There is a connection between oxycodone and anxiety.
Oxycodone is a prescription medication typically prescribed for pain control. While it can be a helpful short-term therapy when recovering from something like a broken bone, long-term oxycodone use can cause serious side effects, including anxiety.
People with anxiety disorders are offered drugs like oxycodone more often than others. And some people who never had anxiety disorders develop them when exposed to oxycodone.
Whether your anxiety is new or worsened by drugs, treatment can help. Therapies like Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) can amend oxycodone-caused brain changes and ease anxiety.
Oxycodone's relationship to anxiety is complex and multidirectional. People with anxiety may use the drug to ease their symptoms, but those same problems worsen over time with chronic oxycodone use. And people who never had anxiety before can develop it after using oxycodone long term.
Oxycodone is meant to relieve moderate-to-severe pain that other medications can't relieve.[5] Doctors use the drug to help people who need strong around-the-clock care for a serious illness or injury.
A physical problem like a broken bone, major surgery or tumor removal is both painful and stressful. Short-term oxycodone use may help to ease those symptoms, making life functional for people who would otherwise be in severe pain.
Oxycodone works, in part, by latching to brain receptors and prompting the release of the chemical dopamine. The brain typically releases small amounts of this chemical when exposed to something pleasant or rewarding. Oxycodone prompts a large amount of dopamine, flooding a person with well-being and calm.
While some people feel simply comfortable on oxycodone, others experience euphoria due to that dopamine release. That sensation can lead to drug misuse and continued oxycodone use even when the pain is gone.
After continued oxycodone exposure, brain cells change in predictable ways that lead to anxiety.
Brain cells don’t create dopamine as easily without a prompt from oxycodone. People often feel depressed, flattened and unable to experience joy without their drugs. For some, these feelings manifest as anxiety.
The amygdala, a region deep within the brain, also changes due to recurring oxycodone exposure. This part of the brain is responsible for regulating stress, and it becomes hypersensitive after drug use.[6]
Changes in the amygdala can make feelings like nervousness, anxiety, and stress stronger and more difficult to ignore. When combined with strong drug cravings, most people relapse to drugs to ease their mental distress.
People with an opioid use disorder (OUD) continue to buy and use drugs despite the consequences. People with OUD continue to misuse oxycodone in part because of persistent brain changes caused by long-term drug use. These changes make it extremely difficult to stop using.
Overdose is the most serious consequence of long-term oxycodone misuse. In 2021, more than 80,000 people died due to overdoses of opioid drugs like oxycodone.[7]
People who keep using oxycodone need larger and larger doses to get the effect they expect. Since oxycodone is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, large doses are very dangerous. Take too much, and you can suppress breathing so much that tissues die.
If someone has stopped using oxycodone for any length of time, their tolerance to the drug declines. If they relapse and take the same dose they previously took, an overdose can easily occur.
Other side effects associated with long-term oxycodone use include the following:
While using oxycodone can cause anxiety, quitting suddenly can make anxious symptoms worse. Brain cells accustomed to the drug can overreact and cause mental health issues when you quit quickly. Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) programs can help.
MAT utilizes prescriptions like Suboxone.[8] This medication contains buprenorphine, a weak opioid agonist.[9] It latches to receptors used by oxycodone, lessening withdrawal symptoms like anxiety. Using the medication long term can help reduce relapse triggers like drug cravings too.
Some people use MAT for short periods, until they feel strong enough in sobriety to quit. But others keep using MAT indefinitely, as long as it continues to support their recovery. Suboxone is safe for long-term use. It has helped countless people achieve lasting recovery from opioid use disorder.
Bicycle Health, a leading telemedicine MAT provider, treats many people who have oxycodone-caused anxiety. Connect with a skilled provider via phone or video chat to discuss your drug use history and prior treatment experiences. Fill your prescription at a pharmacy near you, and stay in touch with your treatment team via regular telemedicine appointments.
If you're struggling with oxycodone misuse and aren't sure how to quit, contact Bicycle Health and find out more about how this form of treatment works. We can help you determine if this form of treatment is right for you. If it is, we can get you started right away on the road to a healthier tomorrow.
Peter Manza, PhD received his BA in Psychology and Biology from the University of Rochester and his PhD in Integrative Neuroscience at Stony Brook University. He is currently working as a research scientist in Washington, DC. His research focuses on the role of the brain dopamine system in substance use disorders and in aging. He also studies brain function in obesity and eating disorders.
