OxyContin overdose: How much amount of OxyContin to OD?

OxyContin can cause overdose in single doses greater than 40 mg. Total daily doses should not exceed 80 mg in opioid-naive individuals. More on how much OxyContin is safe for you and OxyContin overdose here.

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OxyContin can help you control symptoms of pain but can also become toxic when you take too much of it. And overdosing on OxyContin isn’t just for the addict. In fact, the vast majority of drug poisoning OxyContin deaths are accidents. So how can you prevent an unintentional OxyContin overdose? We’ll explore this question here, and look at the risk factors for OxyContin overdose here. Your questions about how much OxyContin to OD are welcomed at the end.

How does OxyContin overdose happen?

It’s easy to accidentally take too much OxyContin. If you’re not getting the pain relief you need from your normal dose, you may try to increase your dosing amounts or frequency. But if you take too much OxyContin, you can overdose. Sometimes people take too much OxyContin on purpose, because they’re trying to get high OxyContin, but accidentally overdose in the process. In fact, one of the known OxyContin snorting effects is overdose.  And an OxyContin overdose can even be the result of an attempted suicide.

OxyContin overdose – How much is too much?

The amount of OxyContin that is safe for you depends on whether you’ve recently been exposed to opioid medications or not. In fact, the amount OxyContin you can handle is relative to how tolerant your body already is to OxyContin, opiates,and opioids. Just one 60 mg tablet could be dangerous if you’ve never taken the drug before, although some OxyContin users can tolerate much higher doses. In fact, a single doses of more than 40 mg OxyContin, or total daily doses greater than 80 mg is too much for someone who’s just started the medicine. These doses may cause fatal respiratory depression when given to people new to OxyContin. So be careful to follow your doctor’s instructions when trying this medication for the first time. Even so, how much OxyContin is too much really depends on your own body chemistry.

Safe dosing levels depend on the strength of OxyContin you’ve been prescribed. OxyContin comes in formulas in different strengths, including 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 60, and 80 mg tablets. Because you’ll develop OxyContin tolerance over time, doctors increase OxyContin doses gradually. When they do this, they consider a number of different variables, including your age, weight, health, and other medications you might be taking.

OxyContin overdose complications

The most dangerous complication of OxyContin overdose is slowed or shallow breathing. An OxyContin overdose can even cause your breathing to stop, if you take enough of the drug.

OxyContin overdose prognosis

In an emergency, OxyContin overdose doesn’t need to be fatal. If you delay treatment, though, an OxyContin overdose can be deadly or can result in permanent brain damage. Difficulty breathing can cut off air to the brain and cause permanent health issues. In fact, more serious cases of OxyContin overdose may require doctors to administer oxygen. This will help you breath. Other times, medicine called Naloxone (Narcan) is given to counteract the effects of OxyContin. But as long as breathing hasn’t been compromised, you can usually recover from an OxyContin OD without long-term health effects.

OxyContin overdose death rate

Most unintentional OxyContin overdose deaths are related to the nationwide increase in the use of prescription drugs, opioid painkillers in particular. The abuse of prescription drugs, is responsible for a large percentage of the increase in drug poisoning deaths. Any OxyContin abuse is extremely risky and could result in death. You should only ever swallow OxyContin, because it is a controlled release medication, and very powerful. You increase your risk of overdose when you chew, crush, snort, or inject OxyContin.

Overdose and death affect more men than women, and mostly people in the working years of their lives. People who are prescribed OxyContin at higher doses, or who need to take it frequently, have a much more substantial overdose risk.

OxyContin overdose amount questions

If you have any questions about safe amounts of OxyContin in your system, please leave them here. We are happy to try to help answer your questions about OxyContin, and will try to respond with a personal and prompt reply for all legitimate queries.

Reference sources: CDC NCHS Data Brief: Drug Poisoning Deaths in the United States, 1980-2008
PubMed: A history of being prescribed controlled substances and risk of drug overdose death
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs: Trends in Unintentional Drug Overdose Deaths
Medline Plus: Hydrocodone/Oxycodone overdose
About the author
Lee Weber is a published author, medical writer, and woman in long-term recovery from addiction. Her latest book, The Definitive Guide to Addiction Interventions is set to reach university bookstores in early 2019.
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