Oxycodone 1g/100ml solution for infusion bottles
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Strict controls: safe custody, register required
Legal requirements and restrictions
These are medicines with high potential for misuse but with accepted medical uses. Subject to the strictest controls.
Legal requirements
- Must be stored in a locked controlled drugs cabinet
- Pharmacy must keep a controlled drugs register
- Prescriptions valid for 28 days only
- Prescriptions must include specific details (dose, form, strength, total quantity)
- Cannot be emergency supplied by pharmacists
Other medicines in this category
Morphine, Oxycodone, Fentanyl, Methylphenidate (Ritalin), Amphetamines
Safety information for pregnancy and breastfeeding
Always consult your doctor or midwife before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Source: DrugBank (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
Report a side effect
Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Official medicine documents
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
View Drug Analysis Profile
Suspected adverse reactions reported for Oxycodone
Browse all iDAP reports
Interactive Drug Analysis Profiles for all medicines
Report a side effect
Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
View EudraVigilance report
Suspected adverse reactions reported for Oxycodone
About EudraVigilance
Learn about EU pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring
EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
1 branded products available
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and NHS BNF section grouping. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
Clinical guidelines and formulary information
British National Formulary
Oxycodone
Source: British National Formulary, NICE. Joint Formulary Committee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
NICE clinical guidance(6)
Restless legs syndrome: Oxycodone/naloxone prolonged release (ESNM67)
Naloxegol for treating opioid‑induced constipation (TA345)
Palliative care for adults: strong opioids for pain relief (CG140)
Caesarean birth (NG192)
Sickle cell disease (QS58)
Osteoarthritis in over 16s: diagnosis and management (NG226)
Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
Pharmacy stock checkers
Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.
Supply & product information
Official product databases and supply status monitoring
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. emc (electronic medicines compendium) is operated by Datapharm Ltd. Shortage information sourced from NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS), sps.nhs.uk.
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF codes from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
53 found
Half-life
3.2 hours
Mechanism
The full mechanism of oxycodone is not known.
Food interactions
2 warnings
Human targets
4 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
60%
The…
Half-life
3.2 hours
Protein binding
45%
[A18203]
Volume of distribution
2.6L/kg
Metabolism
Elimination
23%
Clearance
1.4L
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 1310 interactions
The intraperitoneal LD50 in mice is 320mg/kg, the oral LD50 is 426mg/kg.MSDS The oral lowest dose causing toxic effects in humans is 0.14mg/kg and subcutaneously in rats it is 1.53mg/kg.MSDS
Oxycodone is pregnancy category B according to the FDA.[Label] There is a paucity of data regarding oxycodone use in pregnancy, though animal studies show no teratogenic effects.[Label] Rats given oxycodone during lactation showed smaller offspring, though after lactation, they recovered to normal size.[Label] Oxycodone is excreted in breast milk and so patients should not breastfeed while taking oxycodone due to risk of sedation and respiratory depression in infants.[Label]
No studies on the carcinogenicity of oxycodone have been performed.[Label] Oxycodone was genotoxic at 50mcg/mL with metabolic activation and at 400mcg/mL without.[Label] It was also clastogenic with metabolic activation at ≥1250mcg/mL.[Label] Oxycodone was not found to be genotoxic in other tests.[Label] Oxycodone does not affect reproduction and fertility in rats at doses of up to 8mg/kg/day.[Label]
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
The area under the curve is 135ng/mL\*hr, maximum plasma concentration is 11.5ng/mL, and time to maximum concentration is 5.11hr in patients given a 10mg oral immediate release dose of oxycodone.[Label]
[A178639]
[A18203]
[A178639]
Oxycodone is metabolized by CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 to noroxycodone and then by CYP2D6 to noroxymorphone.
[A178639]
Noroxycodone and noroxymorphone are the primary circulating metabolites.[Label] Noroxycodone can also be 6-keto-reduced to alpha or beta noroxycodol.
[A178639]
Oxycodone can be metabolized by CYP2D6 to oxymorphone and then by CYP3A4 to noroxymorphone.
[A178639]
Oxymorphone can also be 6-keto-reduced to alpha or beta oxymorphol.
[A178639]
Oxycodone can also be 6-keto-reduced to alpha and beta oxycodol.
[A178639]
The active metabolites noroxycodone, oxymorphone, and noroxymorphone can all be conjugated before elimination.
[A178639]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
PMID:10529478 PMID:12589820 PMID:7891175 PMID:7905839 PMID:7957926 PMID:9689128
Receptor for natural and synthetic opioids including morphine, heroin, DAMGO, fentanyl, etorphine, buprenorphin and methadone .
PMID:10529478 PMID:10836142 PMID:12589820 PMID:19300905 PMID:7891175 PMID:7905839 PMID:7957926 PMID:9689128
Also activated by enkephalin peptides, such as Met-enkephalin or Met-enkephalin-Arg-Phe, with higher affinity for Met-enkephalin-Arg-Phe (By similarity). Agonist binding to the receptor induces coupling to an inactive GDP-bound heterotrimeric G-protein complex and subsequent exchange of GDP for GTP in the G-protein alpha subunit leading to dissociation of the G-protein complex with the free GTP-bound G-protein alpha and the G-protein beta-gamma dimer activating downstream cellular effectors .
PMID:7905839
The agonist- and cell type-specific activity is predominantly coupled to pertussis toxin-sensitive G(i) and G(o) G alpha proteins, GNAI1, GNAI2, GNAI3 and GNAO1 isoforms Alpha-1 and Alpha-2, and to a lesser extent to pertussis toxin-insensitive G alpha proteins GNAZ and GNA15 .
