Dangers of Injecting Oxycodone

The following is an overview of oxycodone, how to inject oxycodone, and the dangers of injecting oxycodone.

Oxycodone is a part of the class of drugs known as opioids. Typically these drugs are taken, whether by legitimate prescription or when they’re abused, as oral tablets. Some people, however, abuse them in other ways, including by injecting them.

When people are looking for information on how to inject oxycodone, it’s important that they’re aware of the risks of doing so. Abusing oxycodone through any route of administration is dangerous, but the dangers of injecting oxycodone are even greater.

The following is an overview of oxycodone, how to inject oxycodone, and the dangers of injecting oxycodone.

Injecting Oxycodone

If you haven’t heard of it before, you might be wondering why anyone would want to learn how to inject oxycodone, or what the benefits of injecting oxycodone are.

First, can you inject oxycodone?

Yes, you can, but with caveats that are detailed below. Generally, when people want to shoot up oxycodone, they will crush and dissolve the tablets in water, creating a solution that can be intravenously injected.

Some people learn how to shoot oxycodone because it provides them with a faster effect. When any drug is injected, and this includes shooing up oxycodone, it reaches the brain more quickly and the high people feel may also be more powerful.

There are a few things to think about if you’re wondering can you inject oxycodone, however.

First, oxycodone doesn’t necessarily provide the strong rush that other drugs do when it’s injected. Also, the extended-release version of oxycodone is prescribed now in a tamper-proof form.

When someone attempts to inject current versions of extended-release oxycodone, it turns into a gel when they try to crush it. That makes extended-release oxycodone impossible to snort, but it doesn’t always derail people who want to inject it.

What Are the Risks of Shooting Oxycodone?

If someone is shooting oxycodone, there are many risks that wouldn’t be present even when just taking the drug normally.

First, if you’re shooting oxycodone in an extended-release form, the effects of all of the medicine are hitting your system at once, leaving you at a much higher risk of an overdose. It’s very possible if you’re shooting extended-release oxycodone that you will suffer from respiratory depression and potentially overdose or die.

Injecting any opioid is also more addictive because more of the drug reaches the brain faster.

If you’re a regular injector of oxycodone, the withdrawal you experience when you stop using opioids will also be more difficult, with possible symptoms including nausea, vomiting, depression, insomnia, anxiety and more.

Finally, as with any drug that you’re injecting, when you’re shooting oxycodone you’re also at a higher risk of contracting certain diseases including HIV and hepatitis. Injecting drugs can also damage the veins, cause blood clots, and lead to infections in the heart and lungs.

When you inject anything, it can cause problems with blood circulation, leading to the death of tissue as well.

So, can you inject oxycodone? Yes, theoretically you can, but if you choose to inject oxycodone, you’re at risk of not only the standard dangers of opioids such as addiction and overdose but these risks are even higher.

If you or a loved one live with addiction or are using drugs recreationally and want to stop, The Recovery Village® can help. Reach out to one of our representatives today to learn how you can start on your path to recovery.

Editor – Camille Renzoni

Cami Renzoni is a creative writer and editor for The Recovery Village. As an advocate for behavioral health, Cami is certified in mental health first aid and encourages people who face substance use disorders to ask for the help they deserve. Read more

Medically Reviewed By – Dr. Wendy Weber, PharmD, MBA

Wendy J. Weber is a pharmacist with almost 20 years of experience in acute care clinical practice, hospital pharmacy leadership, medication safety, and clinical research. Read more