Opioids: Which One Do I Take?
Short and long-acting opioids are often prescribed together. They do different things to keep pain under control.
As a reminder:
-
Short-acting opioids are medications that you can take as needed, when you feel pain.
-
Long-acting opioids are taken on a regular schedule to keep your pain under control.
Understanding opioid names
It can be confusing to know which medicine is your long-acting opioid, and which is your short-acting opioid. It doesn’t help that these medicines often have very similar names and might be made of the same active medicine (like morphine or oxycodone).
If you aren’t sure, check My Medicine Cabinet to see which medicine is your short-acting and which is your long-acting opioid.
Both morphine and oxycodone come in both short- and long-acting versions. Here's a list of common morphine-based and oxycodone-based opioids:
Morphine
Short-Acting
Morphine Sulfate IR
MS IR
Long-Acting
Morphine Sulfate ER
MS ER
MS Contin
Oxycodone
Short-Acting
Oxycodone IR
OxyIR
Roxicodone
Long-Acting
OxyContin
Here are some common terms you might see on your prescription that will help you tell the difference between short- and long-acting opioids:
Common term
What it stands for
Examples
IR
Immediate release
(short-acting)
morphine IR
MS IR
OxyIR
ER
Extended release
(long-acting)
morphine ER
Contin
Continuous release
(long-acting)
MS Contin
OxyContin
TD
Transdermal patch
(long-acting)
Fentanyl TD patch
*Some prescriptions include the terms “HCL” or “sulfate,” which refers to the chemical make-up of the drug. These terms don’t help you know if it is short or long-acting.
Common questions when using short- and long-acting opioids
Here are some common questions that may come up as you use short- and long-acting opioids:
Want to learn more?
Check out these resources:
