Mixing Roxicodone and Alcohol: Side Effects & Risks

Side Effects and Interactions

Roxicodone should not be mixed with alcohol. The combined use of alcohol and Roxicodone can lead to metabolic complications and can increase the likelihood of blood toxicity. Roxicodone should not be mixed with other central nervous system depressants, including tranquilizers, benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepine sedative/hypnotics, general anesthetics, phenothiazines and muscle relaxants. The concomitant use of monoamine inhibitors and Roxicodone has been known to increase the risk of anxiety, respiratory depression, and coma.

Common side effects of Roxicodone use include euphoria, relaxation, anxiolysis, respiratory depression, constipation, nausea, vomiting, itching, excessive sweating, somnolence, dry mouth, and dizziness. Less common side effects include nervousness, diarrhea, dyspnea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, urinary retention, and hiccups.

What is Roxicodone?

Roxicodone is the brand name of immediate-release oxycodone hydrochloride. It is manufactured in 5 mg, 15 mg, and 30 mg white tablets that are intended to be ingested orally. Individuals who use opioids recreationally are known to crush the pill before snorting or injecting it.

Roxicodone is a pain reliever that’s derived from codeine. It’s commonly prescribed for the treatment of mild to moderate pain. Roxicodone achieves its analgesic effects by binding to opioid receptors in order to reduce the patient’s perception of pain.

Due to Roxicodone’s high abuse potential and high risk for overdose, other milder forms of pain management should be tried before using Roxicodone. The minimum effective dose should be administered initially, followed by a gradual increase in dosage until the desired pain-relieving effects are achieved if necessary.

Mixing Alcohol and Roxicodone

Mixing alcohol and Roxicodone can compound the adverse side effects of both drugs. The risk of blackouts, poor coordination, nausea, vomiting, muscle flaccidity, and weakness are significantly higher due to the amplified depressant effects that the substances have on the central nervous system.

The primary risk factor for concomitant use of alcohol and Roxicodone is severe respiratory depression. Roxicodone acts directly on the brainstem to suppress the instinctual urge to breathe. The brainstem’s ability to analyze for toxic carbon dioxide levels in the blood becomes inhibited, potentially resulting in carbon dioxide poisoning and hypoxia (oxygen deprivation).

Aside from severe respiratory depression, the patient may present with significantly constricted pupils and severely decreased levels of consciousness. Pinpoint pupils may transition to full dilation as the patient approaches fatal overdose.

The administration of an opioid antagonist may be necessary to reverse the effects of Roxicodone. Naloxone is the opioid antagonist of choice in most emergency rooms. Naloxone rapidly reverses the effects of opioids like Roxicodone by breaking its bonds to opioid receptors. The patient must be carefully monitored for the return of respiratory depression following naloxone administration due to the drug’s relatively short duration of action.

Summing Up: Mixing Alcohol and Roxicodone

Roxicodone is a potent central nervous system depressant and pain reliever. Mixing Roxicodone with other central nervous system depressants such as benzodiazepines, muscle relaxants, tranquilizers, other opioids, and alcohol dramatically increases the risk for severe respiratory depression and fatal overdose.

If you or someone you love is struggling with drug or alcohol misuse, The Recovery Village is available to answer any questions you may have.