Oxycodone is used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain. It can also be used to treat pain after surgery and for other uses. It comes in different forms, such as short-acting liquids or tablets, and long-acting (sustained-release) pills. Short and long-acting pain medicines are often used together for severe chronic cancer pain. A long-acting pain medicine is given at regular times to provide continuous pain relief, and a quick, short-acting medicine is given when pain "breaks through" the longer-acting medicine. The short-acting drug is sometimes called a "rescue" medicine.

Because oxycodone is made in both long-acting and short-acting forms, it can be used for either of these roles. One of oxycodone's sustained-release forms may be used as the continuous pain relief. A quick, short-acting form of oxycodone may be used as the rescue medicine.

• If you are allergic to anything, including medicines, dyes, additives, foods, or sulfites. Codeine preparations often contain sulfites, aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or other substances.

• If you have any medical conditions such as kidney disease, liver disease (including hepatitis), low thyroid function, or Addison's disease (low adrenal function). These conditions may require that your medicine dose, regimen, or timing be changed.

• If you have had abdominal pain or any disorder with slowed or blocked intestines, such as paralytic ileus. Oxycodone can worsen this problem.

• If you have trouble urinating, narrow urethra, or if you have an enlarged prostate. Oxycodone can make it harder to urinate.

• If you have ever had a seizure, head injury, or if you have had problems with pressure, infection, or a tumor in your head or brain. Oxycodone can raise your risk of seizures.

• If you have low blood pressure. Oxycodone can worsen this.

• If you have asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, sleep apnea, or other breathing problem. Oxycodone can make it worse.

• If you have gallstones, gallbladder disease, or pancreatitis. Oxycodone can sometimes worsen these problems.

• If you have severe mental illness. Oxycodone can worsen psychosis.

• If you have taken monoamine oxidase inhibitors within the past 2 weeks (see drug interactions section, below.) Oxycodone can cause coma, slow or shallow breathing, low blood pressure, excitability, seizures, or shock.

• If you drink alcohol or take any medicine that can affect your brain or nervous system. These may worsen the side effects of oxycodone or cause other problems.

• If you have trouble with addiction, alcohol, or drug abuse now or have had one in the past. Oxycodone can be habit forming, especially for those who have had problems before.

• If any family members have or have had an addiction or drug problem. Oxycodone is sometimes stolen by or for those who have become addicted to it or similar drugs.

• If you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or if there is any chance of pregnancy. There may be an increased risk of harm to the fetus if a woman takes this drug during pregnancy, especially later in pregnancy.

• If you are breast-feeding. The drug passes into breast milk and can harm the baby.

• About any other prescription or over-the-counter medicines you are taking, including vitamins and herbs.

Antidepressants of the older MAO inhibitor type (such as isocarboxazid, phenelzine, procarbazine, selegiline, and tranylcypromine) may cause coma, slow or shallow breathing, low blood pressure, excitability, seizures, or shock if oxycodone is given within 2 weeks of the last MAO inhibitor dose.

Medicines that slow down the brain or nervous system, such as other pain relievers, tranquilizers, sedatives, sleeping pills, antidepressants, muscle relaxers, antihistamines, phenothiazines, anesthetic medicines, and alcohol can cause worse side effects, such as slowed breathing, low blood pressure, extreme sleepiness, coma, or even death if taken with oxycodone.

Check with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about whether other medicines, vitamins, herbs, and supplements can cause problems with this medicine.

Sustained-release pills (like Oxycontin) are usually taken every 12 hours. If you are taking a long-acting pill, do not chew, break, crush, split, or dissolve it. Swallow these pills whole with a full glass of water or juice. If you cannot swallow them whole, talk with your doctor or nurse about getting another medicine. Time-release pills contain enough oxycodone to last for 12 hours. If they are chewed, dissolved, or crushed, the entire dose can be absorbed by the body all at once, causing overdose symptoms including serious complications such as trouble breathing. Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if you have other questions about how to safely take your medicines.

