Oxycodone vs Hydrocodone
Oxycodone and hydrocodone are two highly debated drugs often prescribed to relieve extreme pain. They are classified as narcotic analgesics. Being such, they can lead to some health hazards when not used as prescribed. The two are chemically similar and they give off almost the same range of side effects. But surprisingly, they also have lots of differences.
Hydrocodone is usually prescribed by the doctor as a remedy for minor to moderate degrees of pain and, at the same time, helps manage coughing. Oxycodone, on the other hand, is considered to be more potent than the former because it is about 5 times more effective in pain suppression. Therefore, oxycodone is given to patients suffering from more severe pain like those related to trauma, chronic pain injuries and even cancer-related pains.
Although both hydrocodone and oxycodone have preparations that are classified as Schedule II narcotics, all other drugs that contain oxycodone like Tylox, Percocet and Roxilox are still placed under schedule II while the drugs that contain hydrocodone are only placed under Schedule III. Examples of such are Lortab, Lorcet and Vicodin. This means that Oxycodone has a higher potential for abuse compared to the former. Usually, acetaminophen is the other drug component added to the mixture to make the variety of branded hydrocodone and oxycodone medications.
Due to the strength of oxycodone, the doctor can’t just do a ‘call in’ of the drug at the pharmacy. There must be a written prescription for someone to be able to buy such a controlled drug. For the case of hydrocodone, the doctor can simply make a ‘call in’ for the drug to be released.
Lastly, both oxycodone and hydrocodone are available in their own generic forms. But it is only oxycodone which has a single ingredient preparation. This means that all hydrocodone medications are in combination with other drug components like (as mentioned) acetaminophen.
With regard to the effectiveness in pain management, both can do the job although a lot of patients would testify that they were easily relieved by using oxycodone. Nevertheless, this is a case to case basis as some would claim otherwise.
1. Oxycodone is a stronger pain reliever than hydrocodone.
2. Oxycodone is for managing severe pain while hydrocodone is for mild to moderate pain.
3. All oxycodone drugs are placed under Schedule II drug classification while some hydrocodone drugs are placed under Schedule III.
4. Oxycodone can’t be ‘called in’ by the doctor at the pharmacy while hydrocodone can be ordered even without the doctor’s prescription.
5. Oxycodone can be bought as a single ingredient drug while hydrocodone is usually marketed as a combination drug.