Two medicines, side by side
Methadone vs oxycodone
Methadone and oxycodone are both labeled for pain. Drugs@FDA records approvals of methadone since 1947 and of oxycodone since 1998. Pharmacies paid $0.177 per methadone HCl 10 mg tablet and $0.0884 per oxycodone HCl (ir) 5 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. How each works, in its label's words: Methadone, “Methadone hydrochloride is a mu-agonist; a synthetic opioid with multiple actions qualitatively similar to those of morphine, the most prominent of which involves the central nervous system and …”; Oxycodone, “Oxycodone is a full opioid agonist and is relatively selective for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can bind to other opioid receptors at higher doses.”
Check it at the source: the methadone FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 8, 2025); the oxycodone FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 6, 2026).
Highlights of the methadone record
Methadone (Diskets) · label of December 8, 2025
SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF METHADONE HYDROCHLORIDE TABLETS: Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Because the use of methadone hydrochloride tablets exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death, assess each patient's risk prior to prescribing and reassess all patients regularly for the development of these behaviors and conditions [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ].
Used for
From the label: indicationsMethadone hydrochloride tablets are indicated for the: 1. Management of severe and persistent pain that requires an opioid analgesic and that cannot be adequately treated with alternative options, including immediate-release opioids. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- August 13, 1947
- Generic labelers
- 18 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.177 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 4
Highlights of the oxycodone record
Oxycodone (Oxycontin) · label of May 6, 2026
SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF OXYCODONE HYDROCHLORIDE TABLETS WARNING: SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF OXYCODONE HYDROCHLORIDE TABLETS See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning. Oxycodone hydrochloride tablets expose users to risks of addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death. Assess patient's risk before prescribing and reassess regularly for these behaviors and conditions.
Used for
From the label: indicationsOxycodone Hydrochloride Tablets, USP are indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. Oxycodone hydrochloride tablets are an opioid agonist indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- October 26, 1998
- Generic labelers
- 32 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0884 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 11
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Methadone label of December 8, 2025, Oxycodone label of May 6, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do methadone and oxycodone differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Methadone, “Methadone hydrochloride is a mu-agonist; a synthetic opioid with multiple actions qualitatively similar to those of morphine, the most prominent of which involves the central nervous system and …”; Oxycodone, “Oxycodone is a full opioid agonist and is relatively selective for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can bind to other opioid receptors at higher doses.”
Both are in FDA's class opioid agonists.
Half-life, in each label's words: Methadone, “Published reports indicate that after multiple dose administration the apparent plasma clearance of methadone ranged …”; Oxycodone, “Apparent elimination half-life of oxycodone following the administration of oxycodone hydrochloride tablets was 3.5 to …”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: methadone since 1981; oxycodone since 2004 (Drugs@FDA).
| Methadone | Oxycodone | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Pain, Opioid use disorder | Pain |
| Pharmacologic class | Opioid Agonist | Opioid Agonist |
| How it works (label) | Methadone hydrochloride is a mu-agonist; a synthetic opioid with multiple actions qualitatively similar to those of morphine, the most prominent of which involves the central nervous system and organs composed of smooth muscle. | Oxycodone is a full opioid agonist and is relatively selective for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can bind to other opioid receptors at higher doses. The principal therapeutic action of oxycodone is analgesia. |
| Half-life (label) | Published reports indicate that after multiple dose administration the apparent plasma clearance of methadone ranged between 1.4 and 126 L/h, and the terminal half-life (T 1/2 ) was highly variable and ranged between 8 … | Apparent elimination half-life of oxycodone following the administration of oxycodone hydrochloride tablets was 3.5 to 4 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | August 13, 1947 | October 26, 1998 |
| First generic approved | May 22, 1981 | February 6, 2004 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 18 labelers | 32 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.177 per tablet (Methadone HCl 10 mg tablet) | $0.0884 per tablet (Oxycodone HCl (ir) 5 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -7% | -6% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 4 | 11 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 45,988 | 311,625 |
| DEA schedule | CII | CII |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What do the labels say about using others of their kind?
Methadone label, warnings and precautionsRisks from Concomitant Use with Benzodiazepines or Other CNS Depressants Profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death may result from the concomitant use of Methadone hydrochloride tablets with benzodiazepines and/or other CNS depressants (e.g., alcohol, non-benzodiazepine sedatives/hypnotics, anxiolytics, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, general anesthetics, antipsychotics, gabapentinoids [gabapentin …
Oxycodone label, warnings and precautionsRisks from Concomitant Use with Benzodiazepines or Other CNS Depressants Profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death may result from the concomitant use of oxycodone hydrochloride tablets with benzodiazepines and/or other CNS depressants, including alcohol (e.g., non-benzodiazepine sedatives/hypnotics, anxiolytics, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, general anesthetics, antipsychotics, gabapentinoids …
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to methadone
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions