OxyContin Addiction, Abuse, And Treatment

Understanding OxyContin

A popular brand of the powerful painkiller oxycodone, OxyContin is a semi-synthetic opiate prescribed to relieve moderate to severe pain. It is prescribed to a wide range of individuals, from cancer patients to the physically injured.

OxyContin is the controlled-release capsule or pill form of oxycodone. When used as prescribed, it is taken orally and slowly dissolves into the bloodstream over a 12-hour period. On the street, OxyContin is also referred to as drugstore heroin, oxy, oxycotton, or OC.

OxyContin Abuse And Effects

When abused, OxyContin tablets or capsules are often chewed, crushed, snorted, mixed into a solution and injected, or smoked on tin foil. These techniques override the pills’ time-release feature and flood the brain with the drug. This engages special neurotransmitters to produce an intense “high” or euphoric state similar to that of heroin or opium. Since 2010, OxyContin has been manufactured in tamper-resistant, crush-proof tablets that are impossible to snort or inject. However, the drug can still be abused.

Outward physical symptoms of OxyContin abuse might include:

OxyContin is a powerful, highly addictive substance that can be abused to the point of overdose. Ingesting OxyContin at unsafe levels can cause permanent brain damage or depress the respiratory system to the point of failure.

Signs Of An OxyContin Addiction

One of the first signs of an OxyContin addiction is developing a tolerance, meaning a user requires more of the substance to achieve the desired effect. Someone prescribed OxyContin may become dependent on the drug due to chemical changes in the brain after prolonged use, causing the user to experience withdrawal symptoms if use is ceased or reduced. A dependency can turn into an addiction if left unchecked. In many cases of OxyContin addiction, users will turn to illicit means of obtaining the drug once the doctor’s prescription runs out.

Doctor shopping, forging fake prescriptions, borrowing prescriptions, using a friend or family member’s tablets, or purchasing the substance from a drug dealer can all indicate that an addiction has formed. Those suffering from an OxyContin addiction will seek out the drug regardless of the risky behavior and negative consequences that can accompany use.

Behavioral Signs Of OxyContin Addiction

Often prescribed for pain management, OxyContin can form physical and psychological dependencies quickly. People dealing with long-lasting chronic pain begin relying on OxyContin to manage symptoms and to have a better quality of life. They may find it extremely difficult to function without it. As the body builds a tolerance and reliance on the drug, progressively problematic behaviors begin to get more and feel “normal.”

Prescription Drug Seeking

People secretly struggling with an opioid use disorder may go to their doctor and make up a reason to obtain a prescription for a drug like OxyContin. Doctors and pharmacists must walk a fine line because they want to avoid acting like legal drug dealers. Still, if they become overly skeptical, someone in need of pain relief may go without the medicine that improves their quality of life. In severe cases, some people caught up in the grip of opioid addiction can resort to serious self-harm in order to receive another prescription.

Illegal Drug Seeking

As doctors, pharmacists, and hospitals improve in identifying and stopping OxyContin-seeking tendencies, people are forced into illegal means to sustain their opioid use disorder.

They may try to convince loved ones to hand over any opioids they’ve been prescribed if they still have them. Communities where this behavior is expected to hold opioid buybacks to limit the supply of prescriptions floating around unaccounted for.

As people run out of prescription-type opioids like OxyContin, many turn to street drug alternatives. Opiates like heroin and, more often, fentanyl serve as even more dangerous alternatives for prescription opioids. The cheap, concentrated drug fentanyl fuels the current iteration of the opioid epidemic. Once hooked on opioids through a prescription, you may find yourself in a position where you feel a need to get ahold of any opiate you can find. Desperation like this can lead to dire consequences, from jail time to overdose.

Featured Centers Offering Treatment for OxyContin Addiction

Taking Precautions When Prescribed OxyContin

Opioids are powerful drugs intended to treat severe afflictions. Chronic pain changes the way people live their lives, and a prescription for a drug like OxyContin can give them a more normal life. The issue is that in the past 20+ years, OxyContin has been over-prescribed and over-sold as a low-risk opioid. The risks of OxyContin were downplayed as much as possible for the new drug to play well on the market.

When people receive these prescriptions for issues where a less potent medication would be effective, it exposes an individual to the risks previously mentioned. Unfortunately, such a helpful medication can damage many parts of someone’s life, but it’s true. Taking the correct precautions to avoid any injury causing an opioid prescription entirely is ideal, but if you need an OxyContin prescription, be sure to work with your doctor on best practices for healthy medicine habits.

Abuse Statistics

• Almost 10 million people misused prescription painkillers in 2019.
• Misuse of OxyContin rose 152% between 2004 and 2008.
• Overdoses from prescription opioids accounted for more than 16,000 deaths in 2020.

OxyContin Addiction Treatment

OxyContin is a very difficult addiction to recover from, but there are many people willing and ready to help you get back on track. There are many different treatment centers that provide both inpatient and outpatient options to help you get and stay clean.

Although each center’s specific formula for rehabilitation may vary, the typical model for OxyContin treatment goes like this:

Inpatient Treatment

After detox, it is often most effective to engage in an inpatient treatment program that allows the addict to attend meetings, receive counseling, and focus on recovery without outside distraction. Group therapy is also a key component of inpatient treatment.

Outpatient Treatment

Following a successful inpatient program, outpatient treatment is for those comfortable enough to re-enter their social circles without fear of relapse. Outpatient treatments allow for counseling and therapy as well as groups to provide support and accountability. 

Find Help

Overcoming OxyContin addiction is possible. There are immense benefits to quitting OxyContin, including giving your life a sense of meaning and peace again. Begin the road back by getting the treatment you need. Contact a treatment provider today for rehab-related help.