What is Hydrochloride or HCL in a drugname?

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Sep 2, 2024.

Official Answer by Drugs.com

I looked up my pills and found 2 names for the identical pill one was "oxycodone" and one was "oxycodone hydrochloride" what is the difference?

Some drugs require a salt to be added to them to ensure that they can dissolve in the stomach or be absorbed into the bloodstream. Sometimes salts make medicine more stable so that it has a longer shelf life. More than 50% of all available medicines exist as salts.

Hydrochloride is the most commonly used salt, and 15.5% of all drugs contain it. All types of oxycodone are the hydrochloride salt, but sometimes drug data information will just shorten the name to oxycodone. But oxycodone hydrochloride and oxycodone are the same medicine. There are some medicines, for example metoprolol, that have two different salts (in this example metoprolol tartrate and metoprolol succinate). If a medicine has two different salts these are usually not interchangeable.

Other common salts include:

sodium (9%)
sulfate (4%)
acetate (2.5%)
phosphate or diphosphate (1.9%)
chloride (1.8%)
potassium (1.6%)
maleate (1.4%).

The choice of salt primarily comes down to the pH of the medicine (this is how acidic or alkaline it is). Other factors that affect salt choice include the natural stability of the medicine, its intended use, how it is going to be administered (such as by mouth, by injection, or applied on the skin) and the intended dosage form (such as a tablet, capsule, or liquid).

Salts may also be added during the manufacture of a controlled-release form, to improve a medicine's taste, its effectiveness, to make it less painful if it is going to be injected or to extend the patent life.

For more information see Drug Names and Their Pharmaceutical Salts - Clearing Up the Confusion.

How long does oxycodone stay in your system?

Immediate-release oxycodone has a half-life of just under 4 hours which means the pain-relieving effects of one dose will be gone within 6 to 24 hours, but it can remain detectable in saliva, urine, and hair for much longer. In saliva, oxycodone is detectable within minutes of taking it and lasts for up to 48 hours (2 days). Oxycodone is detectable in urine within 1 to 3 hours and will stay detectable for 1 to 4 days. Like most other opioids, oxycodone is detectable in hair for up to 90 days. Continue reading

Which drugs cause opioid-induced constipation?

Any drug that is classified as an "opioid" can cause constipation. Examples of commonly prescribed opioids that may cause this side effect include morphine, tramadol, fentanyl, methadone, hydrocodone, codeine and oxycodone. Continue reading

Oxycodone vs OxyContin - What's the difference?

Oxycodone (also known as Oxy IR) and Oxycontin both contain oxycodone, but the main difference is that Oxycontin is the brand name of a long-acting form of oxycodone. Oxycontin releases oxycodone slowly and continuously over 12 hours and only needs to be given twice a day. Oxycodone is shorter-acting, with an average half-life of 3.2 hours, which means that half the dose of oxycodone is eliminated in 3.2 hours, which is why it is usually given four to six times a day to provide all-day pain relief. Oxycodone is usually given for acute pain, such as that following surgery or trauma, whereas Oxycontin may be given for chronic or long-term pain, such as that caused by cancer. Oxycontin should only be considered in those with chronic severe pain that have already found a trial of oxycodone to be beneficial. Continue reading

What is Hydrochloride or HCL in a drugname?

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How long does oxycodone stay in your system?

Which drugs cause opioid-induced constipation?

Oxycodone vs OxyContin - What's the difference?

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