs are not to be taken for any type of duration unless you are terminally ill. I know a lot about this subject, more so then many doctors. any questions e-mail me a thank you

oops, I was referring to the people one the first page trolling eachother with corrections, didn't realize this went 4 pages. lol.

Oxycontin is a time released oxycodone. Percodane & percocet are all oxycodone. I heard that oxyo was twice the strength, pain stopping wise, as hydro. I have found that most DR. excluding pain DR are total fools about drugs. They repeat what the drug rep tells them without checking for thems self.

what group does tylox fit in?

This is a chart of the strength of all opiates used for pain.

By the way, Vicodin, Lortab, Lorcet and Norco are all Hydrocodone/APAP combinations. The only difference between the four of these is the amount of APAP or tylenol that is in the mixture. Vicoprofen is the only hydrocodone/ibuprofen combination that is in the US. All medications are scaled to the strength of morphine. Tramadol is Ultram or Ultracet. Dextropropoxyphene is the active ingredient in Darvon, Darvocet. Hydrocodone is Vicodin, Lortab, Lorcet and Norco. Oxymorphone is Opana. Oxycodone is Percocet, Oxycontin, Roxicodone, Roxicet. Hydromorphone is Dilaudid. Morphine is the active ingredient in Avinza.

anonymous wrote:

A reply to Guest's remarks about Oxycontin being synthetic heroin and much stronger than Percocet: contrary to what many people think, Oxycontin is the exact same drug as oxycodone, only with a time-release coating. Oxycodone (or oxycodone combos such as Percodan/Percocet, which combine oxycodone w/ asprin or Tylenol) is faster acting and immediately digested and released into the body, while Oxycontin is released slowly into the body over a longer period of time. Oxycodone (or Percocet) is for immediate relief of pain, or breakthrough pain, while Oxycontin is used for chronic, long-lasting pain. The main advantage with Oxycontin is that you don't have to remember to take many pills over an entire day at consistent time intervals, as with the immediate-release pills. This is the only difference between OxyCONTIN and OxyCODONE. Everyone: please be careful when giving people advice about medications if you don't know exactly what you're talking about, because it sounds like Guest was guessing and/or making assumptions, which can be very dangerous when you're dealing with powerful drugs such as opioids.

i probably know more about this stuff than anyone on this site and i dont even have a perscription to the sh*t, oxycottin is just slang for oxycodone, and yes oxycodone is much stronger than hydrocodone. i dont care what anyone says i have experimented with both and i have found out for myself, and yes the withdrawl is horrible. im glad i quit. but i was takin 30 mg of hydrocodone just to get high back in the day and the i switched to oxycottin and i only needed like 10 mg's of it to get high. then i made my way up to 30 mg's just to get high and thats when i admited i had a problem and got help

Hello everybody
After being on pain killers for over 10 years now (Oxycontin & Oxycodone) I just want to say..be careful with them. I have multiple injuries that are inoperable and I am on 'palative care! Dying a little quicker than most! I sometimes hate them but they are a necessary evil if I am to function! My current dose is 240mg/day, 60mg QID, (4x15mg oxycondone) that is a lot and they are not doing the job anymore like they used to but I am not sure more is the answer. I am turning 60 and just want to be able to get around, so like I said, be careful with your medication regardless of what is prescribed! It's so easy to take a few more!
Take care

Crusty

anonymous wrote:

Guest wrote:

To the guest with inaccurate info: You too should do your research before posting some one else is wrong. Oxycodone HCL is a time released drug, Oxycodone is not. You really should be careful about what you write as well.

I hate to break it to u but Oxcontin and Oxycodone are not the same drug, yes they are in the same family and yes they carry VERY similar chemical structures but NO they are not the same drug. Oxycodone is made by ENDO and Oxycontin is not. There was a huge battle when ENDO put out OPANA because its time release structure was alleged to be a copy of Oxycontins, where as in fact they are not. Oxycontin's time release properties are very easy to bi-pass where as OPANA can only be absorbed at a stronger rate but it takes stomach acid to activate the time release. So it will always be a time released drug and many patients like myself have been switched over to it. To make sure there's no confusion here OPANA is oxymorphone which is two times stronger per miligram than Oxycodone which is why the OPANA ER's will never be approved by the FDA stronger than 40mg at the max dose twice a day.

