I was wondering what is more powerful, 20mg oxycontin or 15mg MS contin. I have been prescribed to both in the past.
Answers (5)
20mg of OxyContin is stronger; however, the first answers' calculation is wrong. OxyContin is only 1.5 times stronger, not 3 times. To get the equivalent amounts, just take the amount of miligrams of Morphine you want calculated, and divide it by 1.5 to get the amount of miligrams of OxyContin it is equivalent to. Example= 60 mg of Morphine is equivalent to 40mg of an Oxy.
Or, from your question, your 20mg OxyContin would be equivalent to a 30mg MS Contin.
I don't the know actual 1-1 strength comparison but there is something called bio availability which means how well\much are absorbed into your system when taken orally. I think Oxycodone (Oxycontin's active) and Morphine are roughly equivalent but Oxycontin has far better bio availability therefore is more effective mg for mg per dose. For having 10 consecutive surgeries on the hip implant from hell I've had both and can say that 15mg of oxycodone IR requires 30mg or morphine sulfate IR to get roughly the same relief. While I never had the Time release version of the Morphine, I've read that it takes nearly 2x mg to equal a given Oxycontin dose for the same level of pain relief. But everyone is different and sometimes your Dr or Pain specialist will have to try a few different things to find what is best for you. Hope this helps
I was prescribed 30 mg MS Contin and I didn't like it at all. It made me tired and I felt that it was too strong, it just seemed to knock me out. I took the entire bottle to my Dr. so she would write a different script. She then gave me 20mg of Oxycontin which is much more agreeable with my system. It doesn't knock me out or make me as tired as the MScontin. This isn't really a technical answer but my point here is make sure your meds agree with you and go back to your Dr. if you want to try different meds. Everyone reacts to meds differently, make sure yours are right for you. Take care.
