OxyContinⓇ is a drug with a lot of notoriety, because not only is it a powerful prescription pain medicine, but it’s also very addictive and is a highly abused drug in the United States.
The following provides more information about OxyContinⓇ and also clears up some misconceptions people may have about the drug and, more specifically, OxyContinⓇ doses.
Is There an OxyContinⓇ 5/325 Dosage?
Does an OxyContinⓇ 5/325 dosage exist? No, it does not.
OxyContinⓇ is a brand-name, prescription opioid that provides extended-release, around-the-clock pain relief. Because OxyContinⓇ is extended-release, it works for up to 12 hours, but it is less likely to get someone high if they take it as directed.
OxyContinⓇ enters the bloodstream in a slower, more gradual way. Unfortunately, people abuse it by crushing it and snorting it, to get the full effects of the powerful drug all at one time.
OxyContinⓇ is not a combination drug. It is pure oxycodone in an extended-release form.
There are combination drugs that include oxycodone and another substance, such as acetaminophen. One brand name containing this combination is known as PercocetⓇ and the combination with acetaminophen provides more pain relief.
The dosage of 5/325 refers to 5 mg of oxycodone and 325 mg of acetaminophen. Any combination drug has a dosage that looks like this.
OxyContinⓇ, on the other hand, has a single number that represents the dosage—for example, 10 mg, since it only contains oxycodone. The starting OxyContinⓇ dosage in adults who aren’t tolerant to opioids is 10 mg taken every 12 hours, and the dosage options go up incrementally from there.
Oxycodone/Acetaminophen 5/325
Oxycodone and acetaminophen often combine with medications like EndocetⓇ or PercocetⓇ. These combination drugs can effectively treat pain, but they do have risks as well.
Oxycodone/APAP 5/325 refers to a combination drug dosage, such as what’s available in PercocetⓇ or EndocetⓇ, since it specifies the dosage amounts of oxycodone-acetaminophen. APAP is an abbreviation of acetyl-para-aminophenol, which is the chemical name of acetaminophen.
Oxycodone 5/325 Dosage
As was touched on above, if you’re looking for information about the oxycodone 5/325 dosage, it’s probably actually PercocetⓇ dosages that you’re researching. This is because the 5/325 part of the dosage refers to a combination of two drugs.
PercocetⓇ dosages include oxycodone/acetaminophen 2.5 mg/325 mg, 5 mg/325 mg, 7.5 mg/325 mg and 10 mg/325 mg. If you were looking at an oxycodone dosage, such as what’s found in OxyContinⓇ, the doses can be higher, and they begin at 10 mg per tablet, whereas with a combination drug, 10 mg is the highest amount of oxycodone available in each tablet.
With most PercocetⓇ dosages you take only one tablet every six hours as needed, but there are maximum daily doses that people need to understand and follow. These maximum daily doses are important because PercocetⓇ contains acetaminophen, which is an over-the-counter pain reliever that’s viewed as relatively harmless when taken as instructed but can lead to liver damage, or acute liver failure.
The 325-mg part of the dosages listed above refers to how much acetaminophen is in a dose. If you take more than the maximum daily dose of PercocetⓇ or other combination drugs with acetaminophen in a day, you’re putting the health of your liver at serious risk, and it can even lead to death.
People also might wonder if an oxycodone 5/325 dosage is strong, and the answer is that it’s a medium-strength dose. It’s relatively small dosage-wise, and the amount of acetaminophen in all of these doses is around what’s found in an extra-strength TylenolⓇ tablet.
Oxycodone/Acetaminophen 5/325 Side Effects
What side effects should you expect with oxycodone/acetaminophen 5/325? It is an opioid pain medication, so most of the side effects are related to this. For example, the symptoms of most opioid pain relievers include constipation, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, headache and feeling lightheaded.
There are also more rare side effects that can be severe or serious. These can include feeling tired or weak in general, having lower back or side pain, or difficult urination. These can be symptoms that your liver is experiencing problems, as can clay-colored stool, cloudy urine, or feeling confused. If you suspect you have any of these symptoms, you should contact your doctor right away.
High doses of opioids like oxycodone can also slow respiration and can lead to an overdose, so this is something to be aware of as well, however, with an oxycodone/acetaminophen combination, you’re more likely to overdose on the acetaminophen part before the opioid component.
These are all important things to be aware of when you’re researching oxycodone/acetaminophen 5/325 side effects or looking at any dosage of PercocetⓇ or similar oxycodone combination drugs.
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