they give you three a day if they feel you have a tolerance or your pain is persistent enough and then for you the med would wear off in around 8 hrs eliminating the need for an instant release because they are over lapping a 12 hr pill. in most cases they prescribe it three times daily because in general it doesn't last 12 hrs and for me it doesn't even make it the whole 8 hrs so who knows how long it lasts, they claim 12 i claim bs

Mine start to wear off at about 9 hours, I take 60mg twice a day and have breakthrough oxy to take also. 12 hours my @$$!

Due to being highly allergic to any other long acting opiate and remaining on Oxycontin for 11yrs; 9yrs on the same dose of 3 a day refusing any increases, this medication does only have a half life of 8 hours for chronic pain. The new OP formula made to stop abusers from abusing it has been a failure and even more dangerous than the old kind. Now the new OP Oxycontin is making many of us sick with flu like symptoms and even withdrawal symptoms. My doctor feels it is not as effective as she did research before seeing me last Friday after I've been on the new OP kind since 9/6 and have been sick and feeling less pain relief since 9/14.
I find taking a breakthrough med with my Oxycontin in the morning helps as it takes about 1 1/2 hours for Oxy to kick in very much.
I also take it 3 more times a day so I can hopefully sleep at night with pain.
On the new OP kind I wasn't able to even take all 3 doses a day as it was making me so sick but since Friday I have along with her telling me to take more Percocet a day than I am prescribed; 4 10/325mgs a day now up to 5 or 6. I hate doing this as I hate taking pain meds to begin with but this has been an 11yr plus journey and I tried to live without the old Oxycontin for over 3mos last year to only find I had NO choice if I wanted any quality of life.
Now I feel like I am going through withdrawals of a med that worked so well never making me sick.
Best Wishes,
Rhonda, IN

whats "op"? extended release?

Well then your taking them every 8 hrs then.I,m on mophine and I take every 8 hrs myself.I have oxycodone for break though pain I take every 6 hrs.Its kinda wacked but it works best for me.......GOOD LUCK

I have been on Oxy. for about 12 years. I just started using the new formula OP. I found it interesting that some found that it made you feel sick because lately, I haven't been feeling very well either-like you said, like withdrawal. I know that feeling because I have run out in the past, and felt terrible. Has anyone been on the OP version long enough to know if the sick feeling goes away after a while? Oxy. is the only med that has had any effect on my pain, and I haven't had to change my dosage ever. I have 3 10 mg pills twice a day. I usually keep one aside (from the night pills) for breakthrough pain if needed. I sure hope my body can work with it. Right now, all I feel is tired, which was one of my major effects when I go through withdrawal when I am late or miss a pill. I just hope they start working as before. Boy, we can't ever win, can we? God Bless--Kathy

honor, Purdue Pharma changed it from OC to OP, the OP standing for Oxy Purdue. They changed the coating on it and the compounds on the inside to turn it into a gel so people couldn't cut it open to "snort it or smoke it" as the former insides were more of a powder if cut open. I was one who was excited to hear about how to protect the medication I need and use responsibly however the new OP is making many of us true CP patients very sick and feeling withdrawals as it's less effective. My doctor did some research even talking to a colleague before my appt last Friday. She even did blood and urine work to see if there was any other reason I would feel flu like symptoms be it viral or bacterial but she even feels like they really screwed up this medication and if you do an online search, the abusers already have figured out how to abuse this form which is much more dangerous than the old kind.
The old OC kind never made me sick other than constipation which I had under control until starting this new kind. They do not sell the old kind any longer but do still have a generic form on the market that was not changed and probably what I will have to go to as I tried it when it came out to find after 2 weeks it was also less effective but I'd rather have my breakthrough meds changed than to go on a higher dose and I am going to ask her to put me on the generic as it never made me sick.
Only in the past few days am I feeling a bit better but I'm still sick and I know it's the new OP formulation since my blood work came back fine.
To answer kshort, since I've been taking it since 9/6 getting ill feeling on 9/14 and have read that many others are experiencing the exact if not almost exact symptoms I have, I know it's the change to OP.
I think they only make the generics in 10mg and 40mg. I would rather be on it even if it meant having to take one more a day than to feel these symptoms. This is something my own doctor is considering as I see her on Monday to get my new scripts for October.
She is also considering putting me on Oxy IR verses Percocet to help. She mentioned giving me more than the current 4 10/325mgs of Percocet a day but I worry about taking all that acetaminophen.
Even though the generics were less effective, I think they are more effective than this new version as I never felt this bad on them as if they didn't hardly work at all.
I hope we all start getting better soon.
It is now 9/29 and being sick since 9/14 (8 days after starting the new OP kind) I don't feel as dizzy as I was and even my stomach problems have gotten better but I know they are not as effective in controlling my pain and don't want to go up on the dose of it esp since it is making me so sick.
Now I have a few hours a day that I feel a bit better and a few more where I feel sick again and I've noticed I feel sicker when the new OP starts to kick in; about 1 1/2 hours after taking it along with being so sick that I try to wait in more pain to take it.
Stop the OP ride, I want to get off.

ok, I looked at my bottle- purdue! I started this yesterday, I took one at 1230, by 330 I had to take a norco, then maybe the second dose kicked in? cause I felt ok for 3 hrs then had to dose again, Id rather be on short acting, this isnt working so well. I dont know that my ins will let me get 120 short acting now that I got 90 oxycontins? I dont have flu like symptoms.

I take 2 60mg tablets every 12 hours. @ in the morning and 2 @ night. There are days where I dont need break thru meds and there are other days that I do. It all depends on the weather and how much walking and standing I have done. I have been n this dose for quite awhile now. I use to take 1 pill every 4-6 hours, but I have to admitt when I started taking 2 every 12 hours instead it helped my pain more. Good luck.

honor, I hope you do not experience what many of us have. Many have stated that it took over 6 to 9 days of taking the new OP kind to feel any bad side effects as was the same for me. I was excited that hopefully junkies could no longer abuse this but it has hurt a lot of real chronic pain patients that needed it desperately for pain relief using it responsibly.
Please do not psych yourself into thinking bad thoughts as I do believe our minds are powerful enough as so many trials on meds have used placebos and to some they thought they were taking the real thing.
Just go by how you feel; not by what anyone says and I do pray for you that you don't get sick having horrible side effects.
My doctor advised me to keep a pain journal since being on the new OP Oxycontin.
I found one of the old kind last night still feeling horrible as I've been sick for 15 of 25 days of taking it. Just one of the old kind was enough to lower my pain from an 8 to a 5 and make me feel no bad effects at all. Unfortunately today I had to go back to the new kind and it took longer to feel at all and my pain level is back up again. I see my doctor Monday and pray she can help me as by taking only one of the old kind, now I know for sure that none of my symptoms are due to anything but the new OP Oxycontin.