The term “M30 pills” often refers to a very popular dosage of oxycodone. Usually manufactured as a blue, round tablet with an “M” on one side and “30” on the other, this pill contains oxycodone hydrochloride. Oxycodone hydrochloride, or oxycodone for short, is an opioid medication used to relieve moderate to severe pain.
However, “M30” can also sometimes refer to counterfeit pills made to look like the legitimate 30 mg oxycodone, which may be dangerous as they can contain illicit substances like fentanyl, often leading to a high risk of overdose.
What Is Oxycodone?
Oxycodone is a potent opioid painkiller. It’s by the FDA for managing acute or chronic moderate to severe pain where other medications have failed. Oxycodone is available under various brand names, such as Roxicodone and OxyContin, the latter being the extended-release form.
Oxycodone works by attaching to certain receptors in the brain and spinal cord, which changes the body’s experience of pain. Although oxycodone is effective for pain treatment, particularly in cancer-related diseases, it is highly addictive and frequently misused.
Because of its significant addictive potential, the use of oxycodone has to be closely monitored. It is a Schedule II drug in the United States. This is the second-highest designation under the Controlled Substances Act, pointing to its high potential for abuse and addiction.
Because oxycodone is so addictive, it’s highly in demand on the street. In recent years, there has been a significant rise in counterfeit M30 pills resembling real oxycodone.
How Do People Get Oxycodone?
Because oxycodone is a prescription drug, the main way people obtain it is through a doctor. However, there’s a lot of “doctor-shopping” – visiting multiple doctors to get multiple prescriptions. This is illegal and has become more difficult with prescription monitoring programs. However, it’s still widespread.
People can also illicitly obtain oxycodone through family or friends. Not everyone always needs their entire supply, so they may share some of their extra m30 pills. In some cases, people even raid others’ medicine cabinets or storage.
Of course, we also cannot ignore that oxycodone can be illegally purchased. There are online marketplaces on the dark web, often advertised on social media and used widely by young people. Illegal pharmacies in Mexico are another source of counterfeit m30 pills. These pills are sometimes cut with fentanyl and have led to fatal overdoses.
What Do Oxycodone Pills Look Like?
Oxycodone pills come in various shapes, colors, and imprints depending on the manufacturer, dosage, and specific formulation.
First, there’s m30 pills. These are usually round, blue tablets with “M” on one side and “30” on the other. They represent a 30 mg dose of oxycodone hydrochloride and are manufactured by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. However, counterfeit versions of M30 pills are common, often containing fentanyl or other dangerous substances.
There’s also Oxycodone Extended-Release, also known as OxyContin. These pills may have a coating and come in various colors and shapes, such as round or oblong.
For example:
- 10 mg tablets are usually white and round.
- 20 mg tablets are pink.
- 40 mg tablets are yellow.
- 80 mg tablets are green.
Since counterfeit m30 pills are increasingly common, it’s best to consult a pharmacist or healthcare provider to obtain oxycodone if you believe you need it.
Is Oxycodone Addictive?
Oxycodone is supremely addictive. It is a powerful opioid, and like other opioids, it works by binding to receptors in the brain to reduce pain perception and trigger feelings of euphoria. This can create a strong potential for misuse and dependence, especially if taken in higher doses, more frequently than prescribed, or over an extended period.
Opioid Overdose Statistics
Illicit m30 pills and other types of opioids have wreaked destruction throughout the country. Since the start of the opioid epidemic, more than 560,000 people have died. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, over 80,000 people died from opioid overdoses in 2022 alone.
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Call 866-881-1184What Are the Dangers of Fake Oxycodone?
Buying m30 pills illegally is gambling with your life. First, and most importantly, lots of counterfeit m30 pills are cut with fentanyl. A study from the CDC found that in 2022, sixty percent of all seized counterfeit m30 pills contain fentanyl.
Due to the lack of any quality standards, you have no idea what the dosage strength will be. You may think you have m30 pills, but they may, in fact, be much stronger, not to mention filled with harmful additives – not only fentanyl but other substances like meth as well.
Because these drugs are often adulterated with other substances, this can complicate emergency response procedures. If a person overdoses on fake oxycodone, it could take multiple naloxone doses to resuscitate them, or they could even be resistant to naloxone.
How To Identify Fake M30 Oxycodone Pills
Identifying fake m30 oxycodone pills can be challenging because counterfeit pills are often designed to look identical to authentic ones.
