Oxycodone offers a similar level of pain relief as other strong opioids, and adverse events are generally comparable, according to an updated Cochrane review of 23 studies involving more than 2,600 individuals. However, hallucinations are seen less frequently with controlled release oxycodone, vs controlled-release morphine. Among the specific findings:

• Oxycodone is equally effective whether it is taken every 6 or 12 hours.
• It works just as well as other strong pain killers, including morphine.
• Incidences of adverse events such as vomiting, constipation, and drowsiness are similar.
• Hallucinations are much less common overall, and even less likely with oxycodone than within morphine, though the authors noted that this finding is based on very low-quality evidence.