Oxycodone Addiction, Abuse, and Symptoms

How oxycodone affects the brain

Oxycodone changes the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain by stopping the pain signals from traveling along the nerves to the brain. It also accesses the pleasure center of the brain, releasing dopamine and causing a euphoric high, relaxation, and a sense of well-being. On a chemical level, opioid-based medications, such as oxycodone, are very similar to heroin and present the same risk of a substance use disorder, even when patients take their prescriptions as instructed.

Over time, oxycodone can cause changes in the brain, which can increase the risk of dependence and addiction. Long-term use can also cause permanent changes in the brain that impact cognitive functions, including issues with memory, attention, learning new information, impulse control, and problem-solving.

Behavioral signs of oxycodone usage and abuse

Abusing oxycodone can lead to a wide array of behavioral changes, including continually increasing use and having an inability to stop, even when it negatively impacts health, finances, and/or personal relationships. The preoccupation with using oxycodone can lead to poor performance at school or work and failure to meet significant responsibilities at home. Some abusers cut back on activities they previously enjoyed, isolate themselves from loved ones, and become secretive about their whereabouts and activities. They may become more irritable, ignore personal hygiene and grooming, and display other drastic changes in their behavior.

For some people, oxycodone can be a gateway drug to illicit drug use. If they can’t get a valid prescription and can’t borrow or steal oxycodone from someone they know, they may try to buy some on the street. Heroin is sometimes easier to get than oxycodone and affects the body much the same way. An estimated 51.3% of people who misused pain relievers in 2018 got their last pills from a friend or relative, but about one in 15 of them bought the pills from a drug dealer or other stranger.

How oxycodone affects the body

Oxycodone affects the body by blocking pain within approximately 30 minutes of ingestion. It takes about one to two hours for immediate-release formulas to reach peak concentrations and about three to four hours for extended-release versions. During this time, euphoria may set in, but most people also experience other bodily effects, whether it’s being taken recreationally or as prescribed to treat pain. Some symptoms go away after taking the medication for a few days, but other symptoms get worse the longer the medication is taken.

Early physical effects of oxycodone

Some negative physical effects that may begin right away include nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, lightheadedness, dry mouth, stomach pain, slowed breathing and heart rate, and dilated pupils. Some of these side effects linger for a while, but many begin to decrease as your body gets used to the medication. Other effects may start a bit later and get worse over time, including constipation, sweating, fatigue, mood changes, difficulty urinating, agitation, and confusion. However, not everyone has side effects when taking oxycodone as directed, and many side effects can be prevented or managed with a doctor’s care.

Severe and long-term physical effects of oxycodone

Chronic or long-term use of oxycodone can affect several systems within the body, including the respiratory, gastrointestinal, immune, musculoskeletal, endocrine, cardiovascular, and central nervous systems. Some severe physical effects can be made worse when combining oxycodone with alcohol or other drugs that slow breathing and/or compromise the central nervous system.

The more oxycodone a person takes and the longer they take it, the worse physical effects can get. Many negative effects may improve once oxycodone use or abuse stops, but some damage may be permanent, especially changes within the brain. Increasing the amount or frequency of dosage also increases the risk of overdose.

When oxycodone is used for a long time, it may also become habit-forming and cause physical dependence. People who are physically dependent on an opioid-based pain reliever may go through withdrawal if they stop taking the medication suddenly. It can take days, sometimes weeks, for physical withdrawal systems to completely disappear.

Further Resources

Both the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offer in-depth information on both the symptoms and treatment of oxycodone and other prescription opioid addictions.

Global oxycodone usage has decreased from previous years but remains high

Global manufacturing of oxycodone reached a record high of 138 tons in 2013 and has had its ups and downs since; decreasing in 2014 and 2015, increasing in 2016, then dropping again in 2017 and 2018. The United States created 60.5% of the 95.4 tons of oxycodone manufactured globally in 2018. Although production was down, exports hit a record high of 41.1 tons, with most of this increase primarily attributed to the United Kingdom, which was also the main importing country.

With the decrease in manufacturing, global consumption of oxycodone also decreased in 2018, which saw 59.8 tons consumed compared to 62.6 tons in 2017. Consumption was more concentrated in North America, Western Europe, and Oceania, with lesser amounts consumed in West Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, and South-Eastern Europe. The United States consumed the largest portion of the global total with 37.9 tons, or 63.4%, consumed in this country alone. Other countries with notable consumption rates included Germany with 3.5 tons, Canada and Australia with 3 tons each, the United Kingdom with 1.7 tons, France with 1.6 tons, China with 1.2 tons, and Spain with 1 ton.

Oxycodone use is well below peak usage but remains concerning among adolescents

The number of individuals misusing prescription pain relievers in 2018 remained high, with 9.9 million people aged 12 and older in the United States misusing these drugs over the past year. As the country with the largest consumption of oxycodone, it’s not surprising that oxycodone products were the second most misused painkillers after hydrocodone products. An estimated 3.4 million people, or 1.2% of the population, misused oxycodone products, including OxyContin, Percodan, Percocet, Roxicodone, and generic oxycodone.

Prescription pain reliever misuse was lowest among adolescents aged 12 to 17, with 2.8% in this age group misusing oxycodone and other opioid-based prescriptions, which represented about 695,000 adolescents in the U.S. Young adults accounted for 1.9 million of the total group, with 5.5% of people aged 18 to 25 misusing prescription painkillers. Adults aged 26 and older had the largest numbers, with 7.4 million, or 3.4% of this age group, misusing pain relievers in the past year. Adolescents have specifically maintained an ongoing dip in OxyContin use, especially compared to previous peaks with 8th graders peaking in 2006, 10th graders in 2009, and 12th graders in 2005.