Oxycodone
Pronunciation:ox-i-KOH-dun
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:76-42-6 (Hydrochloride form 124-
90-3)
Formal Names:Endocet, Endocodone, Endodan, M-Oxy, Oxycet, Oxycocet,
OxyContin, OxyFast, OxyIR, Percocet, Percodan, Percodan-Demi, Percolone,
Roxicet, Roxicodone, Roxilox, Roxiprin, Supeudol, Tylox
Informal Names:Oxicotten, Oxy, Oxycotton, Oxy 80s, Percs
Type:Depressant (opiate class).Seepage 19
Federal Schedule Listing:Schedule II (DEA no. 9143)
USA Availability:Prescription
Pregnancy Category:B
Uses.This drug is considered more addictive thancodeine, from which
oxycodone is derived. Some authorities say oxycodone comes fromthebaine,
which is correct also, because thebaine is the parent chemical that yields co-
deine. Oxycodone is anywhere from 7 to 12 times stronger than codeine and
about 0.3 to 2.2 times the strength ofmorphine, depending on the way the
drugs are used. Body chemistry transforms part of an oxycodone dose into
oxymorphone. Patients have found pain relief from oxycodone to be as sat-
isfactory as relief fromketamineand morphine. Oxycodone has been used
successfully to reduce pain from dentistry, surgery, cancer, and osteoarthritis
(a painful disease of a person’s joints). The drug is also used as a sedative
and as a cough suppressant. It is sometimes prescribed for “restless leg syn-
drome,” an affliction in which persons keep moving their arms and legs
around. The drug has also reduced tics associated with Tourette’s syndrome.
Oxycodone can relax people and at times even create euphoria. Some re-
searchers speculate that oxycodone’s euphoric effects may improve patients’
sensation of pain relief, making the substance more effective for that purpose
than a drug that lacks euphoric effects. The drug works an antidepressant for
some persons.
Blood levels from a given dose of oxycodone tend to be about 25% higher
in females than in males. The cause is unknown, but the difference apparently
has no impact on medical usage.
Drawbacks.Unwanted effects include nausea, vomiting, constipation, itch-
ing, sweating, sleepiness, reduced sex drive, general weakness, impairment of