OxyContin was introduced to the market several years ago with initially positive results.  But soon, emergency rooms began filling up with OxyContin overdose cases involving those who were overwhelmed by the power of this prescription painkiller.

For parents, addicts or those suffering from chronic pain - consider the following important facts about OxyContin and OxyContin addiction:

6 Things to Know about OxyContin Addiction

1. OxyContin was created to help those in pain.  The idea behind OxyContin was a noble one, provide a time-release medication so that individuals suffering from high pain levels did not have to take repeated doses of their drugs.

2. OxyContin can be very dangerous.  When OxyContin is crushed or snorted, the individual receives ALL of the active ingredient at once - making them highly susceptible to overdose.

3. The Internet is fueling the OxyContin addiction epidemic.  Right now, there are thousands of illicit pharmacies operating on the web that offer OxyContin without a valid doctor’s prescription.  Internet savvy kids are, in particular, finding their drugs in this manner.

4. Kids are the fastest growing demographic in terms of OxyContin Addiction.  The highest growth rate in terms of teen drug addiction in United States are for prescription drugs such as OxyContin and Vicodin.

5. OxyContin is nicknamed the “hillbilly heroin”.  As offensive as the first part of this moniker is to some, the second word holds more than it’s fair share of truth.  Many of those suffering from a heroin addiction turn to OxyContin because of the powerful euphoric effect it provides.

6. Individuals with an OxyContin addiction experience strong withdrawal symptoms.   Among all opiate drugs, OxyContin withdrawal ranks with Heroin in terms of drug cravings, depression and anxiety that occurs when the individual is not using.

If you know someone who has become addicted to OxyContin, or developed a similar prescription painkiller addiction, it is important to help them find a quality drug rehab program.    Drug rehab offers individuals a chance to break free from the bonds of addiction - and steer their lives down a more positive path.

Tags: drug addiction, oxycontin addiction, prescription drug addiction

This entry was posted on Friday, February 20th, 2009 at 9:01 pm and is filed under alcohol rehab, drug addiction, heroin addiction, oxycontin addiction, prescription drug addiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.