Authentic m30 pills have a clean, consistent “M” on one side and “30” on the other. Counterfeits may have slight inconsistencies, such as blurry or uneven imprints, smudging, or off-center markings. Fake pills may also be irregular in shape or have a grainy or chalky texture, unlike the smooth, blue, round pills that real m30s are.
What Do Real Oxycodone Pills Look Like?
Real oxycodone m30 pills appear as light blue, round tablets. They usually have an “M” on one side and “30” on the other. These characteristics are precise and consistent – there shouldn’t be any variation.
Each dosage and type of oxycodone has a standard color set by the manufacturer. Variations in color, such as an unusually bright or faded shade, can be a red flag. The pills being chalky or powdery in appearance is another red flag.
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Check Your CoverageOpioid Addiction Treatment Options
If you or a loved one are seeking treatment for addiction to m30 pills, South Coast Behavioral Health is here to help. The first step in treating addiction is a medical detox. This means using drugs to manage withdrawal symptoms.
Our medical detox program in California is staffed by caring and compassionate professionals who can provide you with medications to manage your withdrawal symptoms.
At South Coast, we take pride in offering care that is closely tailored to specific issues. To that end, we offer gender-specific detox programs, with medical detox for men in Irvine, CA, and medical detox for women in Huntington Beach, CA.
After detoxing, proper treatment can begin.
Treatment for substance abuse takes place along an entire spectrum of care. Along that entire spectrum are various behavioral therapies, support groups, and the use of medically-assisted treatment (MAT).
These levels of treatment are, in order, as follows:
Residential Treatment in California
After successfully completing medical detox for m30 pills, you’ll receive inpatient treatment in Orange County, California. There, you’ll receive medically-assisted treatment and dual diagnosis treatment to deal with any cravings or co-occurring mental health issues you may be battling.
We also offer residential treatment facilities in Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Huntington Beach for those who desire gender-specific treatment. There, patients get round-the-clock medical attention and monitoring while living at the institution full-time.
In addition to individual and group counseling and medication management, you’ll also have access to leisure activities and family support services.
Partial Hospitalization in California
Most clients start substance abuse treatment with South Coast in our residential treatment program. After completing that, many desire something that still provides structure and support but with extra space and time to oneself. For that, we offer Partial Hospitalization in Newport Beach.
A step down from inpatient care but with more structure than conventional outpatient programs, partial hospitalization offers a good balance for those looking to ease back into normal life. Clients can receive care five to seven days a week for a number of hours each day, returning back to their homes in the evening.
This way, they can recover from m30 pills addiction without putting their daily lives completely on hold, receiving intense therapeutic interventions like group and individual therapy, skill development, and medication management as necessary.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment in California
For those leaving inpatient residential treatment or partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient programs (IOP) are yet another gradual step forward on the road to recovery.
With a focus on group therapy, individual counseling, and education, clients undergoing Intensive Outpatient Treatment in Newport Beach can meet three to five days a week. Each session lasts three hours.
This level of care requires the least amount of attendance at a facility.
Start Today
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction to m30 pills but wonder how long addiction treatment takes or have other questions, call us at 866-881-1184 or contact us here. Our highly qualified staff will be happy to help give you an idea of what to expect from your addiction recovery timeline, help verify your insurance, and assist with any other questions you may have about the dangers of an illegitimate prescription pill.
- Oregon man dies from fentanyl bought from Mexican pharmacy | kgw.com
- Focus on Opiods – Connect2Health FCC
- Drug Overdose Deaths: Facts and Figures | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- “Pressed OXY M30 Pills, Great Press, Potent, Fast Shipping!!!”: Availability of Counterfeit and Pharmaceutical Oxycodone Pills on One Major Cryptomarket — Arizona State University
- Suspected Counterfeit M-30 Oxycodone Pill Exposures and Acute Withdrawals Reported from a Single Hospital — Toxicology Investigators Consortium Core Registry, U.S. Census Bureau Western Region, 2017–2022 | MMWR
- Suspected Counterfeit M-30 Oxycodone Pill Exposures and Acute Withdrawals Reported from a Single Hospital — Toxicology Investigators Consortium Core Registry, U.S. Census Bureau Western Region, 2017–2022 | MMWR
- Fentanyl dominates headlines, but there’s a bigger drug problem in Texas | The Texas Tribune