Causes of OxyContin Abuse

For over 25 years Pat Moore Foundation has specialized in oxycodone and other opiate addiction treatment programs. We know first-hand the powerful addictive and destructive qualities of oxycodone and prescription drug abuse. Following is a short information guide on oxycodone abuse, addiction, symptoms, risks, hydrocodone, suboxone detox and treatment. We provide this as a service to Pat Moore Foundation family and friends, as well as for anyone seeking helpful and insightful information on oxycodone, including its addiction and abuse.

Causes of OxyContin Abuse

OxyContin (oxycodone) is a prescription opiate analgesic. It is used to treat moderate to severe pain in terminally ill cancer patients and other sufferers of chronic pain. Additionally, it is used in the short-term for post-operative pain. Oxycodone is also found in other drugs like Percocet and Percodan. When patients follow their doctor’s directions, OxyContin is both safe and effective, and it produces relatively few side effects in comparison to other prescription pain relievers.

Most people who start taking OxyContin do so to manage some kind of physical pain. When used for too long or in too high of a dosage, OxyContin has a high potential for being habit-forming. Many who use the drug for more than a few weeks develop a tolerance to it and need increasingly more to get the same effect. Tolerance can lead to physical addiction, which can lead to OxyContin abuse.

DEA statistics reveal that abuse of OxyContin has risen more than any other prescription drug with use jumping six-fold between 1997 and 2005. Its ready availability makes it more accessible than many illicit drugs. OxyContin effects are similar to heroin, however. OxyContin pills have a time-release covering that gradually releases the medication in to the bloodstream over time (usually 12 hours). That coating can be disabled by crushing the pill. This allows individuals to obtain an immediate high after snorting, ingesting or injecting the medication.

Many abuse OxyContin oxycodone believing it to be safer than illicit drugs like heroin. They are of the opinion that because it’s a prescription medication, it is not as dangerous. This could not be more wrong. A large dose of OxyContin can cause respiratory depression and death. Overdoses of OxyContin are far from rare.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/20/health/main3184003.shtml

Click here to read the next part in the series, "Side Effects of Oxycodone." Click here to return to the first part in the series, "Introduction to Oxycodone Abuse, Addiction and Treatment."

Pat Moore Foundation's drug & alcohol detox and alcohol & drug addiction treatment programs are licensed and certified by The State of California. We provide non-medical and medically managed detoxification (using Suboxone, Subutex, and Buprenorphine when appropriate) and primary residential treatment. Our individual homes are on a unique co-ed campus where we offer gender specific treatment. We are located in Costa Mesa, in Orange County, Southern California, close to Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, and only an hour's drive from Los Angeles and San Diego. To speak with a counselor, please call us 24-hours at (888) 426-6086 or if you'd like us to contact you, send a confidential message online by filling out our online form.

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