Oxycodone is a synthetic opioid prescribed to relieve
moderate to severe pain by providing an analgesic effect by increasing pain
tolerance and decreasing pain perception.
Oxycodone was first synthesized in 1916 by German
scientists, and contemporary varieties marketed under various trade names are
effective painkillers but are also high risk for addiction, dependence and
overdose.
Extended-release oxycodone tablets,
like those manufactured as Oxycontin, are used only to treat patients needing
regular doses of painkillers to treat continuous pain over a long period of
time; such medication should not be prescribed or used to treat occasional pain
episodes.
Patients should swallow oxycodone
extended-release tablets whole, without chewing. If administered any other way
than the prescribed way – such as chewed, swallowed broken, or crushed and
snorted – a patient will receive the entire dose at once, instead of slowly
over 12 hours, possibly resulting in overdose and death.
The most popular oxycodone drugs in the market today are: