Oxycontin OC vs Oxycontin OP
Oxycodone (Oxycontin) is a drug used to relieve pain. It is a semi-synthetic opioid analgesic made as a way to improve other existing opioids, such as codeine and morphine. Oxycodone is generally prescribed to provide relief for moderate to severe pain. The analgesic property of this drug is due to the decreased pain reaction, alteration of the perception of pain, and improved pain tolerance. Oxycodone, being an opioid analgesic, can be habit forming especially when used improperly. Opioid analgesics like Oxycodone are drugs that people commonly misuse and abuse due to their euphoric effect. Often, drug abusers can also acquire them illegally without any prescription, and this is usually a crime punishable by law. Some patients may fake chronic or severe pain just to get a prescription of the drug and simply get away with it.
Oxycontin is manufactured by Purdue Pharma and is formulated as a time-release drug for which it gained the label Oxycontin OC (“OC” for Oxycontin Continuous). Many of those who are prescribed with Oxycontin OC may return to the pharmacies to get a refill only to find out that there have been changes in the drug they are taking. Pharmacies now do not dispense Oxycontin OC but instead they dispense a newer version of Oxycontin which is commonly referred to as Oxycontin OP (“OP” for Oxycontin Purdue). In addition, pharmacies that want to reorder a stock of Oxycontin OC will have no choice but to automatically receive the OP version. But just what is the difference between these two formulations?
Oxycontin OC is the original version of the brand Oxycontin. As previously mentioned, it is a time-release form of Oxycodone that is used to treat chronic and severe pain. It contains a large amount of the active ingredient and is considered one of the most abused prescription drugs in the U.S. Drug abusers abuse the drug by snorting or ingesting crushed tablets or using water to dilute the drug and make it into an injectable form. This gives them easy access to the opioid “high.” Crushing Oxycontin OC or diluting it in water defeats the purpose of the time-release formulation and, at the same time, releases a potentially fatal dose to the user.
To minimize or avoid the problem of drug misuse and abuse, Oxycontin has been reformulated with a tablet stamp “OP,” which stands for “Oxycontin Purdue.” This version of Oxycontin contains the same ingredient as the previous version but only with added ingredients. The reformulated drug is extremely hard and is almost impossible to chew. When they do get crushed, they are still not fine enough to be snorted; it could just be an obstruction to the nasal cavity when users plan to snort them. The new pill is covered with a special coating that makes it difficult to chew, break, or dissolve, decreasing the incidence of opioid analgesic abuse. All in all, Oxycontin Purdue is manufactured to deter drug abuse.
Summary:
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“OC” stands for “Oxycontin Continuous” while “OP” stands for “Oxycontin Purdue.”
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Both formulations are bioequivalent, which means that the rate and extent of absorption for both drugs are the same.
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Both Oxycontin OC and Oxycontin OP are opioid analgesics used to relieve moderate to severe pain and contain the same active ingredient, Oxycodone.
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The OC formulation will no longer be available in pharmacies as it will be automatically replaced with the OP formulation.
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The OP formulation is made with added binders to make it harder, making it nearly impossible for misuse and abuse. The OP formulation is not chewable like the previous OC version.
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The Oxycontin OC pills are stamped with the letters “OC” on one side of the tablet; in contrast, the letters “OP” are embossed on one side of the Oxycontin OP pills.