Opioid Analgesics
OxycodoneOxycodone Hydrochloride
Oxycodone is an opioid for severe pain that other treatments do not control well enough. Immediate-release tablets, capsules and liquids are generic; extended-release OxyContin and Xtampza ER are sold only as brands. As a Schedule II drug, every fill needs a new prescription.
This page is general information about a medication and how cash prices for it are set. It is not medical advice and does not replace the label, your prescriber or your pharmacist. How we handle medical information
Immediate-release forms have many generic makers; OxyContin and Xtampza ER have no rated generic, and the Orange Book lists Oxaydo as discontinued.
About Oxycodone
Oxycodone acts on opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord to dull pain. Immediate-release forms are usually taken every 4 to 6 hours as needed; OxyContin and Xtampza ER, taken every 12 hours, are only for severe, persistent pain that other options cannot control. Constipation, nausea, sleepiness, dizziness and itching are common.
The boxed warnings say it can cause addiction even at prescribed doses and can slow or stop breathing, especially at the start or after a dose increase; one dose swallowed by a child can be fatal; with benzodiazepines, alcohol or other sedatives it can cause coma and death; long use in pregnancy can cause newborn withdrawal; and drugs that raise its levels can cause an overdose. Extended-release forms must never be cut, crushed or chewed. Since 2025 the label also stresses that higher doses carry more risk. After regular use it is tapered, not stopped suddenly.
Under the Opioid Analgesic REMS, an FDA safety program, prescribers are offered training and pharmacies can request prepaid mail-back envelopes for unused medicine. Prescribers are asked to discuss naloxone or nalmefene, which reverse an overdose; naloxone 4 mg nasal spray was approved for sale without a prescription in 2023. OxyContin is made harder to tamper with, but the FDA notes such products are not addiction-proof.
Taking Oxycodone
- How to take it
- Swallow OxyContin tablets whole, one at a time, with enough water, right after putting each in your mouth. Take Xtampza ER with a similar amount of food each time; if swallowing is hard, the capsule can be opened onto applesauce, pudding, yogurt, ice cream or jam. Measure liquids in milliliters with the device supplied.
- If you miss a dose
- If you take it on a schedule, take a missed dose when you remember unless the next is almost due, then skip it. Never double up or take more than one extended-release dose in 12 hours.
- Storage
- At room temperature, away from light and moisture, where others cannot reach it; keep count of what is left. Use a take-back program or, if none is available promptly, flush it, as MedlinePlus advises.
- Interactions to know about
- Benzodiazepines, sleep medicines, gabapentin, pregabalin, muscle relaxants and alcohol add to its effect on breathing. Erythromycin, ketoconazole and ritonavir raise its levels, as can stopping rifampin, carbamazepine or phenytoin. Serotonin-affecting antidepressants can cause serotonin syndrome; MAO inhibitors are avoided within 14 days; buprenorphine can bring on withdrawal.
This summarizes the official prescribing information. Your prescriber’s and pharmacist’s instructions, and the leaflet that comes with your medicine, take priority.
Why the cash price for Oxycodone differs from pharmacy to pharmacy
Generic immediate-release oxycodone has many makers, so quotes differ mainly by fee and markup; OxyContin and Xtampza ER are priced as brands.
Stock varies too. Schedule II drugs need a special DEA order form, and wholesalers must flag unusual orders; the DEA sets no limit on what a pharmacy orders or dispenses, but wholesalers can set their own thresholds, so some pharmacies keep little on hand. Pharmacists share legal responsibility for each controlled prescription, so some fill only part of one or decline it.
Upload it and licensed pharmacies reply with their own cash price. You pay the pharmacy, not us.
Ways to pay less for Oxycodone without insurance
- Confirm stock before the prescription is sent; an unfilled electronic prescription can be transferred only once.
- Ask for a partial fill if you may not need every tablet; where state law allows, the rest can be collected within 30 days of the date written.
- For OxyContin or Xtampza ER, ask the maker about savings programs and the prescriber about other options.
- Upload the prescription to Script Unlock so licensed pharmacies can quote their cash price. You pay the pharmacy directly.
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for Oxycodone
Prices on this site come from pharmacies responding to a real prescription. We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.
- 1You upload your prescription
A photo of your Oxycodone prescription is enough. Nothing is sold on the site; you are asking pharmacies to quote.
- 2Licensed pharmacies respond
Pharmacies that Script Unlock has verified see the request and each can reply with its own cash price for your exact drug, strength and quantity.
- 3You choose and pay the pharmacy
You compare the responses, pick a pharmacy, and pay that pharmacy directly when you collect. Script Unlock never takes a patient payment and never sets the price.
Questions to ask your pharmacist about Oxycodone
- 1.Is my strength in stock, and can you fill the full quantity?
- 2.Can I buy naloxone here, and how is it used?
- 3.Is it safe with my sleep, anxiety or nerve-pain medicines?
- 4.How do I get rid of tablets I do not use?
Where Oxycodone fits
Refill, transfer and electronic-prescribing rules for controlled substances differ by state. See pharmacy rules by state.
Related medications
Sources
- FDA-approved labeling on DailyMed (oxycodone)
- MedlinePlus drug information (National Library of Medicine)
- FDA Orange Book (approved generics and therapeutic equivalence)
- FDA, Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS)
- FDA, REMS modification adding prepaid mail-back envelopes for opioid disposal
- FDA, required opioid labeling changes on long-term use (2025)
- FDA, approval of the first over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray
- FDA, abuse-deterrent opioid analgesics
- DEA questions and answers on ordering thresholds for controlled substances
- Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 1305.03 (order forms for Schedule I and II substances)
- Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR part 1306 (prescriptions)
Script Unlock is a marketplace that lets licensed pharmacies quote a cash price on your prescription. It does not prescribe, dispense or sell medication, does not process patient payments, and does not give medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your prescriber and pharmacist and read the medication guide supplied with your medicine.