While there is an opioid epidemic in the United States, reports from a pain management study published in PubMed, shows that opioid use in the Philippines is minimal. After all, methamphetamine remains to be one of the most widely abused drugs in the country due to its accessibility and relatively low cost.
However, there still remains those who use opioids such as OxyContin, to manage pain.
So, what is OxyContin? In an earlier article, we have covered Fentanyl, another pain-management opioid. This time, we are uncovering the dangers of abusing this opioid.
What is OxyContin?
OxyContin is a powerful brand of painkiller. It contains oxycodone as its main ingredient. OxyContin is a semi-synthetic opiate that is used to relieve moderate to severe pain. Typically, those with physical injuries and are undergoing cancer treatment are prescribed this.
What Makes it Prone to Abuse?
OxyContin is abused in many ways. A common practice is to use it without prescription. Furthermore, the tablets or capsules are chewed. They are also often crushed and snorted. They may also be mixed with a solution to be injected or even smoked.
The different techniques allow the pills’ effect to flood the brain in different ways. The most direct path to the brain is when they are snorted or smoked as it produced an intense high similar to that of opium or heroin.
Effects of abuse include:
- Sudden and inexplicable sweating
- Drowsiness
- Slurred speech
- Dry mouth
- Slowed breathing
- Headaches
- Itching
- Constricted pupils
- Nausea
- Vomiting
It is worth noting that OxyContin is a powerful drug and can cause overdosing. It can cause brain damage or even depress the respiratory system to cause organ failure.
Signs of OxyContin Addiction
As with most addictive drugs, the first sign of addiction is tolerance. This means that the user would need more of the substance each time they use so that they would achieve their desired effect. Each time they use, they would need increased dosage or would want to use more frequently.
Eventually, they would become physically and mentally dependent on the drug, as the chemical changes in the brain occur. If they try to cut down or have not used for a period of time, they would experience undesirable withdrawal symptoms.
Those who are addicted to OxyContin would often resort to fraudulent deeds in order to access the drug. This includes:
- creating fake prescriptions
- borrowing prescriptions from others
- using a friend or family member’s medications
- buying from a drug dealer
This kind of behavior is, obviously, illegal and is a warning sign that the drug use has gotten out of hand.
OxyContin Treatment
At Bridges of Hope, we treat opioid addiction with our personalized approach to addiction rehab.
We provide a safe environment for a medically supervised detox, giving our residents time to detoxify and adjust to their new environment. We also provide a unique treatment program that targets not just the addiction, but also any mental health issues as well as any problems that are the root of their addiction.
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