Oxycodone (OxyContin) Nursing Considerations
Included In This Lesson
Study Tools For Oxycodone (OxyContin) Nursing Considerations
Outline
Generic Name
oxycodone
Trade Name
Oxycontin
Indication
pain
Action
binds to opiate receptors in CNS altering the perception and sensation of pain
Therapeutic Class
Opioid Analgesic
Pharmacologic Class
opioid agonists, opioid agonists/nonopioid, analgesic combinations
Nursing Considerations
• may cause respiratory depression, constipation, confusion , sedation, hallucinations, urinary retention
• use caution with increased intracranial pressure
• don’t use with MAOIs
• assess hemodynamics
• assess pain
• may elevate pancreatic enzymes
• can cause physical dependence
• assess bowel function
Transcript
Okay, let’s take a look at the drug oxycodone as also known as Oxycontin. This is an oral medication, as you can see here, and it comes in the IV form. It could also be given intranasally rectally as an IM injection sublingually. So the therapeutic class of oxycodone or how it works in the body is an opioid analgesic in the pharmacologic class, or the chemical effect is an opioid agonist. So oxycodone works by binding to opiate receptors in the central nervous system, which alters the perception and sensation of pain, which is why we use it for pain. Some of the side effects that we see with this drug and opioids in general are things like constipation, confusion, sedation, and also urinary retention. Let’s take a look at some of the nursing considerations for oxycodone. In addition to the side effects already mentioned, it can cause respiratory depression and also hallucinations.
Be sure to assess your patients, hemodynamics their pain and also their bowel function because re member opioids can cause constipation use caution in patients who have increased intracranial pressure and know that oxycodone may elevate pancreatic enzymes. Be sure to teach the patient that oxycodone is an opioid and it can cause physical dependence, especially does not use exactly as per prescribed. Guys. It’s important that patients are tapered off of this drug. So they don’t experience any withdrawal symptoms, which I have ha happened to see in many patients, that’s it for oxycodone or Oxycontin now go out and be your best self today as always happy nursing.
Fall 2026
Concepts Covered:
- Studying
- Substance Abuse Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders
- Central Nervous System Disorders – Brain
- Cognitive Disorders
- Eating Disorders
- Medication Administration
- Depressive Disorders
- Personality Disorders
- Psychotic Disorders
- Trauma-Stress Disorders
- Bipolar Disorders
- Developmental Considerations
- Concepts of Mental Health
- Health & Stress
- Psychological Emergencies
- Somatoform Disorders
- Communication
- Factors Influencing Community Health
- Perioperative Nursing Roles
- Emotions and Motivation
- Basics of NCLEX
- Pregnancy Risks
- Fundamentals of Emergency Nursing
- Neurologic and Cognitive Disorders
- Intraoperative Nursing
- Basics of Sociology
- Statistics
- Cardiac Disorders
- Lower GI Disorders
- Immunological Disorders
- Respiratory Emergencies
- Disorders of the Adrenal Gland
- Shock
- Hematologic Disorders
- Vascular Disorders
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Respiratory Disorders
- Oncology Disorders
- Noninfectious Respiratory Disorder
- Respiratory System
- Liver & Gallbladder Disorders
- Acute & Chronic Renal Disorders
- EENT Disorders
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Cardiovascular Disorders
- Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders
- Disorders of Pancreas
- Disorders of the Posterior Pituitary Gland
- Renal and Urinary Disorders
- Urinary Disorders
- Male Reproductive Disorders
- Urinary System
- Upper GI Disorders
- Renal Disorders
- Disorders of the Thyroid & Parathyroid Glands
- Hematologic Disorders
- Integumentary Disorders
- Integumentary Disorders
- Postpartum Care
- Newborn Complications
- EENT Disorders
- Neurological
- Central Nervous System Disorders – Spinal Cord
- Peripheral Nervous System Disorders
- Newborn Care
- Female Reproductive Disorders
- Infectious Disease Disorders
- Postpartum Complications
- Labor and Delivery
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Emergency Care of the Neurological Patient
- Musculoskeletal Trauma
- Neurological Trauma
- Infectious Respiratory Disorder
- Labor Complications
- Documentation and Communication
- Emergency Care of the Trauma Patient