Oxycodone is a drug prescribed for the management of moderate to severe pain. It is an opioid drug, made from a chemical in the opium poppy called thebaine. Like the opioids heroin and morphine, oxycodone is addictive. Most countries’ laws restrict the use of oxycodone. Oxycodone was first produced in Germany in 1916. In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, the drug was a major contributor to a devastating epidemic of opioid drug overdoses and deaths in the United States.
In medicine, oxycodone is used to treat severe pain caused by cancer and other serious ailments. Taken orally, oxycodone is about twice as effective as morphine in relieving pain. Oxycodone is sold as tablets, capsules, or liquid. It is often combined in a single tablet with other pain medications, such as acetaminophen. A slow-release form of the drug is sold under the brand name OxyContin. Like other opioid drugs, oxycodone can cause nausea, constipation, and itching. Abruptly discontinuing the drug after prolonged use may result in withdrawal. Signs of withdrawal include diarrhea, sweating, anxiety, and flulike symptoms.
Oxycodone is widely misused. People may take it by crushing tablets and “snorting” a small amount into the nose. There, it is absorbed through the nasal lining. Some users smoke crushed tablets or dissolve and inject them. Oxycodone taken in these ways reaches the brain quickly. There, it causes an intense euphoria (feeling of well-being). However, like other opioid drugs, oxycodone decreases breathing and can be dangerous. Someone who takes too much oxycodone may die.
The epidemic of opioid misuse in the United States began in the 1990’s when drug companies began to heavily promote oxycodone and other opioids. They claimed opioids were safe for long-term treatment of many illnesses. Despite these claims, many patients became dependent on the drugs and developed an addiction. When this issue became widely known, doctors began prescribing fewer opioids. But many people began using illegal drugs instead.
