OxyContin is the brand name for extended-release oxycodone, designed to release oxycodone slowly over 12 hours, requiring only twice-daily dosing. OxyContin works in two phases. The outer layer releases oxycodone rapidly, providing pain relief within approximately 20 minutes. Oxycontin (oxycodone hydrochloride) is used to treat moderate to severe pain. Learn side effects, dosage, drug interactions, warnings, patient labeling, reviews, and more. Oxycodone is a medicine that is used to help treat severe pain. Common side effects include constipation, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, headache, and dizziness. Do not drive or do other. Oxycontin is a long-acting opioid for the around-the-clock, long-term management of severe pain. It is used when alternative treatments have been inadequate. OxyContin carries a Boxed Warning and contains oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance with an abuse potential similar to other Schedule II opioids. Oxycodone acts on the central nervous system (CNS) to relieve pain. Oxycodone extended-release capsules or tablets should not be used if you need pain medicine for just a short time, such as when recovering from surgery. Do not use this medicine to relieve mild pain, or in situations when non-opioid medication is effective. Oxycodone, sold under the brand names Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended-release form) among others, is a semi-synthetic opioid used medically for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. OxyContin is still prescribed today, but a lot has changed since Purdue Pharma’s legal troubles. Here’s what the drug looks like now and who can get it. Between 1999 and 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated about 806,000 people died from opioid overdoses, using prescriptions such as Purdue's OxyContin and illegal. What is OxyContin? OxyContin is used to manage severe and persistent pain that requires an extended treatment period with a daily opioid pain medicine when other pain medicines do not treat your pain well enough, or you cannot tolerate them.