When comparing the opioids Oxycodone vs. heroin, many people question which is worse. The assumption is that heroin is worse. Doctors prescribe Oxycodone, and heroin is bought on the street. However, are they really that different? No matter the opiate, Atlanta Detox Center can help you or someone you care about overcome addiction. Our team of addiction specialists can teach the skills and strategies needed to maintain recovery years after you’ve left our center. 

Oxy vs. Heroin

Oxycodone and heroin, although both potent opioids, vary notably in their sources, legal standings, and dangers. Oxycodone is a prescribed drug frequently utilized for controlling moderate to severe pain. In contrast, heroin is an illicit drug originating from morphine, a naturally existing substance in the opium poppy plant. Even though they have distinct characteristics, both substances can result in severe addiction, dependency, and overdose if abused.

A significant difference between Oxycodone and heroin is found in how they are taken and how strong they are. Typically, Oxycodone is prescribed in pill form to be taken orally, but there is a risk of misuse by crushing and snorting or injecting the medication. In contrast, heroin is typically injected, snorted, or smoked, resulting in a quicker and more potent high. Both drugs attach to the opioid receptors in the brain. Still, heroin tends to create a faster and more euphoric impact, leading to its increased likelihood of being misused.

Critical differences between heroin vs. Oxycodone include:

• Legal status:

• • • Oxycodone: A legal prescription medication used for pain management.
    • Heroin: An illegal street drug with no accepted medical use.

• Source:

• • • Oxycodone: Synthetic opioid derived from thebaine, a compound found in the opium poppy.
    • Heroin: Made from morphine, a naturally occurring opioid.

• Method of use:

• • • Oxycodone: Prescribed as oral pills but can be misused by crushing, snorting, or injecting.
    • Heroin: Typically injected, snorted, or smoked for faster effects.

• Addiction potential:

• • • Oxycodone: Can lead to addiction when misused, especially in high doses or prolonged use.
    • Heroin: Highly addictive, often causing addiction after only a few uses.

• Onset of effects:

• • • Oxycodone: Slower onset, especially when taken as prescribed in pill form.
    • Heroin: Fast-acting, particularly when injected or smoked.

• Overdose risk:

• • • Oxycodone: Overdose is possible, especially when taken in excess or combined with other substances.
    • Heroin: High overdose risk, mainly due to inconsistent purity levels and use of dangerous additives like fentanyl.

While both Oxycodone and heroin pose significant risks, heroin is often considered more dangerous due to its illegal nature, rapid effects, and high overdose potential. However, both substances can lead to devastating consequences, making it critical to seek help if you or someone you know is struggling with opioid addiction.

Oxys vs. Heroin: Understanding Stigma and Perception of Drugs

When it comes to Oxycodone, heroin, and other drugs, we know there is a stigma attached. Many believe that drug addiction is a choice, not a brain disease. Some believe people addicted to drugs should go to prison and not receive substance abuse treatment at a drug and alcohol treatment center or detox facility. Families are blamed for the addiction, and addicts are blamed for the addiction; every mistake made throughout addiction is judged as a poor choice and moral failing. Even when men and women enter recovery through a treatment plan, they are faced with labels: “once an addict, always an addict.”

However, there is one stigma that we don’t talk about and sometimes even ignore the stigma between heroin addiction and Oxycodone addiction. What makes addiction to prescription drugs, such as Oxycodone, more “acceptable” than heroin addiction? Since the beginning of the opioid epidemic, people have been more inclined to ask for help for Oxycodone withdrawal than heroin withdrawal. However, the opioid pill epidemic has quickly turned into a heroin epidemic. So, is heroin addiction considered worse than Oxycodone addiction?

The idea that Oxycodone is safer than heroin may come from its prevalence as an effective post-surgery prescription. Some believe they are safer since they are manufactured in a laboratory and not on the streets. Some may even think that the expensive Oxycodone street value compared to comparably cheap heroin makes it “better” and even safer. Even as the epidemic grew worse, it wasn’t until people in the upper-middle class were affected that we began talking openly about opioid addiction and how to detox from Oxycodone.

This all leads to the dangerous stigma that makes people assume Oxycodone misuse and addiction is okay to talk about, but heroin addiction is for “junkies.”

Common questions about this type of addiction include:

• What happens when Oxycodone pills aren’t enough, and it leads to heroin addiction?
• What do we say if no surgery got someone addicted to Oxycodone pills?
• What happens when you are stealing Oxycodone from your grandma after her surgery?

The problem is that since Oxycodone pills are more socially acceptable, people are more likely to try them, which can lead to Oxycodone or heroin addiction.

Dangers of Oxycodone and Heroin

Did you know that in the 1900s, heroin was marketed by Bayer as “safe”? It was prescribed to children and adults for mild pain until people quickly realized that heroin was not safe; it was highly addictive and dangerous. Many people understood then that heroin is a dangerous drug. Now, it is a Schedule 1 Narcotic with “no medical use.”

If this story sounds familiar to you, it’s because it is what’s happening with Purdue Pharma right now. When Purdue marketed opioid pain pills, like Oxycodone, as safe in the 1990s and began giving it to people with chronic and minor pain, it quickly spiraled into the epidemic we see right now. We found out quickly that these pills are addictive and dangerous. Opioid pills, like Oxycodone, are pharmaceutical-grade heroin, highly addictive, and often lead to street heroin abuse. Heroin and prescription opioid pills are pretty much the same thing, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

When you think about Oxy vs. heroin, they both are opiates. You will experience withdrawal, including runny nose, vomiting, and diarrhea. Withdrawal from both substances will require medical assistance at a drug detox center. The only difference is that one is made by doctors, lab technicians, and scientists, while the other is made on the street. The stigma that we place on heroin addiction creates shame and guilt, making people less likely to seek detox programs and other long-term treatment options. This makes them more susceptible to overdose and death.

Find Support for Addiction at Our Atlanta Drug Detox

The illegal substance heroin,  plus Oxycodone and other prescription drugs, are all highly addictive and dangerous. We can no longer compare one to the other as better or worse. They all can and will kill you. It is time for people to stop pinning Oxycodone vs. heroin and begin talking about these drugs as being equally addictive, dangerous, and deadly. Our opioid detox in Atlanta is here to offer support to those affected by either substance. We also offer a program dedicated explicitly to heroin withdrawal.

This epidemic has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. We need to help people choose to enter treatment and live a life of recovery. 

If you or a loved one are ready to enter recovery, learn more about our opioid addiction treatment program by calling 844-658-0927 or completing our online form today.