Question:
How long does it take oxycodone to work?
Answer:
When dealing with powerful opioid painkillers, a key question to know is how long they take to work. Because what you don’t want is to take too much, too soon, and risk getting addicted.
This is particularly pertinent when discussing oxycodone, a potent opioid analgesic. The timing of oxycodone’s effect can vary based on several factors, including the formulation of the drug—whether it is immediate-release or extended-release—as well as individual patient characteristics. To understand how does oxycodone work, it’s important to know that oxycodone works by binding to the body’s opioid receptors in the brain and central nervous system. This interaction alters the way pain signals are transmitted and can also produce feelings of euphoria and relaxation.
What Is Oxycodone and How Does it Provide Pain Relief?
Oxycodone is a potent opioid approved by the FDA for managing acute or chronic moderate to severe pain when other medications have failed. It is available under various brand names, such as Roxicodone and OxyContin—these are examples of oxycodone brand names, which include different formulations and combination products.
Oxycodone works by binding to specific receptors in the brain and spinal cord, altering the body’s perception of pain. It is used to relieve severe pain, especially in conditions such as cancer-related pain. Extended-release forms of oxycodone are often used for managing chronic pain in cancer patients. While it is a valuable medicine for pain relief, oxycodone carries a high potential for addiction and is commonly abused.
Because of its high addiction potential, oxycodone is strictly regulated. In the United States, it’s classified as a Schedule II controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Oxycodone is part of a group of opioid medicines, which require careful regulation due to their risks of dependency, overdose, and other side effects.
Is Oxycodone Addictive and What Are the Withdrawal Symptoms?
Yes, oxycodone is highly addictive.
The crux of its addictive potential lies in the way it interacts with the central nervous system. Like other opioids, oxycodone binds to specific proteins. These proteins, called opioid receptors, appear on nerve cells in the brain, spinal cord, gastrointestinal tract, and other organs.
When oxycodone attaches to these receptors, it can produce a sense of euphoria or intense pleasure by triggering the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with the reward pathways in the brain. The brain produces less dopamine naturally and quickly comes to depend on ever-increasing doses of oxycodone to feel dopamine.
This tolerance can escalate into physical dependence, where the body starts to feel a compulsion for the drug to maintain normal functioning and avoid withdrawal symptoms. Individuals who stop taking oxycodone abruptly may experience withdrawal symptoms, which can be uncomfortable and require medical supervision.
Why Do People Take Oxycodone?
As stated before, Oxycodone is used to relieve pain. It works quickly in reducing pain of different kinds.
Some of the different kinds of pain for which doctors have prescribed Oxycodone include:
- Chronic pain, any pain lasting more than three months after the onset of the injury)
- Paroxysmal pain, a severe pain disorder that affects various parts of the body
- Post-surgery pain
- Acute pain from injury
- Pain from terminal cancer
- Allodynia, a condition wherein the person has a pain response to something that wouldn’t usually cause pain (ex: combing one’s hair)
- Hyperalgesia, or high sensitivity to pain
But pain management isn’t the entire story. While people may initially get prescribed Oxycodone to manage pain, they often struggle to quit taking it, even when the pain goes away.
It should be noted that Oxycontin is aggressively marketed to doctors. This has led some to raise concerns that doctors are incentivized to over-prescribe Oxycodone-based medications.
Chronic Pain as a Disease and the Opioid Crisis
There is evidence that the field of pain management itself contributes to opioid addiction.
Much like substance abuse, modern medicine treats chronic pain not as a symptom of a larger ailment, but as a disease unto itself. The World Health Organization, for example, has called chronic pain a disease.
Some argue that one unintended consequence of this approach is it makes it easy for well-meaning doctors to unthinkingly prescribe opioids — and for less noble ones to profit from them. As one study puts it: “Although many other factors including bad actors in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, poverty and, in part, the prevalence of pain itself likely contributed to the crisis, its emergence may be partially the unintended consequence of the fight against pain…It seems reasonable to assume that these efforts may have contributed to the epidemic, at least by unwittingly providing a rationale for bad actors to widely promote opioid use.”
Pain management with opioids can also, ironically, lead to more pain. For example, while Oxycodone may be prescribed to treat hyperalgesia, ironically, the condition is caused by chronic opioid use; the cure becomes the problem it claims to solve.
How Long Does Oxycodone Take to Work?
The onset of oxycodone’s pain-relieving effects and how long it remains active in the system varies based on dosage, administration, formulation, and other factors.
Generally, when taken orally, the immediate release formulation of oxycodone—known as immediate release oxycodone—begins to work within 15 to 30 minutes, with effects peaking in about one to two hours. Effects generally wear off within 4 to 6 hours.