PMID:12068084
They mediate an array of downstream cellular responses, including inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity and both N-type and L-type calcium channels, activation of inward rectifying potassium channels, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phospholipase C (PLC), phosphoinositide/protein kinase (PKC), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and regulation of NF-kappa-B (By similarity). Also couples to adenylate cyclase stimulatory G alpha proteins (By similarity).
The selective temporal coupling to G-proteins and subsequent signaling can be regulated by RGSZ proteins, such as RGS9, RGS17 and RGS4 (By similarity). Phosphorylation by members of the GPRK subfamily of Ser/Thr protein kinases and association with beta-arrestins is involved in short-term receptor desensitization (By similarity). Beta-arrestins associate with the GPRK-phosphorylated receptor and uncouple it from the G-protein thus terminating signal transduction (By similarity).
The phosphorylated receptor is internalized through endocytosis via clathrin-coated pits which involves beta-arrestins (By similarity). The activation of the ERK pathway occurs either in a G-protein-dependent or a beta-arrestin-dependent manner and is regulated by agonist-specific receptor phosphorylation (By similarity). Acts as a class A G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) which dissociates from beta-arrestin at or near the plasma membrane and undergoes rapid recycling (By similarity).
Receptor down-regulation pathways are varying with the agonist and occur dependent or independent of G-protein coupling (By similarity). Endogenous ligands induce rapid desensitization, endocytosis and recycling (By similarity). Heterooligomerization with other GPCRs can modulate agonist binding, signaling and trafficking properties (By similarity)
Signaling leads to the inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity. Inhibits neurotransmitter release by reducing calcium ion currents and increasing potassium ion conductance. Plays a role in the perception of pain.
Plays a role in mediating reduced physical activity upon treatment with synthetic opioids. Plays a role in the regulation of salivation in response to synthetic opioids. May play a role in arousal and regulation of autonomic and neuroendocrine functions
Inhibits neurotransmitter release by reducing calcium ion currents and increasing potassium ion conductance. Plays a role in the perception of pain and in opiate-mediated analgesia. Plays a role in developing analgesic tolerance to morphine
They are involved in pain signaling .
PMID:25296916
Calcium channels containing alpha-1B subunit may play a role in directed migration of immature neurons. Mediates Ca(2+) release probability at hippocampal neuronal soma and synaptic terminals (By similarity)
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
Proteins that carry this drug through the body
PMID:19021548
Major calcium and magnesium transporter in plasma, binds approximately 45% of circulating calcium and magnesium in plasma (By similarity).
Potentially has more than two calcium-binding sites and might additionally bind calcium in a non-specific manner (By similarity). The shared binding site between zinc and calcium at residue Asp-273 suggests a crosstalk between zinc and calcium transport in the blood (By similarity). The rank order of affinity is zinc > calcium > magnesium (By similarity).
Binds to the bacterial siderophore enterobactin and inhibits enterobactin-mediated iron uptake of E.coli from ferric transferrin, and may thereby limit the utilization of iron and growth of enteric bacteria such as E.coli .
PMID:6234017
Does not prevent iron uptake by the bacterial siderophore aerobactin PMID:6234017
Appears to function in modulating the activity of the immune system during the acute-phase reaction
ATC N02AA56
ATC N02AA05
ATC N02AA55
ATC N02AJ18
ATC N02AJ17
ATC N02AJ19
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Show
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Oxycodone
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
6165
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
6167
ChemSpider
4447649
BindingDB
50370595
PDB
OOX
ZINC
ZINC000000403533
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:8156
GenAtlas
OPRM1
GeneCards
OPRM1
GenBank Gene Database
L25119
GenBank Protein Database
452073
Guide to Pharmacology
319
UniProt Accession
OPRM_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:8154
GenAtlas
OPRK1
GeneCards
OPRK1
GenBank Gene Database
U11053
GenBank Protein Database
532060
Guide to Pharmacology
318
UniProt Accession
OPRK_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:8153
GenAtlas
OPRD1
GeneCards
OPRD1
GenBank Gene Database
U07882
GenBank Protein Database
27545517
Guide to Pharmacology
317
UniProt Accession
OPRD_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:1389
GenAtlas
CACNA1B
GeneCards
CACNA1B
GenBank Gene Database
M94172
GenBank Protein Database
179758
Guide to Pharmacology
533
UniProt Accession
CAC1B_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2625
GenAtlas
CYP2D6
GeneCards
CYP2D6
GenBank Gene Database
M20403
GenBank Protein Database
181350
Guide to Pharmacology
1329
UniProt Accession
CP2D6_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2638
GenAtlas
CYP3A5
GeneCards
CYP3A5
GenBank Gene Database
J04813
GenBank Protein Database
181346
Guide to Pharmacology
1338
UniProt Accession
CP3A5_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:399
GenAtlas
ALB
GeneCards
ALB
GenBank Gene Database
V00494
GenBank Protein Database
28590
UniProt Accession
ALBU_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:8498
GenAtlas
ORM1
GeneCards
ORM1
GenBank Gene Database
X02544
GenBank Protein Database
757907
UniProt Accession
A1AG1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:8499
GeneCards
ORM2
GenBank Gene Database
BC015964
GenBank Protein Database
16359000
UniProt Accession
A1AG2_HUMAN
International reference pricing
Reference pricing from DrugBank. Prices are indicative and may not reflect current UK costs.
Source: DrugBank. Used under CC BY-NC 4.0 academic licence for non-commercial purposes.
Patent information
37 active patents, 59 expired
Source: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0. Patent data sourced from national patent offices. Expiry dates may not reflect extensions, regulatory exclusivity periods, or legal challenges.
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications: