oxy feels stronger to me... Hydro makes me really hyper... I have that reverse reaction to all opiates I've tried with the exception of Demerol
But hydro definately makes me the most hyper so maybe it doesn't feel as strong to me because I'm bouncing off the walls
I will say 5mg hydro with Tylenol in it helps more with pain than 5mg oxy without the Tylenol added

But everyone reacts different to each med... Even different brands of the "same" medicine will feel different to me

Hydro makes me feel like my heart is racing too. Everyone does have different reactions and I've learned that brands can make a huge difference.

wow i thought i was the only one to have this reaction!! i switched about 3 months ago and felt the same way. my dr. told me the oxys were much stronger yada yada yada and wont switch me back. the only difference i have noticed is the oxy doesnt make me itch quite as bad.( which is one of the reasons i switched). let me know if you find out anything and i will do the same.

Well thank you for the responses...
The oxy makes me SO tired...before I was on both and the oxy... I only took it at night ...so I was only tired at night.
Now Im tired all day long...sigh.

After I went from oxycodone back to Hydro same dose I got no relief from the Hydro at all. As a matter of fact the oxy raised my tolerance to Hydro. It was very weird. I could normally take 2 7.5 of the hydro and get 4-5 hrs of relief. Now I can't get any relief from the Hydros. Also I noticed Oxycodone doesn't last at long with acute flare ups as the Hydro's did. I guess everyone responds differently to meds.

~hugs

Hydrocodone 30mg is roughly equivalent to oxycodone 20mg, so yes - oxycodone is considered stronger. You can get slightly different proportions depending on which narcotic dose conversion table you look at.

Thanks for this post - I had no idea!

Lynne

That is EXACTLY what happened to me. I was switched last winter. (I kept about 40% of my Hydrocodone, and the doc at first attempted HALF the milligrams of the hydro to substitute.) Not only was I in part withdrawal (as some people's receptors are VERY specific and can tell the difference between different meds in the same family) I talked to him and said, I KNOW that hydro is "supposed to" be half as strong as Oxy, but I find the strength about the same, milligram per milligram." He gave me the same number of milligrams THAT DAY. I had told the nurse this (and I really like this nurse) and I don't think the message was translated properly. Also, sometimes it helps to be face to face to change things.

I have reduced the Oxy a little, due to side effects. But, I know that they are very similar, I agree that Oxy is NOT "stronger."

I know what the "conversion charts" say, but what happens IN each individual is VERY different. Also, most conversion charts have a RANGE of doses, not a single conversion dose.

My doctor agreed with me, it seems a LOT of patients feel that Hydro and Oxy are about the same in pain response milligram per milligram.

Ladyfair, I was VERY tired and constipated the first few weeks on the OxyIR. I was falling asleep in the middle of things (which I NEVER did with the hydro) and I was not allowed to drive for about a month. But, my body recovered, and I no longer have the same tiredness at all. The constipation disappeared in a few weeks, also.

My pharmacist said to me (about the switch) "It takes a season." He was SO right. (he has probably seen more people switched than my doctor does, as he works for a pharmacy which sees a lot of end of life and chronic pain patients) He was so right. It took about 3 months to "feel right" now I am dealing with a side effect that NO ONE told me would occur, although when I told my doctor, he said, "Oh, yeah, that happens with Oxy to some people." It's getting a little better, but if the side effect doesn't stop I will have to switch again....

PGell, I recently was switched from Hydro to Oxy, what side effect is still going on ? I have been having weird dreams, but I do feel differently, its hard to explain. Whatever info you have I would really appreciate !!! Hugs, Deb ps Thanks a Bunch !!!!!

I still take Hydro, but now I'm on Methadone full time and I take the Hydro for flairups or particularlly bad days. But my Mom takes Oxy and I've taken hers before on really bad days and I didn't think it helped me much either, and it did make me more tired and I know I didn't itch, but I've gotten pretty used to that after all these years so it really doesn't bother me. I am amazed how much beter I feel on the Methadone and Hydro combo. Most days I can keep the pain in a minor but constant mode but the best part is that I don't get the High feeling and I'm more able to work and function like the normal person I was before I had to deal with so much pain. Plus the pharmacist the ai spoke to that I've known for quite a while, told me that Methadone is just about the safest medicine you can take for chronic pain. So I offer that up as an option to anyone still having trouble.

Deb, I posted the problem on my blog and then, in a fit of fear, deleted it.

Yeah, the first few weeks, I was remembering my dreams more (and I have WEIRD dreams, but I often don't remember them.)

But, the side effect concerns my private life with my husband. I have no problem with desire, but I have been having a hard time "finishing up" for lack of a better word. Sometimes, it's no problem, other times I go days or even a week and can't. My dh and I have a very physical relationship (once or twice a day, when my pain is under control) and this side effect is most likely from the Oxy, it never happened with the hydro and it is making me crazy.

