butorphanol vs oxycodone
Side-by-side comparison of butorphanol and oxycodone. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
moderate Known Drug Interaction
Intervention: Avoid concomitant use Examples: Butorphanol, nalbuphine, pentazocine, buprenorphine Muscle Relaxants Clinical Impact: Oxycodone may enhance the neuromuscular blocking action of skeletal muscle relaxants and produce an increased degree of respiratory depression.
Recommendation: You should avoid using these two medications at the same time.
Stadol
OxyContin, Roxicodone
Butorphanol nasal spray is a strong pain medicine. It is used when other pain medicines are not strong enough or cannot be tolerated.
Oxycodone is a strong pain medicine. It is used to treat severe pain that is not helped by other treatments.
This medicine treats severe pain that requires an opioid pain reliever. It is for use when other pain treatments are not strong enough or cannot be tolerated. Do not use this medicine for a long time unless your pain is still severe and other treatments are still not adequate.
Oxycodone is used to manage severe pain. It is for pain that requires an opioid medicine. You should only use it when other pain treatments are not enough. Talk to your doctor about other options if possible.
Butorphanol is an opioid agonist-antagonist. It works by changing how your brain and nervous system respond to pain. It attaches to certain receptors in the brain to reduce pain signals.
Oxycodone works by changing how your brain and nervous system respond to pain. It attaches to certain receptors in the brain. This helps to block pain signals and reduce pain.
- • Sleepiness
- • Dizziness
- • Nausea
- • Vomiting
- • Nasal congestion
- • Feeling sick to your stomach
- • Constipation
- • Throwing up
- • Headache
- • Itching
- Allergic reaction to the drug 48
- Feeling sick to your stomach 25
- Head pain 16
- Discomfort 16
- Itching 16
- Addiction to the drug 27,480
- Pain 26,410
- Death 19,598
- Taking too much of the drug 19,081
- Harmful effects from different substances 16,254
This medicine has serious warnings. It can cause addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death. It can also cause life-threatening breathing problems, especially when you first start using it or after a dose increase. Accidental use, even one dose, can cause a fatal overdose, especially in children. Using this medicine with benzodiazepines or other drugs that can make you sleepy, including alcohol, can cause serious problems, including coma and death. If you use this medicine for a long time during pregnancy, it can cause withdrawal symptoms in the newborn that could be life-threatening if not treated.
Oxycodone can cause serious, life-threatening risks: * Addiction, abuse, and misuse can lead to overdose and death. Your doctor will check your risk before prescribing and during treatment. * It can cause very slow or stopped breathing, especially when you start taking it or after a dose increase. * If a child accidentally takes even one dose, it can cause a fatal overdose. * Taking it with benzodiazepines (like Xanax) or other depressants (like alcohol) can cause sleepiness, slowed breathing, coma, and death. * Using oxycodone for a long time during pregnancy can cause withdrawal symptoms in the newborn. * Taking oxycodone with certain other medicines can cause dangerous side effects.
If you need to use this medicine for a long time during pregnancy, it can cause withdrawal symptoms in your newborn. Make sure a newborn specialist is available when you deliver your baby.
Using oxycodone for a long time during pregnancy can cause withdrawal symptoms in the baby after birth. Talk to your doctor about the risks if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Oxycodone is not recommended during labor, as it can cause breathing problems in the newborn.
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How to Read This butorphanol vs oxycodone Comparison
butorphanol is classified in the Opioid Agonist-Antagonist drug class, while oxycodone sits within the Opioid Analgesic class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, butorphanol has 121 submissions while oxycodone has 108,823. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known moderate interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to these drugs both slow down your breathing and can make your muscles very weak when taken together.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between butorphanol and oxycodone - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.