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Is Oxicodone More Potent Than Codine?

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Posted on Mon, 3 Mar 2014
Question: Hi, I have been suffering from accute migraine headaches for over 30 years. I had workups at Barns and De XXXXXXX pain med centers in St. XXXXXXX and the XXXXXXX headache clinic in Chicago. All came back with the same diagnosis and no real cause. Sumatriptan was no help. I have been of a steady diate of tylenol #3 (some 120/month) for most of this time. Recently I fell and fractured the 5th rib on my left side. That gave me a new deminition of pain. The ER doc recommended oxicodone in stead of codeine along with the splash of acetaminifin I think it is called Vicadin (please excuse the spellings) It did work much better than codeine. Question: is oxicodone more potent than Codine? Is it more adictive that codine? (I seem to have no problem with addiction ot the codine). Your thoughts please. XXXXXXX
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Answered by Dr. Chander Mohan Singh (1 hour later)
Brief Answer: Yes. Detailed Answer: Hi, I have read your query. Your doctor has prescribed you medicine rightly as he had done your physical examination and provide best of his knowledge to you. Yes, oxycodone is more potent than codeine because oxycodone is capable of diminishing pain to a far greater degree than codeine, and it requires only about one-tenth of the dose of codeine to provide the same amount of pain relief. Therefore, oxycodone is much better suited to control moderate to severe pain. Codeine's weaker efficacy may be desirable at times, for example, to treat mild pain, or to treat pain in individuals with little to no opioid tolerance. Oxycodone is more addictive than codeine. Oxycodone addiction can become a serious problem. Once the addiction is fed, it becomes harder to break and those addicted become more susceptible to overdose, which can lead to a number of health problems, including fatal cardiac arrest. So you must remain in-touch with your doctor while on this medication and please do not alter the dose of drug you are taking without the knowledge of your doctor. I hope you have got your answer. If you find this discussion useful for you, you may close the discussion and if possible you may rate the answer 5 points for me, so that I get a good feedback. Thanks. Dr.Singh.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T
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Dr. Chander Mohan Singh

Orthopaedic Surgeon

Practicing since :2003

Answered : 1042 Questions

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Is Oxicodone More Potent Than Codine?

Brief Answer: Yes. Detailed Answer: Hi, I have read your query. Your doctor has prescribed you medicine rightly as he had done your physical examination and provide best of his knowledge to you. Yes, oxycodone is more potent than codeine because oxycodone is capable of diminishing pain to a far greater degree than codeine, and it requires only about one-tenth of the dose of codeine to provide the same amount of pain relief. Therefore, oxycodone is much better suited to control moderate to severe pain. Codeine's weaker efficacy may be desirable at times, for example, to treat mild pain, or to treat pain in individuals with little to no opioid tolerance. Oxycodone is more addictive than codeine. Oxycodone addiction can become a serious problem. Once the addiction is fed, it becomes harder to break and those addicted become more susceptible to overdose, which can lead to a number of health problems, including fatal cardiac arrest. So you must remain in-touch with your doctor while on this medication and please do not alter the dose of drug you are taking without the knowledge of your doctor. I hope you have got your answer. If you find this discussion useful for you, you may close the discussion and if possible you may rate the answer 5 points for me, so that I get a good feedback. Thanks. Dr.Singh.