|
OxyContin FAQ
OxyContin is a semi-synthetic opioid analgesic prescribed
for chronic or long-lasting pain. OxyContin’s active ingredient
is oxycodone, which is also found in drugs like Percodan and Tylox.
However, OxyContin contains between 10 and 160 milligrams of oxycodone
in a timed-release tablet. Painkillers such as Tylox contain 5 milligrams
of oxycodone and often require repeated doses to bring about pain
relief because they lack the timed release formulation.
OxyContin, also referred to as “Oxy,”
“O.C.,” and “killer” on the street, is legitimately
prescribed as a timed-release tablet, providing as many as 12 hours
of relief from chronic pain. It is often prescribed for cancer patients
or those with chronic, long-lasting back pain. The benefit of the
medication to chronic pain sufferers is that they generally need
to take the pill only twice a day, whereas a dosage of another medication
would require more frequent use to control the pain. The goal of
chronic pain treatment is to decrease pain and improve function.
top
Abuse of prescription pain medications is not new.
Two primary factors, however, set OxyContin abuse apart from other
prescription drug abuse. First, OxyContin is a powerful drug that
contains a much larger amount of the active ingredient, oxycodone,
than other prescription pain relievers. By crushing the tablet and
either ingesting or snorting it, or by injecting diluted OxyContin,
abusers feel the powerful effects of the opioid in a short time,
rather than over a 12-hour span. Second, great profits are to be
made in the illegal sale of OxyContin. A 40-milligram pill costs
approximately $4 by prescription, yet it may sell for $20 to $40
on the street, depending on the area of the country in which the
drug is sold (1).
OxyContin can be comparatively inexpensive if it is
legitimately prescribed and if its cost is covered by insurance.
However, the National Drug Intelligence Center reports that OxyContin
abusers may use heroin if their insurance will no longer pay for
their OxyContin prescription, because heroin is less expensive than
OxyContin that is purchased illegally (2).
top
When pain patients take OxyContin as directed, or
to the point where their pain is adequately controlled, it is not
abuse or addiction. Abuse occurs when patients take more than is
needed for pain control, especially if they take it to get high.
Patients who take their medication in a manner that grossly differs
from a physician’s directions are probably abusing that drug.
If a patient continues to seek excessive pain medication
after pain management is achieved, the patient may be addicted.
OxyContin addiction is characterized by the repeated, compulsive
use of a substance despite adverse social, psychologic, and/or physical
consequences.
OxyContin addiction is often (but not always) accompanied
by physical dependence, withdrawal syndrome, and tolerance. Physical
dependence is defined as a physiologic state of adaptation to a
substance. The absence of this substance produces symptoms and signs
of withdrawal, including insomnia, anxiety, and diarrhea, muscle
pain/bone pain, restlessness, involuntary leg movement, vomiting,
nausea and severe stomach cramps.
top
Most people who take OxyContin as prescribed do not
become addicted. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports:
“With prolonged use of opiates and opioids,
individuals become tolerant…require larger doses, and can
become physically dependent on the drugs. Studies indicate that
most patients who receive opioids for pain, even those undergoing
long-term therapy, do not become addicted to these drugs.”(3)
One NIDA-sponsored study found that “only four
out of more than 12,000 patients who were given opioids for acute
pain actually became addicted to the drugs.
In a study of 38 chronic pain patients, most of whom
received opioids for 4 to 7 years, only 2 patients actually became
addicted, and both had a history of drug abuse.”4 In short,
most individuals who are prescribed OxyContin, or any other opioid,
will not become addicted, although they may become dependent on
the drug and will need to be withdrawn by a qualified physician.
Individuals who are taking the drug as prescribed should continue
to do so, as long as they and their physician agree that taking
the drug is a medically appropriate way for them to manage pain.
top
For assistance or information, you may fill out our
confidential online form.
Your request will be handled by a qualified professional in the
area of opiate dependency and treatment.
top
(1) Bonfield, Tim, “OxyContin users wary of backlash,”
Cincinnati Enquirer , February 26, 2001.
(2) Tina Renee
Bullins, CEO, Life Center of Galax, interview by Cheryl Serra, March
2, 2001.
(3)
Roch, Timothy, “The potent perils of a miracle drug.”
Time, February 28, 2001.
|
| OxyContin
Abuse Facts |
- In 2000, 43 percent of those who ended up in hospital
emergency rooms from drug overdoses-nearly a half million
people-were there because of misusing prescription drugs.
- In seven cities in 2000 (Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, Seattle, and Washington, DC) 626 people
died from overdose of painkillers and tranquilizers. By
2001, such deaths had increased in Miami and Chicago by
20 percent.
- From 1998 to 2000, the number of people entering an emergency
room because of misusing hydrocodone (Vicodin) rose 48 percent,
oxycodone (OxyContin) 108 percent, and methadone 63 percent.
The rates are intensifying: from mid-2000 to mid-2001, oxycodone
went up in emergency room visits 44 percent.
|
|
