Question by rudeboy311: Insufflating (snorting) Oxycontin for pain, will blood tests be identical to swallowing the Oxycontin tablets?
Hello everybody,

Sorry, this is the second time I’ve posted this question. I said the question was “resolved”, and I think it may be, but on second thoughts I really would be more reassured with the advice of a qualified physician/doctor, or anyone who can give me an authoritative yes/no answer.

My female friend takes 20mg oxycontin twice daily for chronic pain relief (I said 30mg last time, found out it’s actually 20mg). She has heard that insufflation (crushing the pill and snorting) may provide better analgesia than oral consumption.

I realize there may be significant health risks associated with insufflation, and so does she, but she has heard insufflation may help her pain better, and I think she is determined to experiment.

Every so often her doctor takes a blood test to make sure the right amount of oxycontin is in her system, to check she hasn’t been taking too much, or even too little (and then selling it etc.).

My question is, if she insufflates 20mg twice daily, will it show up in her bloodstream the same as if she took the tablets orally?

She’s never been a recreational drug user, just seeking pain relief, but her doctor is not keen to increase her dose.

I am scared she will have her oxycontin taken away altogether if the blood test results are inconsistent. She is in enough pain as it is, it would be tragic if her painkillers were taken away completely. I will do everything in my power to suggest she seeks alternative pain relief, but if she insists on insufflation, I need to know that her blood results will at least remain consistent.

Also, is it always the case that X amount of oral Oxycontin shows up the same in the blood stream as X amount of Oxycontin insufflated? For example, for somebody who took 80mg Oxycontin twice a day, if they decided to crush and snort their 80mg pills twice a day, would it show the same in the blood as 80mg taken orally twice a day?

This stupidly long post is basically asking, if Oxycontin is snorted twice a day, will it show in the bloodstream exactly the same as the same amount of Oxycontin taken orally and swallowed twice a day?

Thanks for any information, really appreciate any advice.

Thank you.

Best answer:

Answer by Heather-Marie
Either way it will show up the same. Her body is still receiving the exact same medication, whether it’s orally, or nasally. It is not changing the chemical composition in any way. If she is determined to snort one though, tell her to rinse her nose with saline afterwards – otherwise she risks her nose being eaten from the inside out… just like with cocaine.

Snorting the pill will not really help her out much though. All it will do is allow the medication to kick in faster, but it will not last nearly as long. Perhaps she could do a 50/50 split? Snort 1/2 of the pill, and take the other half orally. That way she would receive the pain relief benefits faster, but it would also be in her system longer.

What do you think? Answer below!

Technorati Tags: blood, identical, Insufflating, Oxycontin, Pain, snorting, swallowing, tablets, tests

Tags: blood, identical, Insufflating, Oxycontin, Pain, snorting, swallowing, tablets, tests