Many people wonder if there is any difference between
oxycodone hydrochloride and
OxyContin®. Oxycodone is an opioid pain reliever. It is an active ingredient in many different prescription medications, including OxyContin. It is available by itself (such as in OxyContin or short-acting OxyIR
®) or in combination with other active ingredients (such as in
Percocet®).
While most oxycodone products are taken every four to six hours as needed for pain, there are also long-acting oxycodone medications designed to be taken only twice a day. These medications include OxyContin and generic versions of OxyContin. These extended-release medications are designed to release the medication slowly over a 12-hour period.
In some ways, "oxycodone" can be considered a generic name for OxyContin, as oxycodone is the active ingredient of the medication. However, oxycodone is also the active ingredient in many other medications, so it is probably better to use a term such as "oxycodone extended release" to describe the generic versions of OxyContin.
(Click Difference Between Oxycodone and OxyContin for more information on whether OxyContin is the same as oxycodone. This article also explains how oxycodone extended release may be considered a generic version of OxyContin.)
