What is the UK equivalent of Oxycontin?

[LindorDoubleChoc]

I haven't watched the film and documentary series about the USA problems with addiction to common painkiller medications, but I know they exist (and I do intend to get round to it when I can handle some grim watching).

I caught a few minutes of Jamie Lee Curtis talking about her Oxycontin addiction and I think Matthew Perry was also addicted before getting into ketamine (?). So I can understand it and get a handle on it - what would be the equivalent drugs in the UK?

In the UK Oxycodone is mostly only used post operatively or bfor end of life care- so there is not much prospect for getting addicted to it.

You can’t buy codeine OTC in the U.K.

It is available, in low dosage, in medication such as Solpadine Max.

Yes, in the form of co-codamol or similar. That is still over the counter even if it's a low dose.

You can get it in nurofen plus.

My MIL has been addicted for it for 20 years and it’s slowly killing her (due to ibuprofen in it she’s had several massive gastric bleeds) so it’s strong enough that it’s a problem for many.

I had oxycodone injections when I was pregnant (was in hospital in horrific pain for several weeks due to a swollen kidney and, later, appendicitis) and I can see why people would get addicted to that stuff, it was lovely - the pain melted away and I felt relaxed, then the pain would returned and I'd be clock watching until it had been 6 hours and I could ask for another dose. But I wasn't on it long enough to cause an addiction but it made me be careful whenever I'm prescribed strong painkillers and stop taking as soon as the pain is reduced enough that I can cope without, or with just paracetamol.

I was once given it in tablet form after I had a steroid injection in my foot and it hurt really bad, and the doctor in A&E thought oxycodone was the best option for some reason but it was the slow release one which she said is preferred as its much harder to abuse. Was just the one pill anyway to get me through the pain until it faded naturally the next day.

On the strength front:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537482/table/appannex6.tab2/

A bit stronger than morphine but waaay less potent than fentanyl i.e 1.5x Vs 100x potency.