Extended-release forms of the drug, also called slow release tablets, release oxycodone slowly over a longer period. These tablets should not be broken, crushed, or chewed to ensure proper drug release and effectiveness. Slow release tablets are often used to treat chronic pain, as they maintain pain relief for extended periods. It takes slow-release oxycodone anywhere from one to two days to take effect.
The half-life of oxycodone refers to the time it takes for half the drug to be eliminated from the body, which can influence how long its effects last and how frequently doses are needed.
Can Someone Get Addicted to Oxycodone?
People use and abuse Oxycodone and other opioids every day. While there are illegally pressed Oxycodone and other pain management opioids available on the black market, most people don’t start that way.
Instead, their doctor writes a prescription. Because most people implicitly trust their doctors, they rarely question if they are taking too much of the medication, and before they know it, they’re addicted.
Signs of Oxycodone Addiction
Recognizing the signs of addiction can be difficult, especially if a person has developed a high tolerance to the medication.
However, some common signs of an Oxycodone addiction include:
- Developing a tolerance to the medication
- Taking larger doses or taking the medication more frequently than prescribed
- Ingesting the drug in unintended ways like snorting
- Obsessing over obtaining and using the medication
- Spending a significant amount of time obtaining, using, and recovering from the effects of the medication
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when attempting to stop using the medication
- Continuing to use oxycodone even after negative effects on relationships, work, and health
- Using oxycodone in dangerous situations, such as when driving or operating machinery.
Concerns that you or someone you know may be addicted to oxycodone or other opioids, it’s important to seek help from a healthcare provider as soon as possible.
How Can Substance Abuse Treatment Help?
Withdrawal from opioids can be difficult and dangerous – but with professional guidance and the proper support, recovery is possible.
South Coast Behavioral Health offers a fully accredited medical detox program in California for those ready to start treatment. Here, in a safe and welcoming environment, our certified medical detox professionals will support you with round-the-clock care as you detox from Oxycodone.
We at South Coast take pride in offering care targeted at specific problems. To that end, we offer gender-specific detox programs, with medical detox for men in Irvine, CA, and medical detox for women in Huntington Beach, CA.
After detoxing, proper treatment can begin. There are several different approaches to treating opioid addiction, including:
Residential Treatment in California
After completing medical detox, you’ll transition into inpatient treatment in Orange County California. There, you’ll receive medically-assisted treatment and dual diagnosis treatment to deal with any cravings or co-occurring mental health issues you may be battling. We also offer residential treatment facilities in Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Huntington Beach for those who desire gender-specific treatment. There, patients get round-the-clock medical attention and monitoring while living at the institution full-time.
In addition to individual and group counseling and medication management, you’ll also have access to leisure activities and family support services.
Partial Hospitalization in California
Most patients start substance abuse treatment with South Coast in our residential treatment program. After completing that, many desire something that still provides structure and support, but with extra space and time to oneself. For that, we offer Partial Hospitalization in Newport Beach.
A step down from inpatient care but with more structure than conventional outpatient programs, partial hospitalization offers a good balance for those looking to ease back into normal life. patients can receive care five to seven days a week for several hours each day, returning to their homes in the evening.
This way, they can recover without putting their daily lives on hold, receiving intense therapeutic interventions like group and individual therapy, skill development, and medication management as necessary.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment in California
For those leaving inpatient residential treatment or partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient programs (IOP) are yet another gradual step forward on the road to recovery.
With a focus on group therapy, individual counseling, and psychoeducation, patients undergoing Intensive Outpatient Treatment in Newport Beach participate in intensive therapy sessions. While in IOP, you can expect to meet three to five days a week for therapy, with each session lasting three hours. This level of care requires the least amount of attendance at a facility
IOPs offer participants the ability to continue their employment or academic obligations, receiving support and therapy as needed as they prepare to reenter society.
Start Your Oxycodone Recovery Today
If you or a loved one are thinking of seeking treatment for addiction to pain medications like Oxycodone but wonder how long addiction treatment is or have other questions, call us at 866-881-1184 or contact us here. Our highly qualified staff will be happy to help give you an idea of what to expect from your addiction recovery timeline, verify your insurance, and assist with any other questions you may have.
REFERENCES:
- Opioid Addiction – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf
- World Health Organization supports global effort to relieve chronic pain – WHO
- Controlled Substance Schedules – DEA
- Pain as a disease: an overview – PMC
- Dextromethorphan, Gabapentin, and Oxycodone to Treat Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia – ClinicalTrials.gov
