Drug abuse in the United States is certainly not a new issue, with the formally-declared war on drugs having now raged for three decades the problem is perhaps worse now than ever before. The use, availability, and most importantly, the source, of the drugs that many people are now finding themselves addicted to has changed dramatically. Once relegated strictly to the use of black-market drugs, addiction to prescription medications has increased dramatically over the past ten to fifteen years. One medication in particular has been gaining more attention lately, due primarily to the user’s severe inability to quit, and the increasing amount of deaths due to the incorrect use, or abuse rather, of the drug, Oxycontin.
Oxycontin itself is the brand name for the medication Oxycodone Hydrochloride, which is a pain reliever used for both mild to severe pain. Introduced in 1995, the medication was initially prescribed to cancer patients or those with terminally ill diseases. Since that time however, the amount of oxycodone prescriptions has increased dramatically and the medication is now available for most all types of pain.
Pain relievers such as Percocet and Percodan contain oxycodone and are quite commonly prescribed for many different types of pain, and when used in the appropriate amounts the benefits often outweigh the risks. This is not always true however, especially when the medication falls into the wrong hands. The addictive qualities of Oxycontin are often compared to that of Heroin; this is because the inability to quit taking the drug is comparable to that of the legendary opiate. The physical effects of the drug are similar as well, and when snorted or injected, the user experiences a feeling quite similar to that of Heroin, a “rush” as it is often referred to. As with all drugs a tolerance to its effects can be built up rather quickly and more and more of the drug is soon required, therefore increasing the amount of the substance the user puts into their body, the amount of money that they are paying for the same high, while also increasing the risk of accidental overdose many times over.
User’s of this drug cannot simply be referred to as “junkies” however, often the users of this drug are unaware of the direction their lives will soon take, perhaps having started taking the medication to treat chronic joint pain, or for injuries that leave the patient with long-term pain. Under such circumstances, addiction to the drug comes upon the user without their knowledge; for patients with little experience with pain relievers all that they notice is that their medication isn’t working quite as well as it used to and that they need a higher dose in order to treat their symptoms. Without a physician who is mindful of the addictive qualities of oxycontin, people with legitimate injuries and pain as a result of them soon find themselves dangerously addicted to the substance.
On the street, addiction to oxycontin occurs in much the same fashion, now widely available on the black-market, casual users such as young people can easily become hooked even after only a few experiences with the drug. Monetarily speaking, often going for as high as one dollar per milligram of the drug in some locations, it is a money-making opportunity for dealers of the drug, or those with access to it and who are willing to share their medication, for a price of course. Many sellers of the drug are addicted to it themselves, and in some cases their only reason for selling it stems from a desire to pay for their own habit.
As a result of its greater availability there are an ever-growing number of oxycontin addicts in the United States. Some of these users aren’t even aware of the extent of their addiction, until of course, they run out of the medication. For some it becomes difficult to even get out of bed in the morning and to function normally, depression often sets in, leaving the individual helpless to control their mood and in extreme cases, their actions as well. Withdrawal symptoms from oxycontin are often severe and in some cases can be fatal; for this reason it is recommended that anyone who is suffering from these withdrawal effects should seek medical assistance immediately in order to safely and effectively quit the medication. Often, the user has to be brought down from the drug gradually and stepped off of it by using a variety of other medications which help to restore the brain to its normal level of function over a controlled period of time.
If you suspect someone you know of abusing Oxycontin some warning signs may include unexpected mood changes, sometimes characterized by sudden bursts of energy, or periods of time that the user spends nodding off while casually sitting around. The medication effects different people in different ways and can even affect the same person in a variety of ways depending upon their dosage pattern. Loss of appetite may indicate long term use of the drug for many who take oxycontin become nauseous or ill while under the influence, for this reason some user’s avoid food altogether. Coupled with the toxicity of the medication itself, the lack of nutrition takes a dramatic toll on both the body and mind, sometimes reflected in the person’s complexion or level of hygiene.
Quite simply, abuse of Oxycontin is now widespread in the United States while many of its users are still oblivious to the fact that they may have a serious problem if they chose to discontinue their use of the medication. Other medications such as Suboxone become essential in the process of weaning the body off of Oxycontin, an endeavor that takes a tremendous amount of willpower and time. Counseling is often necessary to help patients deal with the lingering feelings of dependency, and often there are underlying issues that contribute to their continued use of the drug.
