diff in pain meds strength/effectiveness

RJ
Posts: 7
 Joined: 2006-03-24

 

Whats the diff btwn 5/500 vicodin  vs. 5/325 percocet for oxy vs oxycodone hcl 15 mg (no acetominiphen listed from what I can tell)  vs meperedine for demerol 50 mg 

IS there a conversion link for these?


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Submitted by RJ on March 29, 2006 - 6:57pm.  

alkisses
Posts: 81
 Joined: 2006-03-27
im gonna say that the

im gonna say that the strenth of each drug is what makes the difference. like some pills .5mgs is strong and like acetaminophen 500mgs is common.
i have taken 2 out of the 3 up there and for me endocet 5/325(5mgs oxycodone, 325mgs acetaminophen) is the stronger one, only because i have not taken vicodin and probably never will.
im no expert though.


March 29, 2006 - 10:36pm  

RJ
Posts: 7
 Joined: 2006-03-24
so oxy is stronger than demerol?


So does that mean oxy  5/325 is stronger then meperedine for demerol 50 mg?

And the least strong of the three listed is the vicodin 5/500?

 

Im trying to figure out how many vicodin 5/500 would it take to equal the effectiveness of the percoset for oxy 5/325 or the demerol 50 mg.

 

Also, would  a prescription bottle that reads "oxycodone hcl 15 mg" mean its 15 mg and doesnt include acetominiphen and its stronger than percocet for oxy 5/500 which would be 5 mg oxy?

 

 

This is so frackin confusing!!   isnt there some sort of conversion chart for all this stuff?!!



March 29, 2006 - 11:50pm  

incognito
Posts: 1240
 Joined: 2005-05-16
I should note that while I

I should note that while I am not very familiar with Meperidine, I used narcotic calculators and other resources that are designed for professional use for dosage equivalence but I did not post this information as I can not assure you of how accurate it is. The info below pertaining to hydrocodone and Oxycodone (which I am familiar with, I also used professional detailed monograph info as well as information pertaining to each drug's pharmacokinetics)

Ok, since there are many things to address lets start by listing them in order strongest to weakest according to dosage equivalence. (I listed the Scheduling as well, All three drugs are opiates).

 
Many people feel that Demerol may be stronger than Oxycodone, but studies have shown that its pain relieving properties are weaker than both Oxycodone and Morphine Sulfate (which is not even one of our topics). While Meperidine's pain relieving properties are weaker, it is more sedating. Uses include "General Anesthesia Adjunct, Labor Pain, Local Anesthesia Adjunct, Pain, Sedation as Adjunct to Anesthesia

 
1) Oxycodone 15mg instant release (Schedule II controlled substance)

2) Oxycodone/APAP 5/325 (Schedule II controlled substance)

3) Meperidine 50mg (Schedule II controlled substance)

4) Hydrocodone 5/325 (Schedule III controlled substance)

 
The Oxycodone 15mg IR contains 3 times the amount of oxycodone than the Percocet, and the OxyIR is pure Oxycodone no APAP. So since it contains 3X more of the narcotic, it should be roughly three times stronger. The OxyIR 15mg is equal to roughly 22.5 mg of hydrocodone

Hydrocodone's chemical make up is close to that of Oxycodone, but it is weaker. I should note that acetaminophen is generic tylenol, it is used in conjunction with the narcotic to intensify pain relief. But in this comparison we will only be using the narcotic opiates (hydrocodone and Oxycodone) and leaving the APAP to the side. Using a narcotic dosage equivalence calculator, 5mg of Hydrocodone is equivalent to 3.33mg of Oxycodone (or you can say that 5mg of Oxycodone is equal to 7.5mg of Hydrocodone.)

I have the information on the meperidine as well, but chose not to post it until I do some more research. If you would like to see what I have so far, I will post it for you.  

 
I hope all this isn't too confusing and can maybe clear a few things up.

 

This is information I compiled from a number of sources and can not 100% assure it's accuracy.  

 



March 30, 2006 - 2:44am  

RJ
Posts: 7
 Joined: 2006-03-24
yes please post

yes if you could post that info it would be helpful thanks. Please keep in mind I am not actually going to try to "take" as much hydro as oxy or meperedine for the effect or ever not follow rx instructions as prescribed by an MD....am just trying to understand the diff in all three the best I can as this is all relatively new to me. Educating purposes only. Information is power.

