Hydrocodone and oxycodone are generic terms for pain medications. They are generally used to treat moderate to severe pains. However, their level of effect tend to differ as one of them is termed to be more effective than the other. Determining on which is the most effective one has however been tricky since different people will experience different levels of pain thus giving different opinions.
However, according to the oxycodone vs. hydrocodone test conducted by medics and the users’ reviews, oxycodone has been said to be more effective thus highly recommended. For people with less weight and weak stomach, hydrocodone has been known to work just fine. However, these has been unlike for people whose stomachs can handle stronger stuffs as they are recommended to take oxycodone due to its stronger potency. The test has further showed that 5mg of oxycodone is equivalent to 7.5mg of hydrocodone. This clearly shows their difference in strength. But since not all bodies will handle high energies, the two types have been known to be recommendable. According to a study from the customers, most of them would vote for oxycodone as they said that their effect would last for more hours as compared to that of hydrocodone.
Despite their general use as pain relievers, we can consider the various uses of each of the two types and their respective their side effects.
Hydrocodone
The medication has also been highly used to treat antitussive cough. But just like any other medication, it has a number of common side effects. These are: nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dizziness, anxiety, fuzzy thinking, mood swings, urinating difficulties, itching, narrowing of the pupils and dry throat. It is also possible to face other serious side effects such as chest tightness and irregular breathing. However, these are termed a rare symptoms.
Oxycodone
Oxycodone has not been known to be applied for any other use beside pain relieving. However, it is accompanied by some side effects such as fatigue, constipation, nausea, dizziness, dry mouth. Itching, anxiety, sweating and vomiting. There are also other side effects which are termed as rare. These are: loss of appetite, abdominal pain, urinating difficulties, diarrhea and hiccups. These are side effects have only been recorded on less than 5% of the patients.
Due to its high levels of energy, it normally has other side effects as a results of high doses. These are circulatory collapse, miosis, respiratory arrest, shallow breathing, hypotension and death. This adds impact on the importance of taking the prescribed dosage.
Since the two medications have some similarities in their side effects, it shows their high relationship in their functionality.
Users’ cautions using either of the medications.
Despite their differences showed as a result of oxycodone vs. hydrocodone tests, both medications should be taken as prescribed by the specialist. You should not share your medicine with anyone as this will result to under dose. For people who tend to change from using hydrocodone to oxycodone, they should ensure that they have the knowledge with the difference in their dosages. This is due to the fact that oxycodone is stronger and hence calls for a lower dosage.
For both oxycodone and hydrocodone, they should be stored as directed by the manufacturer. This will ensure that they retain their pure state. Users of these medications should also ensure that they take the ones that have not exceeded the shelf life. This is achieved by ensuring that they check the expiry date as written by the manufacturers.
