Dangers of Snorting Oxycodone

The dangers of abusing oxycodone are widely understood, as the drug has been extremely popular among recreational drug abusers for the past several years. When the drug is abused, it can be taken in a number of ways. However, many individuals do not understand the particular dangers of snorting oxycodone.

Methods of Oxyocodone Abuse

There are quite a few methods through which oxycodone can be administered although oral consumption is the only method of use that is ever prescribed by a doctor. According to CESAR, “Those who abuse the drug generally do so in three different ways: crushing the pill into a fine powder and snorting it; chewing it; or crushing and dissolving the tablets in water and injecting the solution.”

While all of these methods of abuse can lead to harmful effects such as respiratory depression, seizures, or even heart failure, snorting oxycodone can be extremely dangerous when compared to oral consumption such as is prescribed.

Snorting Drugs of Abuse

Snorting drugs in general can be even more dangerous than abusing them orally. According to Columbia University, “Prescribed for school-age children by medical professionals, many adolescents and young adults snort Ritalin and Adderall as they believe that they are safe alternatives to cocaine. This could not be further from the truth.”

Snorting prescription stimulant drugs is not safer than taking cocaine, just like snorting oxycodone is not safer or less harmful than injecting heroin. Any time a person crushes a drug and snorts it, they are causing the potency of the drug to become stronger. These individuals choose to snort a drug because it makes the effects reach them more quickly and more intensely which can be extremely dangerous.

Physical Effects of Snorting Oxycodone

Snorting oxycodone causes many of the same physical effects as abusing it in other ways does, but there are some issues that can be caused only by snorting the drug. A person could experience destruction of the nasal cavity and sinuses as well as the tissue of their lungs. These drugs were not meant to be snorted, and they can cause many intense physical effects as a result.

In addition, snorting oxycodone causes all of the same physical issues that taking it orally can cause such as:

Snorting oxycodone can lead to a greater chance of addiction.

• Seizures
• Heart problems
• Difficulty breathing
• Drowsiness
• Headache
• Sweating
• Stomach pain
• Appetite loss
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dry mouth

Snorting oxycodone may even cause these effects to be more intense or to come on more strongly, as the effects the drug has on the brain are also stronger when the Oxycodone has been crushed to remove the protective, time release coating that is on the outside of the pill.

Higher Possibility for Addiction

According to the MDPH, “Tampering with how an opioid medication is manufactured can turn a long-acting, less potent medication, into a more potent, rapid acting one. If an extended release tablet is crushed, the medication becomes short-acting and more potent.” Though this effect will cause a more intense high, it will also make a person more likely to become addicted to the drug.

Someone can become more addicted to the drug more quickly if they are getting a stronger, more intense high from snorting it. Injecting oxycodone can cause the same reaction.

The NIDA states, “Addiction… is distinguished by compulsive drug seeking and use despite sometimes devastating consequences.” A person will become more addicted to the drug more quickly if the effects are more intense. Because oxycodone is being snorted and the effects reaching the brain of the user more quickly, they will also disappear faster, causing the individual to immediately want more. Users who snort the drug are often more likely to abuse more of the drug in order to feel the high as a result of a quick tolerance, which also leads to addiction more quickly.

The possibility for addiction occurring in those who snort oxycodone is not only quicker-acting, it is also higher. Someone who takes the drug orally might do it once and decide its not for them. But crushing up and snorting a drug is a more intense, more addicting behavior on its own which raises the likelihood of addiction for the user.

Higher Possibility for Overdose and Death

Oxycodone can cause respiratory depression (and even respiratory and heart failure) during an overdose. If the individual takes too much of the drug (and especially if they abuse it with other drugs like alcohol), they will likely experience these effects which can be deadly if the person is not treated immediately.

According to CESAR, “Overdose death due to cardiac arrest or slowed breath (especially when ingesting crushed OxyContin tablets)” are common side effects. Snorting the drug causes a higher possibility for overdose and death by overdose from the drug than ingesting it whole. This is because its effects come on all at once, very quickly, instead of being spaced out like an extended release tablet would do if taken the correct way.

It is very dangerous to snort large amounts of oxycodone and also to abuse it with other depressant drugs. A person will need to be rushed to the hospital immediately if they overdose on oxycodone, usually needing a naloxone shot in order to recover through and (most of the time) even live through the ordeal.

Snorting Oxycodone vs. Ingesting It

Just because snorting oxycodone has been proven to cause a higher chance of many issues including overdose, death, addiction, etc., this does not mean that ingesting it as a form of abuse is safe. Any time a person abuses oxycodone there is a risk for all of these issues to occur. Oxycodone should not be taken by anyone without a prescription, and it must not be taken in a higher dose or more frequently than prescribed. Users should also avoid mixing it with alcohol and other unsafe or abusive behaviors.

According to ISATE, “Crushing or diluting the tablet disarms the time-release action of the medication and causes a quick powerful high.” This is why oxycodone abusers do it and why the action is extremely unsafe and adds even more danger to abusing the drug. If you have been snorting oxycodone for an extended period of time, it is important that you consider whether or not you need treatment.