Hydrocodone vs. Oxycodone: What’s the Difference?

Both oxycodone and hydrocodone are opioids that are commonly prescribed to manage pain. Hydrocodone is typically manufactured with acetaminophen into products like Vicodin, which, in 2019, was the most commonly prescribed pain relieving medication in the United States, with over 30 million prescriptions. Oxycodone is also a commonly prescribed pain medication, with over 14 million prescriptions in 2019, and a further 11 million when combined with acetaminophen in the form of Percocet. However, as much as these medications seem alike, they posses essential differences.

Is Hydrocodone the Same as Oxycodone?

To answer the question, no, hydrocodone is not the same drug as oxycodone. While both oxycodone and hydrocodone are semisynthetic opioids and Schedule II controlled substances, they differ in almost every aspect, including the amount of active substace in each drug and the forms in which they are available.

What Is Hydrocodone (Vicodin)?

Hydrocodone is an opioid and A Schedule II controlled substance. Usually, it is sold in combination with other drugs like acetaminophen, and hydrocodone is the most frequently prescribed analgesic in the United States. Along with oxycodone, it is not the same drug, but similar.

Hysingla ER is a brand of hydrocodone with extended release dosage forms. It can also be found as a generic or combined with acetaminophen under the following brand names:

• Lortab
• Verdrocet
• Xodol

Prior to this, a combination of acetaminophen and hydrocodone was marketed under brand names’ Vicodin, Lorcet, and Norco’. The brands have been discontinued, but many colloquially use the terms to reference the drug.

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Medicinal Uses of Hydrocodone

Hydrocodone is prescribed to mitigate pain of moderate to severe intensity like those from acute injuries and surgeries. Sometimes chronic pain is managed with hydrocodone therapy, but at best it is an alternative therapy with non-opioid options being preferred by experts.

Side Effects and Risks of Using Hydrocodone

As with every medication, hydrocodone comes with potential side effects. Fortunately, not all users are impacted by every side effect, some adverse effects that hydrocodone users should prepare for include:

• Light-headedness
• Dizziness
• Sedatio
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Constipation
• Reduced speed of urination
• Rash

The risks associated with hydrocodone do not stop at side effects. Being an opioid and controlled substance, hydrocodone comes with the potential of developing a dependency on the drug, misuse, addiction, abuse, and in extreme cases, overdose leading to death.Overview of Oxycodone (Percocet)

Classification as an opioid and as a Schedule II controlled substance are given to oxycodone. Alone or in conjunction with other substances, it is one of the most frequently used analgesics in the USA. It can be observed that hydrocodone and oxycodone are alike, but they are, in fact, different drugs.

Oxycodone is marketed under many different brands for its various forms of long- and short-acting tablets including:

Oxaydo OxyContin Roxicodone RoxyBond Xtampza ER

In a combination form with acetaminophen, the drug is also sold under brand names like:

Percocet Endocet Nalocet Prolate

Primlev was a brand name for this combination in the past, but it has been discontinued.

Oxycodone Medical Uses

Due to its classification as a strong opioid, oxycodone is prescribed when the condition requires an opioid to control the pain. Oxycodone is usually prescribed for chronic pain, but, similar to hydrocodone, can be given after a surgery or during an acute injury. Non-opioid treatments are preferred, though.

Side Effects and Risks of Oxycodone

Risks associated with oxycodone include addiction, abuse, dependence, and overdose which may be life-threatening in some instances. Nonetheless, there can be other milder but common side effects which can include:

• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Lightheadedness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Euphoria
• Mood changes
• Constipation
• Itching of the skin
• Hydrocodone vs. Oxycodone

Oxycodone/acetaminophen (Percocet) and Hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin) are alike in many respects. Both are prescription opioids and include acetaminophen, but despite these similarities, the two drugs have some distinct differences.

Drug Class/Scheduling

Both Vicodin and Percocet are classified as schedule ill controlled substances. This implies they may pose severe risks for abuse, addiction, and dependence. That said, both medications should only be taken when prescribed by a doctor and for the minimum time required.

Strength

The primary difference between oxycodone and hydrocone lies in their strength. The stronger of the two drugs is oxycodone which is about 1.5 times as potent as hydrocodone. Thus, 30 mg of hydrocodone will equal 20 mg of oxycodone.

Forms

Hydrocodone is only avaliable as oral tablets. When combined with acetaminophen, it is also available as an oral solution along with tablet form.

Oxycodone is available both as a standalone oral medication and in combination with acetaminophen, which comes as tablets and liquids.

Dosage Hydrocodone and acetaminophen as well as oxycodone and acetaminophen have approximately the same dosage.

Side Effects Hydrocodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone/acetaminophen share common side effects. These include:

Feeling faint or limiting one’s range of movement due to dizziness

Drowsiness

Feeling sick to the stomach or vomiting

Obstruction of bowel movement

Drug Interactions In the capacity of active constituents of depressants, hydrocodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone/acetaminophen share similar interactions. They all have boxed warnings regarding interaction with medication, some of these include:

Consuming other acetaminophen products which may lead to liver failure.

Consuming other CND depressant drugs, especially benzodiazepines, can lead to overdose. In 2021, 14 percent of opioid overdoses involved benzos.

Can you take Oxycodone and Hydrocodone Together? In most cases one should not combine taking oxycodone and hydrocodone together as generally, they are not prescribed together. This is justified by the argument that oxycodone is stronger than hydrocodone, so in case a patient has pain that warrants oxycodone, he will not benefit from the significantly weaker hydrocodone.

Of course, this is subject to change. For instance, someone could be prescribed a long acting formulation of oxycodone, like OxyContin, and short acting formulation of hydrocodone, like Norco, for controlling breakthrough pain.

Never take them together unless specifically instructed by your doctor, as they are both opioids. Dangers of mixing oxycodone and hydrocodone include overdose due to increased side effects along with liver toxicity from the acetaminophen portions, which could prove lethal.

Hydrocodone and Oxycodone Addiction Symptoms

When dealing with hydrocodone or oxycodone, the signs tend to manifest in symptoms of addiction, such as:

• Taking the prescription narcotic for a prolonged amount of time as well as increasing the dosage.
• Trying to curtail their opioid consumption, despite previous attempts proving unsuccessful.
• Getting preoccupied with using the opioid or taking time to recuperate from using it.
• Longing for the opioid.
• Failing responsibilities because of the opioid.
• Social issues associated with the opioids.
• Giving up on activities aside from the activities where they carve out time to use the opioid.
• Endangering oneself to use the narcotic.
• Persisting to use the narcotic despite the awareness of being clinically diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder.
• Experiencing reoccurring negative feelings associated with not using the opioid during breaks from work.
• Decreased tolerance level to the opioid and therefore needing increased dosages.
• Experiencing discomfort when trying to abstain from the drug.

If someone you care for struggles with addiction to hydrocodone or oxycodone, the likelihood is you having difficulty coping without external means. The good news is, there is treatment.

Get Help for Addiction and Change Your Life

At Caring Hands Recovery Treatment Center, located in scenic Corona, CA, we have highly effective treatment and recovery options, supervised by our experienced and specialized staff, that we ensure are applicable and effective to the unique conditions of our clients and patients. Our qualified and caring staff are ready to readily respond to your questions. Please call us at +1 760-468-3444.

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