OBJECTIVES Oxycodone immediate release, alone or in combination (oxycodone), is widely used to treat pain. However, oxycodone is often associated with bothersome side effects, which may lead to increased medical resource use, including prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The objective of this first analysis was to assess the frequency and bothersomeness of side effects and other medication use among patients taking oxycodone. METHODS An online survey was completed by a nationwide convenience sample of patients currently taking oxycodone for non-malignant pain. Detailed data on patient experience with oxycodone were collected. A minimum sample size of 600 was determined to ensure reasonably accurate estimates around the frequency of side effects and medical resource utilization. RESULTS Among the 601 respondents [mean age of 45 years (range 18-86), 85.0% Caucasian, 69.1% female], almost half, 45.6%, were taking oxycodone for back/neck pain, 16.8% for osteoarthritis/rheumatoid arthritis, 14.3% for pain due to injury/trauma, 10.5% for recent surgery, 7.2% for fibromyalgia, and 5.7% for neuropathic pain. The mean daily dose was 16.5 mg (range 2.5-200). Overall, 83.5% were bothered by side effects with 29.9% being moderately/extremely bothered. Over half, 53.1%, were bothered by constipation, almost one-third, 31.3%, by nausea, 27.6% by pruritus, and 14.8% by vomiting, among others. A significantly higher proportion of respondents bothered by side effects reported use of prescription (13.1% vs. 0%; p<0.001) or OTC (20.5% vs. 9.1%; p=0.007) medications to manage those side effects, compared to respondents not bothered by side effects. CONCLUSIONS The majority of survey respondents experienced side effects of oxycodone, some of which led to the use of prescription and OTC medications. These results point to the potential benefits, both humanistic and economic, of better-tolerated pain medications. Further analyses of this data will assess the health status, pain intensity, and other resource utilization among oxycodone users.