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OxyContin Addiction Rehab
More and more people have been searching
the web for drug rehab centers to help kick
their OxyContin addiction. Here at OxyContinOnline.net
you can find information on what has q uickly
become one of the most common forms of abuse
and addiction in the past few years. Although
Oxycontin has only been on the market for
a little over ten years, it has already
ruined countless lives and hundreds of users
have died. Most everyone has a story to
tell either personally, or about someone
they know. More and more people succumb
to the numbing effects and Oxycontin abuse
overtakes their lives.
Oxycontin is the trade name for the drug
oxycodone hydrochloride. Oxycontin is basically
a 12-hour time release formulation of oxycodone.
It belongs to the group of painkillers known
as opioids which are derived from the opium
poppy. Other well known opioids are codeine,
heroin and morphine. All opioids block the
pain receptors in the brain. Oxycodone is
also the active ingredient in other popular
pain relievers, Percodan and Percocet. Oxycontin
was approved by the FDA in 1995 intended
for use for terminal cancer patients and
chronic pain sufferers who are afflicted
with conditions such as back pain, bursitis,
arthritis, or for pain management resulting
from injury including fractures.
Oxycodone has been around several decades
and was used for post surgical pain, broken
bones, migraines, back pain, etc. But while
Percocet and Percodan only have about five
milligrams of oxycodone, Oxycontin comes
in doses of 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 milligrams.
The manufacturer of Oxycontin is Purdue
Pharma. Top company executives have been
found guilty of intentionally misleading
the public about abuse risks of Oxycontin
and settled in court after admitting in
a federal lawsuit to making false and misleading
statements that OxyContin was not as addictive
or as likely to be abused as other pain
medications.
How Oxycontin Works
Unlike aspirin or acetaminophen, oxycodone
does not have a threshold to its effectiveness.
The more one takes, the more relief it provides.
Or, unfortunately, once hooked, the more
one takes, the more one attempts to get
a better high.
 Oxycodone
enters the body and works by stimulating
certain opioid receptors which are located
within the central nervous system, along
the spinal cord and in the brain. Once the
oxycodone meshes with the opioid receptors,
the user experiences pain relief along with
other physiological responses such as slowed
breathing and euphoria. As you can well
imagine by now, Oxycontin can be dangerously
addictive.
Both opioids, Oxycontin and heroin have
very similar effects making it attractive
to drug abusers and is sometimes referred
to as the "poor man's heroin"
despite its high price on the streets.
Surprisingly enough, users can buy Oxycontin
online as well as through normal channels.
Available in 10 milligrams (mg), 20 mg,
40 mg, 80 mg and 160 mg tablets in different
colors and sizes according to dosage for
oral administration. Each pill is imprinted
with "OC" on one side and number
designation of its dosage on the opposite
side. The drug is designed to slowly release
over time so the prescribed dose is twice
a day. One should never break, crush or
chew oxycotin as this will result in the
tablet
being released all at once which could result
in an overdose, potentially fatal. Oxycontin
abusers go so far as to crush the tablets
and snort the drug or even crush tablets,
dissolve in water, and then inject it like
heroin.
While Oxycontin is prescribed to alleviate
severe pain, it also artificially stimulates
the reward center or "pleasure"
areas of the brain without anything beneficially
happens to the body. This leads to increased
confidence in Oxycontin and less confidence
in the normal rewards of life. Soon there
is less and less interest in other aspects
of life where normal pleasure is derived,
such as personal relationships, places and
activities. Eventually the user will start
to resent anything which does not fit into
their drug abusing lifestyle.
Street Names
Street Names for OxyContin:
Hillbilly heroin
Oxy
Oxycotton
OCs
Ox
Blue
Kicker
40 (a 40 mg tablet)
80 (a 80 mg tablet)
Doctor Shopping - The practice of going
doctor to doctor in order to obtain pharmeceuticals.
Pharming - consuming a mixture of prescription
drugs
Pill Ladies - Female seniors who sell OxyContin
Definitions
Agonist: A chemical substance, especially
a drug, that can combine with a receptor
on a cell to produce a physiologic response.
Alkaloid: Any of a large class of naturally
occurring, complex organic compounds that
contain nitrogen and have physiological
effects on animals, including humans. Most
alkaloids occur in plants, although some
are produced by fungi and animals. Alkaloids
are bases and usually form colorless crystalline
solids with a bitter taste. They have a
wide range of effects and are used as medicines
and poisons. Morphine, quinine, strychnine,
codeine, caffeine, cocaine, and nicotine
are all alkaloids.
DEA: Drug Enforcement Agency
FDA: Federal Drug Administration
Narcotic:
any of a class of substances that blunt
the senses, as opium, morphine and alcohol,
that in large quantities produce euphoria,
stupor, or coma, that when used constantly
can cause habituation or addiction, and
that are used in medicine to relieve pain,
cause sedation, and induce sleep.
Opiates: Any of various sedative
narcotics containing opium or one or more
of its natural or synthetic derivatives.
Oxycodone: A narcotic alkaloid related
to codeine, used as an analgesic and a sedative
chiefly in the form of its hydrochloride
salt.
Oxycontin: a time-release morphine-like
narcotic| intended to relieve chronic pain
of moderate to severe proportions. One pill
of OxyContin is designed to last 12 hours.
Receptor: A specialized cell or group
of nerve endings that responds to sensory
stimuli.
Schedule II: (A) The drug or other
substance has a high potential for abuse.
(B) The drug or other substance has a currently
accepted medical use in treatment in the
United States or a currently accepted medical
use with severe restrictions. (C) Abuse
of the drug or other substances may lead
to severe psychological or physical dependence.
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