One of the most prescribed narcotic analgesics for pain relief is OxyContin. It is true that it works as painkiller for severe injuries like dislocations, fractures, arthritis, lower back pain, but it is also used illicitly as drug on the street due to it’s main component, oxycodone.

Oxycodone can be found in many narcotic analgesics like OxyContin, OxyIR, OxyFast, or in combination with nonnarcotic analgesics such as Percodan or Percocet. In spite of it’s medical official use, it is reported by drug abuse treatment centers as an addictive drug. On the street is known as “kicker”, “OC”, “Oxy”, “OX”, “Blue”, “oxycotton”, “hillybilly heroin”, etc.

Among the pharmacological effects of the oxycontin are distinguished analgesia, sedation, euphoria, feelings of relaxation, respiratory depression, constipation, papillary constriction, and cough suppression. A 10 mg dose of orally-administered oxycodone is equivalent to a 10 mg dose of subcutaneously administered morphine as an analgesic in a normal population. Oxycodone is mostly administered orally and it’s behavioral effects can last up to 5 hours, meanwhile OxyContin has a longer duration of action of  about 8-12 hours.

One of the most severe risk associated with OxyContin addiction, (actually this happens with all kind of drugs), is respiratory depression, but there are a lot of other side effects like constipation, nausea, sedation, dizziness, vomiting, headache, dry mouth, sweating, and weakness. A large single dose of an opioid could lead to death.

What is sure is that oxycodone abuse may lead to dependence and tolerance. Acute overdose of oxycodone can produce severe respiratory depression, skeletal muscle flaccidity, cold and clammy skin, reduction in blood pressure and heart rate, coma, respiratory arrest, and death.

Chronic use of opioids can result in tolerance for the drugs, which means that users must take higher doses to achieve the same initial effects. Long-term use also can lead to physical dependence and addiction, the body adapts to the presence of the drug, and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced or stopped. Properly managed medical use of pain relievers is safe and rarely causes clinical addiction, defined as compulsive, often uncontrollable use of drugs. Taken exactly as prescribed, opioids can be used to manage pain effectively.

We strongly recommend to everyone reading this article to use oxycodone and it’s derivatives only with medical prescription and under medical control, however, if you or someone close to you have problems with drug addiction, we suggest you to visit Drug Rehab Treatment in Canada.