RESEARCH STARTER

Oxycodone

Oxycodone is a powerful opioid pain medication that was first synthesized in 1916 in Germany as a potential non-addictive alternative to traditional opioids like morphine and heroin. It became available in the United States in 1939, but its potential for abuse was not recognized until the 1950s, particularly with the introduction of Percodan, which combined oxycodone with aspirin. Classified as a Schedule II controlled substance, oxycodone is recognized for both its legitimate medical use and high potential for abuse. Its popularity surged in the U.S. in the late 1990s with Purdue Pharma's marketing of OxyContin, a controlled-release formulation that led to widespread misuse and addiction, often serving as a gateway to heroin use.

Oxycodone operates by binding to opioid receptors in the brain, effectively altering pain perception and elevating dopamine levels, which contributes to feelings of euphoria. While it can relieve pain effectively, the drug carries significant risks, including dependency, addiction, and various side effects such as nausea, dizziness, and constipation. Users may attempt to bypass its controlled-release mechanism to achieve a more intense high, increasing the potential for dangerous respiratory depression and long-term cognitive impairment. Given these factors, oxycodone must be used with caution and under strict medical supervision.

Full Article

  • CATEGORY: Substances
  • ALSO KNOWN AS: Blue; hillbilly heroin; kicker; OC; OX; oxy; oxycotton
  • STATUS: Legal by prescription in the United States and worldwide
  • CLASSIFICATION: Schedule II controlled substance
  • SOURCE: Synthesized from thebaine, a constituent of the poppy plant
  • TRANSMISSION ROUTE: Ingested orally, snorted, or injected

DEFINITION: Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic similar to morphine. It has strong pain-relieving, sleep-inducing, and anxiety-relieving properties. Oxycodone is the active component in Percocet, Percodan, Tylox, and OxyContin.

History of Use

Oxycodone was first synthesized in 1916 at the University of Frankfurt in Germany. It was developed as a nonaddictive substitute for opioids, including morphine, heroin, and codeine.

Oxycodone initially became available in the United States in 1939, but its abuse potential was not recognized until the 1950s, when Percodan, an oxycodone and aspirin combination, was introduced. As a result, all oxycodone-containing products are classified as Schedule II controlled substances, the strictest classification for legal medications. Schedule II drugs are those with a high abuse potential and a legitimate medical use.

The illicit abuse of oxycodone dramatically increased in 1996 in the United States after the marketing by Purdue Pharma of OxyContin, the controlled-release prescription form of oxycodone, which claimed that the drug was a less addictive and safer alternative than other prescription painkillers. OxyContin, consumed for its relaxing and euphoric effects, became the best-selling narcotic pain reliever on the market. Arguably one of the biggest contributors to the opioid crisis, Purdue Pharma was forced to change the original formula of OxyContin after pleading guilty to federal misbranding charges in 2007. After thousands of lawsuits, the company eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2019. The Sackler family, which owns Purdue Pharma, offered to pay $4.3 billion toward the company's bankruptcy estate in exchange for protection against further civil lawsuits, essentially protecting themselves. Though the initial court accepted the proposal, in 2024, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling, stating that the Sacklers were not at liberty to seek immunity from their role in the lawsuits against Purdue Pharma. The ruling, though, was controversial because the original settlement contained billions of dollars that would go toward opioid misuse victims and their families. In 2025, the Sacklers and Purdue Pharma reached a $7.4 billion settlement with all US states and the District of Columbia for their role in the opioid crisis.

Although oxycodone is not as potent as heroin, it remains one of the most highly addictive and widely abused prescription drugs of all time and has served as a gateway for many to heroin and other drug dependency. In 2023, around 105,000 people died due to drug overdoses in the US. Despite numerous efforts to curb the illegal use of oxycodone-containing products, their abuse remains a major concern in the United States. Government organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control, along with local community organizations, have attempted to create safe spaces for individuals who use drugs, provide drop-offs for illicit drugs, and provide clean needles to curb the spread of disease, along with many other efforts to support and educate people on ways to combat dependency. However, deaths related to overdoses steadily rose through the twenty-first century.

Effects and Potential Risks

Oxycodone is structurally similar to codeine and hydrocodone but, pharmacologically, resembles morphine. It acts through opioid receptors to alter the brain’s response to pain, lessening pain sensations. Like other opiates, oxycodone elevates dopamine levels, the neurotransmitter linked to pleasurable experiences.