I have taken to taking my Contin at about 4 PM and not taking any OxyIR after 6PM or 7 PM, but I still need to take meds as soon as I wake up, and it is a real problem them. (I have hydro, in small quantities, which I use after 7 PM.) My doctor is completely understanding and said "we can't have that!" and says we can do a switch to something else for breakthrough if the issue doesn't resolve. This happened when I was taking Oxycontin ONLY with the hydro, but ONLY when I raised the dosage, and then in a week or so it would be OK. I am hoping my body will adapt. I don't know if I can go through an other medications switching, but I can't live with this intermittent problem, either.

Still waiting to see if it works out on it's own. I'll have two or three really good days, and then it seems like nothing works. I am a miserable woman on those days.....

I don't know if anyone else has had this problem, but my doctor says it is more common with Oxy than hydro for some reason.

If this side effect happened to MEN, I am willing this drug would never have got FDA approval. Why are OUR sex lives considered to be so inconsequential, by the drug makers? Witness Depo Provera. A commonly used birth control and bleeding drug, which destroys the female sex drive. EVERY ONE I KNOW who has taken this drug has this side effect, and NO DOCTOR has told them beforehand, nor is it mentioned commonly in the literature. As if "that" isn't so important.

GRRRRRRR!!!!

At least my doctor cares. Just the idea of an OTHER drug switch, and the fact that the Oxy REALLY is working on controlling my pain, maybe Denny (my dh) and I just need to work a little harder. ;)

Hydrocodone gave me big time problems. Now i'm on oxycodone, the biggest problems the oxycodone gives me is that it makes my hyper as hell and gives me complete insomnia. I can take as little as 5 mg and be up for 3 days.

PGell,
It is very difficult to compare the regular oxycodone you find in Percocet or an immediate release version of oxycodone to the oxycodone preparation in OxyContin and how you will react to the different forms of the medication can differ immensely. Yes, they are "technically" the same medication, but the OxyContin is a sustained release version and the amount of medication in the tablet is released over the entire 12-hour time period, not all at once.

For example, if you take a 10 mg tablet of oxycodone immediate release, you will get all 10 mg of oxycodone released into your system at once, and the medication will be rapidly absorbed and metabolized through your liver and and a large amount of it will be excreted by your kidney within approximately 4-6 hours (assuming all organs are working correctly).

However, with OxyContin, the sustained release tablet (for example a 10 mg tablet)will only release a small amount of oxycodone the first hour, approximately 1.5 mg, and then releases the remaining 8.5 mg of oxycodone over the course of the remaining 8-10 hours. This is to keep a consistent level of pain medication in your bloodstream to work on your pain receptors and to avoid those peaks and valleys you experience with chronic sustained pain.

Alas, one of the side effects of opiates is to slow down the peristalsis in your digestive tract, the normal movement of stool through your bowels. With the immediate release version your body gets a break from this slowing down because you're not always "on" the narcotic medication. With the sustained release medication, you don't get this break; you always have the opiate in your system. This is why a good bowel regimen is CRITICAL any time you're prescribed opiates and especially when you're prescribed a sustained release version.

I've been on OxyContin a couple of times for chronic pain, the first time was for 1.5 years before I had some surgery and now it's been over over two years and I will need to continue to take it until I have a dual liver/kidney transplant (severe pain due to grossly enlarged liver and kidneys due to polycystic kidney disease). It's my only option for pain relief; I've tried all other non-pharmaceutical options and all other medications as well (fentanyl doesn't work at all; even large doses of the IV version has no effect on me whatsoever as I remain wide awake and quite conversant, much to the anesthesiologist's chagrin and amazement).

In order to avoid the serious complications and additional pain of constipation (my intestines and bowel are already seriously compressed and displaced by my liver and kidneys), it's critical for me to keep up with a proper bowel regimen. Mine includes Colace (doculsate sodium, 100 mg) twice per day) along with Miralax as need (as many doses as I need; the Miralax is not absorbed into the system but rather stays in the intestines and absorbs fluids, making it easier to "go"). It's also critical to keep up with fluids, although with the Miralax at least I don't need to worry about blockages the same way that the traditional fiber supplements can cause (which is good because there are parts of my "innards" that are severely compressed).

My situation may be unique, but the response to sustained release pain medication is not. Please, if you or anyone else is on sustained release pain meds or even if you take an opiantes for pain and experience the constipations, talk with your doctor about stool softeners and even laxatives as needed. The pain of constipation is very, very real and added pain caused by our pain medication is truly the last thing we need!

Best wishes,
Ruth

Ruth said: "It is very difficult to compare the regular oxycodone you find in Percocet or an immediate release version of oxycodone to the oxycodone preparation in OxyContin and how you will react to the different forms of the medication can differ immensely"

I know. You are absolutely right. I take both the IR and the extended release type of Oxy. My "problem" cleared up in only a week or so after raising dosage with the Extended release only, but when the Immediate Release was added, I have had the problem intermitently for months. My constipation only lasted a few weeks. My issue is different. My husband and I are very sexual creatures, and I may have to go off the OxyIR if the issue doesn't resolve. But, the stuff WORKS for the pain. I'm out of my mind. It's not that "finishimg up" NEVER happens, just I have no idea when it won't. (I feel like I've just won the Lottery when it does. And before I NEVER used to not be able to.) I'm losing my mind. WHY doesn't anyone talk about this? WHY are we Americans SO weird talking about sex?