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oxycontien va oxycodone
hi ,
my Dr piscripe me with Oxycontin 15mg. i was wondering if contin 15mg is stronger than oxycodone 15mg? and why they feel different ? ( i use to take codone 15mg for 3 months)
thank you
my Dr piscripe me with Oxycontin 15mg. i was wondering if contin 15mg is stronger than oxycodone 15mg? and why they feel different ? ( i use to take codone 15mg for 3 months)
thank you
Hi and welcome to the pain management community!
Actually the immediate release oxycodone 15 mg was stronger than what you are taking currently (15 mg of oxycontin) as the 15 mg of oxycodone is released all at once within 30-60 mins of taking it. The 15 mg of oxycontin is released over a 12 hour period so if you do the math...15 mg/12 hours = 1.25 mg of oxycodone per hour through the oxycontin. So instead of getting the full 15 mg within an hour of taking the immediate release oxycodone, you are getting about 1.25 mg of oxycodone within an hour. Now looking out over the day, you say you typicially need to take another 15 mg oxycodone 5-6 hours later. After 5-6 hours the oxycontin released is only 6.25-7.5 mg of oxycodone...this is only 1/2 of the 15 mg of immediate release oxycodone that you were taking! Your doctor without you realizing it, chopped your daily dose basically in half! So this is probably not going to be very effective for you. The above information assumes you are taking one 15 oxycontin every 12 hours per dosing recommended by the pharmaceutical company. If your doctor prescribed the oxycontin to be taken more frequently than once every 12 hours, then your dose is probably ok.
Many doctors start out with the lowest dose and titrate up as needed so if you are experiencing more pain throughout the day, definitely voice this to your physician.
Honestly, having to take another 15 mg immediate release oxycodone 5-6 hours later is NORMAL as the pill is only designed to last 5-6 hours.
Based on taking 15 mg of immediate release oxycodone every 5-6 hours, the optimal oxycontin dose is between 30 mg - 40 mg every 12 hours for a total of 60 mg - 80 mg of total oxycodone in 24 hours. Taking a 40 mg oxycontin every 12 hours would release about 3 mg of oxycodone every hour. Multiply the 3 mg of oxycodone by 5 hours and it equals 15 mg, which is roughly equivalent to the amount of immediate release oxycodone you were taking every 5-6 hours.
Long-acting medications are preferred by many physicians over several doses of a short-acting medication like immediate release oxycodone over a 24 hour period, especially if the pain you are experiencing is expected to last over an extended period of time due to a chronic condition.
Lastly, remember oxycodone is also in oxycontin, the difference is the oxycodone in oxycontin is released slowly over a 12 hour period versus the oxycodone in the immediate release preparation is released all at once.
So as marycarmel said, you will most likely need immediate release oxycodone for breakthrough pain given you are taking 15 mg of oxycontin every 12 hours. I encourage you to work with your doctor on a dose titration if your pain is poorly controlled. Given the right dose of oxycontin, you may not require any other pain medication for 12 hours, which would be nice given your profession.
Hope that helps. Let us know if you have any other questions. Take care.
femmy
Actually the immediate release oxycodone 15 mg was stronger than what you are taking currently (15 mg of oxycontin) as the 15 mg of oxycodone is released all at once within 30-60 mins of taking it. The 15 mg of oxycontin is released over a 12 hour period so if you do the math...15 mg/12 hours = 1.25 mg of oxycodone per hour through the oxycontin. So instead of getting the full 15 mg within an hour of taking the immediate release oxycodone, you are getting about 1.25 mg of oxycodone within an hour. Now looking out over the day, you say you typicially need to take another 15 mg oxycodone 5-6 hours later. After 5-6 hours the oxycontin released is only 6.25-7.5 mg of oxycodone...this is only 1/2 of the 15 mg of immediate release oxycodone that you were taking! Your doctor without you realizing it, chopped your daily dose basically in half! So this is probably not going to be very effective for you. The above information assumes you are taking one 15 oxycontin every 12 hours per dosing recommended by the pharmaceutical company. If your doctor prescribed the oxycontin to be taken more frequently than once every 12 hours, then your dose is probably ok.
Many doctors start out with the lowest dose and titrate up as needed so if you are experiencing more pain throughout the day, definitely voice this to your physician.
Honestly, having to take another 15 mg immediate release oxycodone 5-6 hours later is NORMAL as the pill is only designed to last 5-6 hours.
Based on taking 15 mg of immediate release oxycodone every 5-6 hours, the optimal oxycontin dose is between 30 mg - 40 mg every 12 hours for a total of 60 mg - 80 mg of total oxycodone in 24 hours. Taking a 40 mg oxycontin every 12 hours would release about 3 mg of oxycodone every hour. Multiply the 3 mg of oxycodone by 5 hours and it equals 15 mg, which is roughly equivalent to the amount of immediate release oxycodone you were taking every 5-6 hours.
Long-acting medications are preferred by many physicians over several doses of a short-acting medication like immediate release oxycodone over a 24 hour period, especially if the pain you are experiencing is expected to last over an extended period of time due to a chronic condition.
Lastly, remember oxycodone is also in oxycontin, the difference is the oxycodone in oxycontin is released slowly over a 12 hour period versus the oxycodone in the immediate release preparation is released all at once.
So as marycarmel said, you will most likely need immediate release oxycodone for breakthrough pain given you are taking 15 mg of oxycontin every 12 hours. I encourage you to work with your doctor on a dose titration if your pain is poorly controlled. Given the right dose of oxycontin, you may not require any other pain medication for 12 hours, which would be nice given your profession.
Hope that helps. Let us know if you have any other questions. Take care.
femmy
You may find this better or you may not. Give it a bit of time to see. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. I've tried a few different long-acting meds, and for me, I was better off on the short-acting ones. Everyone is different.
I hope some other people chime in on this as there are several people here who've had experiences with different meds, both short and long-acting.
I hope some other people chime in on this as there are several people here who've had experiences with different meds, both short and long-acting.
this is my firt time that taking oxycontien and i use to take oxycodone for past 3 months..the codone 15 was ok but my doctor toled me this is beter for me sence im hair stylist and need something that last me throught the day so i dont have to take my pills every 5/6 hours ...
i just think it feels diffrent , today was my first time taking oxycontien !!maybe i get use to it but i like oxycodone beter for some resone..im in a beter mood!!!
i just think it feels diffrent , today was my first time taking oxycontien !!maybe i get use to it but i like oxycodone beter for some resone..im in a beter mood!!!
OxyContin is long-acting and oxycodone is immediate release. How often were you prescribed the OxyContin? Just to make sure: you were taking oxycodone 15 mg. for 3 months?
Some types of pain require a slow release with the long-acting med. Sometimes, often, you may need something for breakthrough pain, though you can also use OTC meds.
Were you not getting good pain relief with the 15 mg. of oxycodone?
Some types of pain require a slow release with the long-acting med. Sometimes, often, you may need something for breakthrough pain, though you can also use OTC meds.
Were you not getting good pain relief with the 15 mg. of oxycodone?
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