Quick Facts about OxyContin Addiction
Prescribed for pain, OxyContin is an opioid analgesic, which means that it binds to receptors in the brain in order to diminish your experience of pain. Like other opiate prescription painkillers including methadone, codeine, Vicodin, hydrocodone and others, OxyContin is beneficial because it allows you to avoid feeling horrible after an accident or surgery. Unfortunately, the downside is that with regular use, you can build up a tolerance for the drug which quickly turns into OxyContin addiction.
Though it is possible to use OxyContin safely—that is, as prescribed by a doctor—it is an opioid-based painkiller and therefore highly addictive. Many find themselves addicted to OxyContin unwittingly, a victim of a prescription that got out of control. If you are currently in the grip of OxyContin addiction, contact Michael’s House today at . We can help you move past addiction and begin anew without prescription painkillers like OxyContin.
What is OxyContin Addiction?
According to the National Institute of Drug Addiction (NIDA), the use of prescription drugs like OxyContin for nonmedical purposes (i.e., maintaining an addiction as opposed to merely managing pain) is on the rise in the United States. Any use of this sort is defined as prescription painkiller abuse, and rightfully so. It’s abusive to your body, to your bank account and to your state of mind to try and keep up with a drug tolerance that continues to grow, requiring more and more of the drug just to achieve the effect that a small dose accomplished in the beginning.
Physical addiction is just part of OxyContin addiction, however. The psychological craving for the drug, the inability to step down slowly on your own or simply quit, the continued use of OxyContin despite the negative effects on your health, your family, your career, your finances…when these issues exist alongside physical dependence, that is OxyContin addiction.
What Causes OxyContin Addiction?
Only alcohol can claim historic seniority over opiates as the world’s oldest and most pervasive drug addiction problem. Addiction to drugs like OxyContin has been battled by the psychiatric, medical and governmental establishments since the first civilizations. Unfortunately, even with all that power behind the war, there have been no breakthroughs as far as nailing down the cause of opiate addiction and nipping it in the bud. It could start with an addictive personality or peer pressure or experimentation. From there, it could blossom from abuse into addiction due to genetic predisposition or lack of education or poor medical advice or co-occurring psychological problems or chronic pain issues. Each individual is different. The only thing that everyone agrees on is that once an OxyContin addiction is identified, it must be treated immediately with OxyContin detox and addiction treatment.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of OxyContin Addiction?
An addiction to OxyContin can be identified by a craving for the drug and physical symptoms akin to the flu if you miss a dose or stop taking the drug. These symptoms include things like tremors and shaking, vomiting, diarrhea and muscle and bone pain. Another sign of OxyContin addiction is a steady increase in dose to achieve the same effect. Also, if there’s a high amount of energy spent procuring the drug or if you or your loved one have to augment the original OxyContin prescription with another one, pills from the street or other drugs and alcohol, then OxyContin addiction is an issue and OxyContin rehab is necessary.
OxyContin Addiction Treatment at Michael’s House
At Michael’s House, we offer a residential OxyContin addiction treatment that provides detox and psychological services. For more information, contact our call center at 1-877-345-8494.
Further Reading
- 3 Stages of OxyContin Addiction Recovery
- 7 Things You Need to Know About OxyContin
- Do You Need Help For OxyContin Addiction
- Finding OxyContin Addiction Help
- How People Develop an OxyContin Addiction
- Myths and Facts About OxyContin
- Overcoming OxyContin Addiction
- OxyContin Addiction and Teens
- OxyContin Addiction Help
- OxyContin Addiction Treatment Types
- OxyContin Addiction Warning Signs
- Quick Facts about OxyContin Addiction
- Street Names for OxyContin: The terms you need to know
