Time release on oxycontin?

Question

I have been prescribed oxycontin 40mgs and I noticed there is a very, very thin orange layer on the pill that can be easily scraped off. Is this the time release? Part of it was removed from wear and tear from my pocket and a few nickels and was wondering if the time release would be disrupted. No guesses please... anyone who actually knows if this is the time release layer please let me know. Thanks!

Answer 1

BASIC FACTS ABOUT DRUGS:

OxyContin

What is OxyContin?

OxyContin is the brand name for an opioid analgesic containing the active ingredient Oxycodone (also found in Percoset and Percodan).  OxyContin is a legal narcotic (or a controlled substance) that is available, by prescription, to treat severe pain.  OxyContin is a controlled-release medication that, when used correctly, provides extended relief of pain associated with cancer, back pain, or arthritis. However, often when the drug is abused, the tablets are crushed and snorted, chewed, or mixed with water and injected- eliminating the time-release factor and allowing for a quick and intense rush to the brain. This practice can lead to overdosing on OxyContin's active ingredient, oxycodone, by releasing too much of the medication into the bloodstream too quickly.  OxyContin is highly addictive - so higher doses of the drug must be taken when a tolerance develops. Illicit users of the drug have risen drastically and steadily over the last few years.  

What are the street names?

OxyContin is also known as Oxy, OxyCotton, Oxy 80 (for the 80mg dose), or OC

What does OxyContin look like?

OxyContin most commonly exists in tablet form.  These round pills come in 10mg, 20mg, 40mg, and 80mg dosages. OxyContin also comes in capsule or liquid form.  



How is it taken?

When used correctly, prescribed patients take the pill orally every 12 hours as needed (most pain relievers last only 3-6 hours).  Those who abuse OxyContin remove the time-release coating on the pills.  Often the pills are crushed and the powder is snorted, chewed, or cooked to inject.  

Short-term effects

The most serious risk associated with OxyContin, is respiratory depression.  Because of this, OxyContin should not be combined with other substances that slow down breathing, such as alcohol, antihistamines (like some cold or allergy medication), barbiturates, or benzodiazepines.  Other common side effects include constipation, nausea, sedation, dizziness, vomiting, headache, dry mouth, sweating, and weakness. Toxic overdose and/or death can occur by taking the tablet broken, chewed, or crushed.  People who abuse the drug (by removing the time-release coating) will experience effects for up to 5 hours.  The high that is felt is opiate-like - a sedate, euphoric feeling.  



Long-Term Effects

Using OxyContin chronically can result in increased tolerance to the drug in which higher doses of the medication must be taken to receive the initial effect.  Over time, OxyContin will be come physically addictive, causing a person to experience withdrawal symptoms when the drug is not present.  Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, and involuntary leg movements.

Answer 2

The orange coating is just a jelly-like covering that allows the tablet to pass safely through the stomach and into your intestines before it causes too much stomach upset. The rest of the tablet is a drug-polymer matrix, sort of like a waxy sponge. As it moves through your GI tract, the polymer matrix is slowly eaten away, releasing the bits of the drug in a controlled rate. That way you get a controlled amount of the drug over a longer period of time.

I would concur with the previous answerer that you shouldn't be carrying pills around with other hard objects, but in this case, it shouldn't cause any harmful effects unless the tablet is broken or crushed into pieces. In other words, the more broken the pill is, the greater the surface area that's releasing the drug. If that is the case, do *not* take the pill because there is a greater chance for overdose.

If just the orange layer is flaked off in a few places, that's fine, you can try taking it with a bit of food, to help prevent GI upset.

Answer 3

The entire pill is a complex matrix, but every component counts some. I'd suggest you not put loose pills in your pocket.

Answer 4

ok check it out that lil coating is called time release get in the way c**p but all u do is throw that bad boy in ur mouth get it wet take it out wipe that c**p off wit ur shirt or a rag put it on the table put a credit card or ur ID on it smash it with a lighter then snort that bad boy lol no dont but yea that orange stuff is the time released but some of the O.C.'s now have it mixed in with the pill so there is noway around the time released "codene"