 

Why would some hydro or oxy be rx'd w/o acetominophen and others are?

 

Never knew the ins and outs of pain relief to be so involved....it was always "take 2 aspirin, call me in the morning" type stuff. 



March 30, 2006 - 9:55am  

alkisses
Posts: 81
 Joined: 2006-03-27
wow! you know what your

wow! you know what your talking about.... its definitly interesting to read stuff like this.. one things for certain i cant imagine taking
"The Oxycodone 15mg" just 5mgs is strong for me anyhow....
im sorry i couldnt help out, i really dont know alot about this stuff.
but i would say that miperdine 50mgs is definitly not as strong as Oxycontin. sometimes i can take miperdine 50mg dose and not feel it at all. sometimes it will take an hour to feel relief and sometimes 2... its definitly weird..... but theres some smart people here who definitly do there research... im not one of them hehe. im new here but this site definitly has been a help!


March 30, 2006 - 12:34pm  

incognito
Posts: 1240
 Joined: 2005-05-16
RJ, Hydrocodone is not

RJ,

Hydrocodone is not available just by itself. It is most commonly combined with Acetaminophen anywhere from 300mg to 750mg. (sometimes with Ibuprofen and sometimes with various expectorants/decongestants when used to treat cough/cold type symptoms). Acetaminophen is an OTC analgesic (tylenol) that is shown to further the pain relieving effect when combined with hydrocodone.

The way I understand it is that Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen (APAP) are more effective when combined together, rather than one or the other by itself. This seems to be pretty obvious with the tylenol since it is available over the counter and the other is a C III narcotic. So basically they are combined to intensify analgesic properties.

 

Oxycodone however is available without APAP. It is shown to be effective with and without apap. 

When Oxycodone is combined with APAP (Percocet) it is generally used for moderate to severe pain and often for short periods of time (acute pain/break through pain after an injury or operation as well as other uses). Percocet is available with varying amounts of APAP, but the Oxycodone content is limited up to 10mg.

Oxycodone in instant release form is available in larger doses without APAP. It is used to treat chronic, moderate to severe pain. This form is generally intended for people who have been taking opiate pain meds for long periods of time and have developed a tolerance, therefore needing larger doses for effective pain relief. Since APAP can be liver damaging in large doses, this form (Roxicodone) is made so that a person can take the med for long periods without all the un-needed APAP. Oxycodone instant release is available in strengths ranging from 5mg to 30mg.

OxyContin (Oxycontin is a brand name) and is oxycodone in extended release form and is available in large doses, up to 80mg. This is also used for chronic pain patients who have been taking opiates for many many years and require a higher dose for relief. For example lets say a person requires 80mg of Oxycodone every 24 hours. With an instant release Oxycodone they would have to continually take pills thoughout the day every 4-6 or 6-8 hours to achieve the needed relief. But with OxyContin they are able to take just two pills in a 24  hour period, one 40mg in the morning and one at night.

______________________________________________________________________

Meperidine (Demerol)

5mg of Oxycodone is alleged to be equivalent* to 75mg of Meperidine (in your case your Meperidine 50mg would equal 3.33mg Oxycodone)
5mg of Hydrocodone is shown to be equal* to approx. 50mg of Meperidine.

(When I say equal/equivalent, I am refering to values I came up with using a narcotic dosage converter/calculator)

From what I have found, Meperidine is used mostly in conjunction with various types of anesthesia. It is used for pain in some cases, but its sedative effects make it a better choice for anesthesia, since there are "better" alternatives for pain relief.

Once again, I am not very familiar with Meperidine, but all of this info came from reliable data/research that I based my above post on.  

 
I hope this clears things up a bit. Feel free to post if you still have questions, this is what we are all here for.
 

 



March 30, 2006 - 1:58pm  

RJ
Posts: 7
 Joined: 2006-03-24
Wow this helped a great deal

thank you so very much....it really helped clear up my confusion of all these and now I can speak to my MD with a bit more knowledge.

Thanks so much.



March 31, 2006 - 1:14pm