How Long Does Oxycodone Stay in Your System?
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In the article, we will cover everything there is to know about the Oxycodone. What is it? How is it used? And what are the benefits?
Oxycodone is an opioid drug used to relieve moderate to severe pain in adults who can’t be treated with other pain medications. Oxycodone may be prescribed following an injury, trauma, or major surgery. It may also be prescribed to treat other types of severe pain, like cancer pain.
Brand names for immediate-release oxycodone include:
- Oxaydo
- Roxycodone
- Roxybond
- Oxy IR
Brand names for controlled or extended-release versions of oxycodone include:
- OxyContin CR (controlled-release)
- Xtampza ER (extended-release)
There are also combination medications that include oxycodone, such as:
- oxycodone combined with acetaminophen (Percocet)
- oxycodone combined with acetaminophen (Xartemis XR)
- oxycodone combined with aspirin (generic available)
- oxycodone combined with ibuprofen (generic available)
Oxycodone is derived from the poppy plant. It binds to the mu opioid receptor and blocks the feeling of pain. Since oxycodone works in the pleasure centers of the brain, it has a high potential for abuse and addiction. For this reason, oxycodone is classified as a federal controlled substance (C-II).
If you’ve been prescribed oxycodone, you may be curious as to how long the effects will last in your body, and how long the medication may show up on a drug test. It’s also important to understand what to do if you decide to stop taking oxycodone. Abruptly stopping the medication can lead to withdrawal symptoms.
The amount of oxycodone needed for analgesia (pain relief) varies widely between people. Usually, a doctor will start you on a low dose and then increase the dose slowly until your pain is well controlled. People who have taken an opioid medication before may need to take a higher dose in order to experience pain relief.
Oxycodone is taken by mouth (oral) and should be taken with food. You should start feeling the effects of oxycodone in just 20 to 30 minutes. Oxycodone reaches peak concentrations in the bloodstream in roughly one to two hours following ingestion. Extended- and controlled-release formulations can take three to four hours to reach peak concentration in the bloodstream.
Over time, you may build up a tolerance to oxycodone. This means it may take longer to feel the pain relief or the relief may not feel as strong. When this happens, your doctor may want to increase your dose or switch you to a different type of pain medication. Don’t take a larger dose of oxycodone without speaking to your doctor first.
One way to find out how long a drug will last in your body is to measure its half-life. The half-life is the time it takes for half of the drug to be eliminated from the body.
Immediate-release formulations of oxycodone have average half-life of 3.2 hours. In other words, it takes 3.2 hours for the average person to eliminate half of the dose of oxycodone. Controlled/extended-release formulations of oxycodone have a longer half-life of about 4.5 hours to 5.6 hours, on average.
It takes several half-lives to fully eliminate a drug. Since everyone metabolizes medications differently, the half-life will vary from person to person. For most people, oxycodone will fully clear the blood within 24 hours, but it can still be detected in the saliva, urine, or hair for longer than that.
Oxycodone can be detected in:
- saliva for one to four days after the last dose is taken
- urine for three to four days after the last dose is taken
- hair for up to 90 days after the last dose is taken
You will likely stop “feeling” the pain relief of oxycodone long before it fully clears your body. This is why your doctor may have you take a single tablet of oxycodone every four to six hours while you’re in pain.
Controlled or extended-release formulations last longer, so they are usually taken every 12 hours.
Oxycodone is an opioid drug used to relieve moderate to severe pain in adults who can’t be treated with other pain medications. Oxycodone may be prescribed following an injury, trauma, or major surgery. It may also be prescribed to treat other types of severe pain, like cancer pain.
Brand names for immediate-release oxycodone include:
- Oxaydo
- Roxycodone
- Roxybond
- Oxy IR
Brand names for controlled or extended-release versions of oxycodone include:
- OxyContin CR (controlled-release)
- Xtampza ER (extended-release)
There are also combination medications that include oxycodone, such as:
- oxycodone combined with acetaminophen (Percocet)
- oxycodone combined with acetaminophen (Xartemis XR)
- oxycodone combined with aspirin (generic available)
- oxycodone combined with ibuprofen (generic available)
Oxycodone is derived from the poppy plant. It binds to the mu opioid receptor and blocks the feeling of pain. Since oxycodone works in the pleasure centers of the brain, it has a high potential for abuse and addiction. For this reason, oxycodone is classified as a federal controlled substance (C-II).
If you’ve been prescribed oxycodone, you may be curious as to how long the effects will last in your body, and how long the medication may show up on a drug test. It’s also important to understand what to do if you decide to stop taking oxycodone. Abruptly stopping the medication can lead to withdrawal symptoms.
The amount of oxycodone needed for analgesia (pain relief) varies widely between people. Usually, a doctor will start you on a low dose and then increase the dose slowly until your pain is well controlled. People who have taken an opioid medication before may need to take a higher dose in order to experience pain relief.
Oxycodone is taken by mouth (oral) and should be taken with food. You should start feeling the effects of oxycodone in just 20 to 30 minutes. Oxycodone reaches peak concentrations in the bloodstream in roughly one to two hours following ingestion. Extended- and controlled-release formulations can take three to four hours to reach peak concentration in the bloodstream.
Over time, you may build up a tolerance to oxycodone. This means it may take longer to feel the pain relief or the relief may not feel as strong. When this happens, your doctor may want to increase your dose or switch you to a different type of pain medication. Don’t take a larger dose of oxycodone without speaking to your doctor first.
One way to find out how long a drug will last in your body is to measure its half-life. The half-life is the time it takes for half of the drug to be eliminated from the body.
Immediate-release formulations of oxycodone have average half-life of 3.2 hours. In other words, it takes 3.2 hours for the average person to eliminate half of the dose of oxycodone. Controlled/extended-release formulations of oxycodone have a longer half-life of about 4.5 hours to 5.6 hours, on average.
It takes several half-lives to fully eliminate a drug. Since everyone metabolizes medications differently, the half-life will vary from person to person. For most people, oxycodone will fully clear the blood within 24 hours, but it can still be detected in the saliva, urine, or hair for longer than that.
Oxycodone can be detected in:
- saliva for one to four days after the last dose is taken
- urine for three to four days after the last dose is taken
- hair for up to 90 days after the last dose is taken
You will likely stop “feeling” the pain relief of oxycodone long before it fully clears your body. This is why your doctor may have you take a single tablet of oxycodone every four to six hours while you’re in pain.
Controlled or extended-release formulations last longer, so they are usually taken every 12 hours.
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