The Truth about OxyContin
OxyContin Abuse is becoming a wide spread problem in America.
OxyContin is a leading treatment for chronic pain, but officials
fear it may succeed crack cocaine on the street. The DEA says it is
only a matter of time before every community in the country is
confronted with the problem of OxyContin abuse. No prescription
drug in the last 20 years has been so widely abused after its
release, federal officials say. Rather than ingesting the pill as
indicated, people who abuse OxyContin use other methods of
administering the drug. To avoid the controlled-release, they chew,
snort, or inject the medication to get an instant and intense
"high". Improper prescribing practices by unscrupulous physicians
are a way of diverting pharmaceuticals, according to law
enforcement sources survey by the NDIC. The abuse of OxyContin, as
with the abuse of most prescription drugs, creates a cycle of
health care fraud. For example, a corrupt physician writes a
patient a prescription for OxyContin for a nonexistent injury. The
physician bills the insurance company for that, and subsequent
visits. The patient uses a portion of the OxyContin and sells the
rest for a substantial profit. The Huntington Drug and Violent
Crime Task Force reports "There are too many doctors supplementing
their income by writing improper prescriptions."
Oxycodone is an agonist opioid. It is thought to be one of the most
effective pain relievers available. Unlike the other analgesics,
opioid agonists have an increasing analgesic effect with increased
doses. Meaning that the more you take, the better you feel. Other
analgesics, like aspirin or acetaminophen, have a threshold to
their effectiveness. You can see why OxyContin has become one of
the leading painkillers of abuse. It can potentially provide up to
four times the relief of a non-opioid analgesic.
OxyContin, especially when chewed or snorted lowers a person's
respiration rate. Each person is different, but as little as half a
pill when combined with alcohol or other depressants can lower your
respiratory system enough to be deadly. Excessive amounts of
OxyContin taken alone or combined with a long list of other
medications can also easily kill a person by lowering their
respiration until they eventually stop breathing. The most
dangerous side effect is overdosing.
Symptoms of an overdose from OxyContin are:
low breathing
seizures
dizziness
confusion
anorexia
dry mouth
weakness
loss of consciousness
coma
confusion
tiredness
cold and clammy skin
small pupils
A drug known as naltrexone is capable of restoring respiratory
function within 1 to 2 minutes. This is important when
counteracting the side effects of OxyContin. It is used primarily
for the treatment of narcotic addiction to block the effects of
opiates, especially the euphoric effects experienced in opiate
addiction.
Some side effects are more uncommon and are not clearly displayed
in all individuals:
excessive itching
sleepiness
profuse sweating
headaches
distant look
slurred speech
OxyContin's side effects vary in degree. When the pill is broken or
crushed it will release a toxic amount of OxyContin increasing the
potency of its effects, and side effects. This can cause OxyContin
to be deadly.
