Oxycodone vs Hydrocodone: what is the difference?

How they differ

These two are close enough that people mix them up routinely, and structurally they nearly are the same molecule: both semi-synthetic opioids built from thebaine, differing by a single hydroxyl group that oxycodone carries and hydrocodone does not. Both bind the mu-opioid receptor, both are prescription painkillers, and both are controlled in the US and elsewhere. Hydrocodone is very often sold combined with acetaminophen, which oxycodone sometimes is and sometimes is not, and that combination is the reason a hydrocodone product carries a second drug's limits along with its own. The weights differ by the oxygen alone, 315.4 against 299.4. Both entries here carry the same GHS hazard framing and the same prescription-medicine bucket.

Side by side

Structural similarity 0.55 of 1, computed as a Morgan fingerprint Tanimoto coefficient. It measures shape, not effect.

Common questions

What is the difference between Oxycodone and Hydrocodone?

These two are close enough that people mix them up routinely, and structurally they nearly are the same molecule: both semi-synthetic opioids built from thebaine, differing by a single hydroxyl group that oxycodone carries and hydrocodone does not. Both bind the mu-opioid receptor, both are prescription painkillers, and both are controlled in the US and elsewhere. Hydrocodone is very often sold combined with acetaminophen, which oxycodone sometimes is and sometimes is not, and that combination is the reason a hydrocodone product carries a second drug's limits along with its own.

Is Oxycodone bigger than Hydrocodone?

Oxycodone is the heavier molecule, 315.4 g/mol against 299.4 g/mol for Hydrocodone. Oxycodone is C18H21NO4 and Hydrocodone is C18H21NO3.