Oxycodone Side Effects

Brand Names: OxyContin, Oxyfast, Roxicodone

Please note - some side effects for Oxycodone may not be reported. Always consult your doctor or healthcare specialist for medical advice. You may also report side effects to the FDA.

Side Effects of Oxycodone - for the Consumer

Oxycodone

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Oxycodone:

Constipation; dizziness; drowsiness; headache; nausea; sleeplessness; vomiting; weakness.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Oxycodone:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); confusion; difficulty urinating; fast or slow heartbeat; seizures; severe dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting; slowed or difficult breathing; tremor; vision changes.

This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.

Oxycodone/Aspirin

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Oxycodone/Aspirin:

Constipation; dizziness; drowsiness; heartburn; lightheadedness; nausea; stomach upset; vomiting.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Oxycodone/Aspirin:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); bloody or black stools; confusion; dark urine; decreased or difficult urination; fainting; fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat; fever, chills, or persistent sore throat; hallucination; hearing loss; mood or mental changes; muscle pain, weakness, or cramps; one-sided weakness; ringing in the ears; seizures; severe dizziness, drowsiness, headache, or lightheadedness; severe or persistent constipation, heartburn, or stomach pain; shortness of breath; slow or shallow breathing; trouble swallowing; unusual bruising or bleeding; vision or speech problems; vomit that looks like coffee grounds; wheezing; yellowing of the skin or eyes.

This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.

Oxycodone/Acetaminophen

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Oxycodone/Acetaminophen:

Constipation; dizziness; drowsiness; flushing; light-headedness; nausea; vomiting.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Oxycodone/Acetaminophen:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, throat, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); burning, numbness, or tingling; change in amount of urine produced; confusion; fainting; fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat; fever, chills, or persistent sore throat; hallucinations; hearing loss; mental or mood changes (eg, agitation, anxiety, depression); seizures; severe or persistent constipation; severe or persistent dizziness, headache, or light-headedness; shortness of breath; slow or difficult breathing; stomach or back pain; symptoms of liver problems (eg, yellowing of the skin or eyes, pale stools, dark urine, persistent loss of appetite); tremors; trouble urinating; unusual bruising or bleeding; unusual tiredness or weakness; vision changes.

This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.

Oxycodone Concentrate

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Oxycodone Concentrate:

Constipation; dizziness; drowsiness; headache; nausea; sleeplessness; vomiting; weakness.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Oxycodone Concentrate:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); confusion; difficulty urinating; fast or slow heartbeat; seizures; severe dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting; slowed or difficult breathing; tremor; vision changes.

This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.

Oxycodone Solution

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Oxycodone Solution:

Constipation; dizziness; drowsiness; headache; nausea; sleeplessness; vomiting; weakness.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Oxycodone Solution:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); confusion; difficulty urinating; fast or slow heartbeat; seizures; severe dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting; slowed or difficult breathing; tremor; vision changes.

This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.

Oxycodone/Acetaminophen Solution

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Oxycodone/Acetaminophen Solution:

Constipation; dizziness; drowsiness; flushing; light-headedness; nausea; vomiting.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Oxycodone/Acetaminophen Solution:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, throat, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); burning, numbness, or tingling; change in amount of urine produced; confusion; fainting; fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat; fever, chills, or persistent sore throat; hallucinations; hearing loss; mental or mood changes (eg, agitation, anxiety, depression); seizures; severe or persistent constipation; severe or persistent dizziness, headache, or light-headedness; shortness of breath; slow or difficult breathing; stomach or back pain; symptoms of liver problems (eg, yellowing of the skin or eyes, pale stools, dark urine, persistent loss of appetite); tremors; trouble urinating; unusual bruising or bleeding; unusual tiredness or weakness; vision changes.

This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.

Oxycodone Sustained-Release Tablets

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Oxycodone Sustained-Release Tablets:

Constipation; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; headache; nausea; sweating; vomiting; weakness.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Oxycodone Sustained-Release Tablets:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); abnormal snoring or sighing; confusion; difficulty urinating; fainting; fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat; hallucinations; mental or mood changes; seizures; severe dizziness, drowsiness, or light-headedness; severe or persistent stomach pain, nausea, or constipation; shortness of breath; slow or shallow breathing; tremor; vision changes.

This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.

Top

Oxycodone Side Effects - for the Professional

Oxycodone

Oxycodone hydrochloride tablets have been evaluated in open label clinical trials in patients with cancer and nonmalignant pain. Oxycodone hydrochloride tablets are associated with adverse experiences similar to those seen with other opioids.

Serious adverse reactions that may be associated with Oxycodone hydrochloride tablet therapy in clinical use are those observed with other opioid analgesics and include: respiratory depression, respiratory arrest, circulatory depression, cardiac arrest, hypotension, and/or shock.

The less severe adverse events seen on initiation of therapy with Oxycodone hydrochloride tablets are also typical opioid side effects. These events are dose dependent, and their frequency depends on the clinical setting, the patient's level of opioid tolerance, and host factors specific to the individual. They should be expected and managed as a part of opioid analgesia. The most frequent of these include nausea, constipation, vomiting, headache, and pruritus.

In many cases the frequency of adverse events during initiation of opioid therapy may be minimized by careful individualization of starting dosage, slow titration and the avoidance of large rapid swings in plasma concentration of the opioid. Many of these adverse events will abate as therapy is continued and some degree of tolerance is developed, but others may be expected to remain throughout therapy.

In all patients for whom dosing information was available (n=191) from the open-label and double-blind studies involving Oxycodone hydrochloride tablets, the following adverse events were recorded in Oxycodone hydrochloride tablet treated patients with an incidence ≥ 3%. In descending order of frequency they were: nausea, constipation, vomiting, headache, pruritus, insomnia, dizziness, asthenia, and somnolence.

The following adverse experiences occurred in less than 3% of patients involved in clinical trials with Oxycodone:

Body as a Whole: abdominal pain, accidental injury, allergic reaction, back pain, chills and fever, fever, flu syndrome, infection, neck pain, pain, photosensitivity reaction, and sepsis.

Cardiovascular: deep thrombophlebitis, heart failure, hemorrhage, hypotension, migraine, palpitation, and tachycardia.

Digestive: anorexia, diarrhea, dyspepsia, dysphagia, gingivitis, glossitis, and nausea and vomiting.

Hemic and Lymphatic: anemia and leukopenia.

Metabolic and Nutritional: edema, gout, hyperglycemia, iron deficiency anemia and peripheral edema.

Musculoskeletal: arthralgia, arthritis, bone pain, myalgia and pathological fracture.

Nervous: agitation, anxiety, confusion, dry mouth, hypertonia, hypesthesia, nervousness, neuralgia, personality disorder, tremor, and vasodilation.

Respiratory: bronchitis, cough increased, dyspnea, epistaxis, laryngismus, lung disorder, pharyngitis, rhinitis, and sinusitis.

Skin and Appendages: herpes simplex, rash, sweating, and urticaria.

Special Senses: amblyopia.

Urogenital: urinary tract infection

Top

Side Effects by Body System - for Healthcare Professionals

General

In general, the adverse effects that occur with oxycodone are similar with the immediate- and controlled-release products. Adverse effects may be dose-related in opioid naive patients. Patients who are tolerant to the analgesic effect of oxycodone may be tolerant to the dose-related side effects, except constipation.

Nervous system

Nervous system side effects are common and include drowsiness (23% to 24%), sedation, dizziness (13% to 16%), headache (7%). dry mouth (7%), and lightheadedness. Many of the central nervous system adverse effects may be minimized by slow titration of the dose.

Respiratory

Respiratory depression may occur with any opioid, including oxycodone. Other effects may include apnea, respiratory arrest, and rarely circulatory collapse.

Severe adverse effects such as respiratory depression can be treated with the opiate antagonist naloxone. (The usual adult dose of naloxone is 1 to 2 mg every 5 minutes as necessary to a maximum of 10 mg. The dose can be administered intravenously, intramuscularly, subcutaneously, and sublingually.)

Gastrointestinal

Nausea (23% to 27%), vomiting (12% to 14%), and constipation (23% to 26%) occur commonly. There have been rare reports of difficulty in swallowing the tablets, intestinal obstruction, and exacerbation of diverticulitis, some of which have required medical intervention to remove the tablet. Patients with underlying GI disorders such as esophageal cancer or colon cancer with a small gastrointestinal lumen are at greater risk of developing these complications.

Other

Withdrawal symptoms, after either abrupt cessation or fast tapering of narcotic analgesics, may occur and include agitation, palpitations, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, tremor, abdominal cramps, blurred vision, vomiting, piloerection, and sweating.

Psychosis has also been reported during withdrawal from oxycodone.

Psychiatric

Psychiatric adverse effects reported include paranoia, psychosis, and hallucinations.

Dermatologic

Pruritus has been reported rarely. Diphenhydramine (25 to 50 mg) has been shown to be helpful for opioid-associated pruritus.

Hepatic

Hepatic side effects including increased hepatic enzymes have been reported.

Cardiovascular

Cardiovascular side effects from higher doses have included QTc prolongation.

Top

Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. In addition, the drug information contained herein may be time sensitive and should not be utilized as a reference resource beyond the date hereof. This information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients, or recommend therapy. This drug information is a reference resource designed as supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill , knowledge, and judgement of healthcare practitioners in patient care. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug of drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for any given patient. Drugs.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information provided. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.