The dose depends on how much is needed to control your pain. Take this drug exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not understand the instructions, ask your doctor or nurse to explain them to you. Keep the medicine in a tightly closed container away from heat and moisture and out of the reach of children, pets, and others. Medicine that will not be used should be flushed down the toilet as soon as possible.

Be careful getting up, changing position, or walking. Get up slowly and hold onto something or someone to keep you steady. If you feel lightheaded or dizzy, it may help to lie down. It is best to have a responsible adult with you for the first few days after starting the oxycodone and after any increase in dose, until you know how you will respond to it.

Since oxycodone affects the central nervous system, it is important not to take other drugs or substances that slow down the brain or nervous system such as alcohol, sedatives, muscle relaxers, and sleeping medicines unless your doctor tells you to do so.

Call your doctor right away if you have trouble breathing, get short of breath, dizzy, faint, confused, or very drowsy. These may be signs your dose is too high, or you could have gotten an accidental overdose of the medicine.

Tell your doctor or nurse right away if you have trouble passing your urine, trouble walking, or other problems.

If you are having any kind of surgery or medical procedure, be sure to tell the doctor or dentist in charge that you are using this medicine.

Most people on opioid pain medicines need to take a stool softener, bulk-forming agent, and a laxative to help keep bowel movements regular. Talk to your nurse or doctor about this when you first start this medicine. Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, and try to eat foods high in fiber such as whole grains, bran, fruits, and vegetables. Call your doctor or nurse right away if you have not moved your bowels in 2 days.

Most cancer pain can be controlled. Keep your doctor or nurse informed about how well your pain medicines are working and any side effects you are having. Your cancer team may need to adjust your medicines several times before they find the medicines that work best for you.

If you have chronic (long term) cancer pain, talk to your doctor about taking your pain medicines on a regular schedule to keep it from worsening. If you wait until the pain is bad, it takes more medicine to get it under control. If pain comes back between doses, talk to your cancer team about changing your medicine or adding an extra one for "breakthrough" pain.

Talk to your doctor or nurse about using the smallest effective dose to reduce side effects. Tolerance (larger doses needed to give the same effect) and physical dependence (body goes into withdrawal if drug is suddenly stopped) happen normally when strong (opioid) medicines are taken over several weeks to treat chronic pain. However, this is different from addiction, which is psychological dependence (when drug is taken for psychological effect, not for relief of pain). Tell your doctor or nurse if you still have pain even though you are taking the medicine as directed. Do not adjust your dose without talking to your doctor or nurse.

Do not stop taking this medicine without talking to your doctor or nurse. When no longer needed, this medicine should be stopped gradually with the help of your doctor. If it is stopped suddenly after you have taken it regularly for several weeks, withdrawal symptoms may occur, such as body aches, cramps, runny nose, watering eyes, and diarrhea.

Acetaminophen or aspirin may be taken along with oxycodone to increase the pain relief action. It is important to know if your oxycodone or any of your other medicines already contain either of these drugs. They are in many other remedies and it is easy to accidentally get too much of them. Note that some oxycodone tablets contain ibuprofen. Check with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist to find out which of these drugs are included in your daily medicines.

This drug is a controlled substance, and may be habit forming. Do not allow others to take your medicines.

If you think you or someone else may have taken an overdose of oxycodone, get emergency help right away. Symptoms of oxycodone overdose may include extreme drowsiness, slow heart beat, slow or irregular breathing, cold clammy skin, or coma. Oxycodone overdose may cause the heart or breathing to stop. With time release medicine it can take up to a day for all medicine to absorb, and the person may need to be observed for some time after treatment.

• constipation*
• drowsiness*
• sedation*
• nausea
• dizziness*
• dry mouth

• vomiting
• headache
• changes in mood
• euphoria
• depression
• confusion*
• slow or shallow breathing*
• low blood pressure when sitting or standing up*
• delayed digestion
• slow heart rate
• trouble sleeping

• trouble urinating*
• decreased sexual interest
• impotence
• allergic reaction with itching, skin welts, trouble breathing, or swelling of the face, mouth, tongue, or throat

*See the "Precautions" section for more detailed information.