Now to validate myself I have the genetic pre-disposition for Degenerative Disc Disease and developed my first at age 13. I now have 8, 3 pinched nerves, spinal stenosis, spinal trauma from a car accident and the list goes on. I've been on every drug you can think of as I've been in and out of pain management now for 6 years and before that was on everything out there to keep me from pain management.

Hydrocodone comes in two forms Hydrocodone and Hydrocodine basically in lamens terms...Vicodin and lortab. They are made with out tylenol and with out ibuprofen one is called NORCO. Where as Oyxcodone is made without asprin one is called Roxicodone not to be confused with Roxicet or Endocet which are other forms of the oxycoedine strand but my knowledge of them is not good enough to preach about.

1mg of Hydrocodone is equal to .5 miligrams of oxycodone
1mg of Oxymorphone is equal to .5 miligrams of Oxycodone
oxymorphone is the nicer brother of hydromorphone(dilaudid) which is the strongest pain killer approved by the FDA Dilaudid guarantees addiction in its 3rd dose. shall I continue? or have I made my point that the info is out there just get on actual research or pharmaceutical sites. Or read ur labels on the ur Walgreens bags. sorry if this sounds mean Im just frustrated I'm not mad at anyone on here so dont think I'm being an ass. I'm just mad cuz I'm in pain constantly. oh and Im' goin to excuse any of my typos now as one wonderful side effect of opiates is vision disturbance

actually you can bypass the time release on an opana seen it done many times either scrap it off or wet it and rub it off and then its immediate release,but this is very dangerous!!!

I found this discussion well intended but misleading on many levels, and not surprisingly so, given the social stigmas surrounding the topic. I practiced anesthesia for 27 years, about 10% of my patients had chronic pain from a variety of causes, including cancer, orthopedic problems, post spinal fusion and other conditions. 15 years ago I suffered a spinal injury, to continue practicing anesthesia, I got by for several years on a variety of non-narcotic analgesics, but eventually deterioration of the affected area resulted in a five level spinal fusion. At which time I had to give up anesthesia and join the ranks of a healthcare recipient rather than a provider. I have been taking narcotics on a daily basis now for 9 years, so I have a point of view from both sides of the isle and I can assure everyone, there are no hard cold facts that conveniently lump every drug or every patient into neat little categories when answering the question, what will work best for my needs?

It is difficult at best, to find objective and open minded healthcare providers to manage chronic pain because of social stigmas, pressures from government regulators and peers, so in healthcare today, it is truer than ever, that the adage buyers beware; should be employed by all consumers. There is no substitution for educating yourself about options and your rights when seeking a treatment or a provider for chronic pain issues.

For the sake of study and as a guide for prescribers, labeling one drug stronger or more effective in managing pain for a given condition is all relative at best. The literature exists to provide comparative guidelines and as a starting point in chronic pain management only, nothing more. Measuring a drugs appropriateness for a particular type of pain, cause by a specific type of condition from the perspective of its addictive properties, chemical properties, or method of delivery, is like trying to compare apples, oranges and pears and then claiming one is better than the other when it comes adding fruit to your diet.

The single most important criteria for measuring the efficacy of a particular drug for an individual is the clinical outcome from the patient’s use of the medication, end of story… I have provided anesthesia to numerous patients with dosage amount 1/50 of what I would typically use for most patients, and on other occasions I have almost emptied the drug cabinet trying to hold a patient still on the table. Neither one of these outcomes tells you anything other than, one patient had a higher pain tolerance than the other and the debate over why one would be different from the other; is a moot point.  At the end of the day, the patient owns their pain, not the provider, caregiver, insurance company or anyone else, so it is up to no one but the patient to determine what works and what doesn’t. A good healthcare provider recognizes this and positions him/herself as a partner with the patient in the choice of treatment for a given need.

So, to ashli, who originally started this thread, the answer is simply, find what works and go with it, if that is aspirin then great, if it takes something stronger, work your way up until you find something that works, how your body reacts will determine what is right for you. It is not unusual to try several different medications and treatment plans before finding something that works, and by all means, do not let others determine your reality for you. Find a provider you trust, one who truly has a desire to partner with you in your efforts to get the best care and outcome available. And when weighing the risks and side effects, understand that few medications and treatment plans carry with them no risk and no side effect, there will always be some level of acceptance you must practice and some adjustments you must make to find a balance between your illness and your quality of life.