Oxycodone’s short-term effects include a rush of euphoria and joy, leading to a dreamy, relaxed state. Negative short-term effects include nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness, and sedation.

Many people use oxycodone to achieve an opiate-like high, while others use it to minimize withdrawal symptoms of morphine and heroin addiction. Those who use oxycodone achieve the greatest high by bypassing OxyContin’s controlled-release mechanism, consuming the entire dose at once. Typically, pills are either chewed or crushed and snorted or mixed with a liquid and injected.

Oxycodone leads to dependency and addiction and must be used with extreme caution and supervision. Long-term abuse may affect brain functioning because of hypoxia (low blood-oxygen levels) in the brain that results from repeated respiratory depression.


Bibliography

Aquina, Christopher T., et al. “OxyContin® Abuse and Overdose.” Postgraduate Medicine, vol. 121, no. 2, 2009, pp. 163–67, doi:10.3810/pgm.2009.03.1988. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Bjornlund, Lydia. Oxycodone. ReferencePoint, 2012.

Brady, Kathleen. The American Psychiatric Association Publishing Textbook of Substance Use Disorder Treatment. 6th ed., American Psychiatric Association Publishing, 2021.

Chambers, James. Drug Abuse Sourcebook. 7th ed., Omnigraphics, 2022.

Ezeh, Nicole. “Supreme Court Overrules Purdue Pharma Opioid Settlement, Rejects Immunity for Sacklers.” National Conference of State Legislatures, 5 July 2024, www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/supreme-court-overrules-purdue-pharma-opioid-settlement-rejects-immunity-for-sacklers. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Kuhar, Michael J., and Howard Liddle. Drugs of Abuse. Marshall Cavendish, 2012.

Kuhn, Cynthia, et al. Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy. W. W. Norton, 2003.

Lew, Kristi. The Truth about Oxycodone and Other Narcotics. Rosen, 2014.

Mann, Brian. "Purdue Pharma, Sacklers Reach New $7.4 Billion Opioid Settlement ." NPR, 16 June 2025, www.npr.org/2025/06/16/nx-s1-5435318/purdue-pharma-sacklers-reach-new-7-4-billion-opioid-settlement. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Montvilo, Robin Kamienny. Addiction and Substance Abuse. Salem, 2013.

“Oxycodone.” United States Drug Enforcement Administration, www.dea.gov/factsheets/oxycodone. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Sadiq, Nazia M., et al. "Oxycodone." StatPearls, National Library of Medicine, 20 Feb. 2024, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482226. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

“What CDC Is Doing.” CDC, 12 June 2025, www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/about/what-cdc-is-doing.html. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Full Article

  • CATEGORY: Substances
  • ALSO KNOWN AS: Blue; hillbilly heroin; kicker; OC; OX; oxy; oxycotton
  • STATUS: Legal by prescription in the United States and worldwide
  • CLASSIFICATION: Schedule II controlled substance
  • SOURCE: Synthesized from thebaine, a constituent of the poppy plant
  • TRANSMISSION ROUTE: Ingested orally, snorted, or injected

DEFINITION: Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic similar to morphine. It has strong pain-relieving, sleep-inducing, and anxiety-relieving properties. Oxycodone is the active component in Percocet, Percodan, Tylox, and OxyContin.

History of Use

Oxycodone was first synthesized in 1916 at the University of Frankfurt in Germany. It was developed as a nonaddictive substitute for opioids, including morphine, heroin, and codeine.

Oxycodone initially became available in the United States in 1939, but its abuse potential was not recognized until the 1950s, when Percodan, an oxycodone and aspirin combination, was introduced. As a result, all oxycodone-containing products are classified as Schedule II controlled substances, the strictest classification for legal medications. Schedule II drugs are those with a high abuse potential and a legitimate medical use.

The illicit abuse of oxycodone dramatically increased in 1996 in the United States after the marketing by Purdue Pharma of OxyContin, the controlled-release prescription form of oxycodone, which claimed that the drug was a less addictive and safer alternative than other prescription painkillers. OxyContin, consumed for its relaxing and euphoric effects, became the best-selling narcotic pain reliever on the market. Arguably one of the biggest contributors to the opioid crisis, Purdue Pharma was forced to change the original formula of OxyContin after pleading guilty to federal misbranding charges in 2007. After thousands of lawsuits, the company eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2019. The Sackler family, which owns Purdue Pharma, offered to pay $4.3 billion toward the company's bankruptcy estate in exchange for protection against further civil lawsuits, essentially protecting themselves. Though the initial court accepted the proposal, in 2024, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling, stating that the Sacklers were not at liberty to seek immunity from their role in the lawsuits against Purdue Pharma. The ruling, though, was controversial because the original settlement contained billions of dollars that would go toward opioid misuse victims and their families. In 2025, the Sacklers and Purdue Pharma reached a $7.4 billion settlement with all US states and the District of Columbia for their role in the opioid crisis.

Although oxycodone is not as potent as heroin, it remains one of the most highly addictive and widely abused prescription drugs of all time and has served as a gateway for many to heroin and other drug dependency. In 2023, around 105,000 people died due to drug overdoses in the US. Despite numerous efforts to curb the illegal use of oxycodone-containing products, their abuse remains a major concern in the United States. Government organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control, along with local community organizations, have attempted to create safe spaces for individuals who use drugs, provide drop-offs for illicit drugs, and provide clean needles to curb the spread of disease, along with many other efforts to support and educate people on ways to combat dependency. However, deaths related to overdoses steadily rose through the twenty-first century.

Effects and Potential Risks

Oxycodone is structurally similar to codeine and hydrocodone but, pharmacologically, resembles morphine. It acts through opioid receptors to alter the brain’s response to pain, lessening pain sensations. Like other opiates, oxycodone elevates dopamine levels, the neurotransmitter linked to pleasurable experiences.

Oxycodone’s short-term effects include a rush of euphoria and joy, leading to a dreamy, relaxed state. Negative short-term effects include nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness, and sedation.

Many people use oxycodone to achieve an opiate-like high, while others use it to minimize withdrawal symptoms of morphine and heroin addiction. Those who use oxycodone achieve the greatest high by bypassing OxyContin’s controlled-release mechanism, consuming the entire dose at once. Typically, pills are either chewed or crushed and snorted or mixed with a liquid and injected.

Oxycodone leads to dependency and addiction and must be used with extreme caution and supervision. Long-term abuse may affect brain functioning because of hypoxia (low blood-oxygen levels) in the brain that results from repeated respiratory depression.


Bibliography

Aquina, Christopher T., et al. “OxyContin® Abuse and Overdose.” Postgraduate Medicine, vol. 121, no. 2, 2009, pp. 163–67, doi:10.3810/pgm.2009.03.1988. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Bjornlund, Lydia. Oxycodone. ReferencePoint, 2012.

Brady, Kathleen. The American Psychiatric Association Publishing Textbook of Substance Use Disorder Treatment. 6th ed., American Psychiatric Association Publishing, 2021.

Chambers, James. Drug Abuse Sourcebook. 7th ed., Omnigraphics, 2022.

Ezeh, Nicole. “Supreme Court Overrules Purdue Pharma Opioid Settlement, Rejects Immunity for Sacklers.” National Conference of State Legislatures, 5 July 2024, www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/supreme-court-overrules-purdue-pharma-opioid-settlement-rejects-immunity-for-sacklers. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Kuhar, Michael J., and Howard Liddle. Drugs of Abuse. Marshall Cavendish, 2012.

Kuhn, Cynthia, et al. Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy. W. W. Norton, 2003.

Lew, Kristi. The Truth about Oxycodone and Other Narcotics. Rosen, 2014.

Mann, Brian. "Purdue Pharma, Sacklers Reach New $7.4 Billion Opioid Settlement ." NPR, 16 June 2025, www.npr.org/2025/06/16/nx-s1-5435318/purdue-pharma-sacklers-reach-new-7-4-billion-opioid-settlement. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Montvilo, Robin Kamienny. Addiction and Substance Abuse. Salem, 2013.

“Oxycodone.” United States Drug Enforcement Administration, www.dea.gov/factsheets/oxycodone. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Sadiq, Nazia M., et al. "Oxycodone." StatPearls, National Library of Medicine, 20 Feb. 2024, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482226. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

“What CDC Is Doing.” CDC, 12 June 2025, www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/about/what-cdc-is-doing.html. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

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