Oxycontin vs Oxycodone: What’s the Difference?

Opioid painkillers are extremely effective in helping individuals manage pain. However, because they are so potent, addiction is something individuals need to be aware of. Opiate-based drugs like heroin, Oxycontin, and other oxycodone-based painkillers can be dangerous for recreational drug use. Many people conflate oxycontin and oxycodone, but what is the difference between Oxycontin vs. oxycodone. Here at Beaches Recovery, we believe that educating individuals about the effects of drugs and alcohol is the first step in recognizing the need for addiction treatment. Once individuals know what to look for, they are in a better position to discover the treatment program that will meet their needs to heal and make a lasting recovery.

What Is the Difference Between Oxycontin vs. Oxycodone

Oxycodone is an opiate compound. In its purest form, oxycodone forms Oxycontin. If oxycodone is mixed with analgesics like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or aspirin, it creates other types of painkillers such as Percodan, Percocet, and Tylox.

The primary difference between Oxycontin and these other painkillers is the onset of action. Because of the high dosage of oxycodone found in Oxycontin, there’s an enhanced time-release property that extends the effects for up to 12 hours. Pharmaceutical companies manufacture other types of oxycodone-based products without the time-release property, which allows them to start acting within 15 minutes, but with a maximum life of 4–6 hours.

The difference between these two opioids boils down to a generic name (oxycodone) and a brand name (OxyContin). These prescription painkillers need to be strictly administered and used because they can inadvertently cause addiction due to their potency.

Oxycontin vs. Oxycodone: The Addictive Properties

Keeping in mind that Oxycontin is nothing more than oxycodone in its purest form, consider the addictive properties of opiates as a general class of drugs. Opiates generally minimize pain. Due to massive overprescription driven by the opioid pharmaceutical industry, our country has seen a nationwide opioid epidemic that persists today. Due to the potency of these opioid painkillers, individuals can become dependent even when they follow their doctor’s instructions. Millions turned to other illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl because of their addiction when prescriptions run out.

Recreational use enhances euphoria. Unfortunately, the euphoria usually motivates people to use the drug continually. Because it makes users “feel good,” they start increasing dosages within a short period of time to get the desired effect. As consumption levels increase, opiates become dangerous and addictive, especially pure opiate-based drugs like OxyContin. A 2014 American Society for Addiction Medicine study discovered that Oxycontin caused 18,893 overdose deaths in that year.

Here at Beaches Recovery, we understand the impact that opioids have had. This is why we offer substance abuse treatment programs covering not only opioids and opiates but other substances such as:

• Alcohol addiction
• Cocaine addiction
• Heroin addiction
• Meth addiction
• Benzo addiction
• Xanax addiction

Discover How Beaches Recovery Can Help

Beaches Recovery in Jacksonville, Florida, is a prominent treatment facility specializing in opiate addiction recovery. We offer:

• Residential Care
• Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP)
• Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP)
• Outpatient treatment

Across all our programs, individuals can take advantage of a wide range of therapies. We provide these therapeutic options because we understand that no two people will have the same path to recovery and therefore require as many options as possible. Some of our therapies include:

• Individual therapy
• Group therapy
• Family therapy
• Fitness therapy
• Music therapy
• Equine therapy
• Art therapy

We partner with various national insurance providers to ensure you get the treatment you need while minimizing your out-of-pocket costs. Suffering from Oxycontin, oxycodone, or any other type of prescription drug addiction? Don’t wait. Call us now at 866.605.0532, or contact us online to verify your insurance or learn more about our different programs.