Oxycontin is a brand name of oxycodone hydrochloride, a synthetic opioid derived from thebaine. Oxycontin is, in medical terms, an opioid analgesic prescribed to relieve pain resulting from arthritis, bursitis, neuralgia, injuries and cancer. It is a high abuse potential drug ("Schedule II" narcotic).

People may abuse OxyContin because of its euphoric effect, similar to heroin.

Alternative  & street names:

 OCs, ox, and oxy, 40 (a 40 mg tablet), 80 (an 80-mg tablet), Blue, hillbilly heroin, Kicker, Oxycotton, Cotton.

How is Oxycontin taken?

Oxycontin is consumed:

• orally, swallowed whole – as prescribed, Oxycontin has a controlled release over 12 hours.
• orally, broken, crushed or chewed – breaking the tablet negates the controlled release, giving the user 12 hours’ of medication in one dose
• snorted – addicts of oxycontin often crush and snort the pill in order to negate the controlled time release.
• injected – addicts also sometimes dissolve crushed pills into water and then inject them intravenously.

Effects of consumption

Like any drug derived from opium, Oxycontin is an effective painkiller because it decreases pain sensitivity and increases pain tolerance. Oxycontin is designed for its painkilling effect to slowly release in a patient’s body over a 12-hour period. However, addicts can undermine the time-release design of Oxycontin by consuming it via methods not prescribed by doctors.

Impact on the mind/body and health risks

Long-term OxyContin users risk developing a tolerance for it, requiring them to take larger and larger doses to achieve the same effects. Long-term abuse of Oxycontin can lead to addiction, and those who become addicted will endure withdrawal symptoms when they stop using.

Because Oxycontin slows the user’s breathing, a large dose could cause a user to die by respiratory depression – particularly at risk are inexperienced users who don’t know how much is a large dose and don’t have a tolerance for Oxycontin like a long-term user might.

Additionally, users who inject OxyContin intravenously expose themselves to more risks, including HIV and hepatitis.

Signs of abuse of this substance

Because Oxycontin contains a time-release formula, a sure sign of Oxycontin abuse is when a user modifies the tablet – by chewing, crushing, breaking, snorting or injecting it – in order to obtain the full dose in one rush instead of over a 12-hour period.

According to the US government, OxyContin abuse among high school students is a particular problem – 4% of high school seniors in the United States abused the drug at least once in the past year.

Common treatment options

OxyContin addicts have a number of addiction treatment options available to them and their families, including:

• cold turkey
• rapid medical detox combined with residential treatment
• rapid medical detox combined with outpatient treatment
• ultra rapid detox
• methadone
• Suboxone

Quitting cold turkey is often an addict’s first choice, but is rarely successful. Even those who endure the initial withdrawal face a lengthy battle with cravings that pull them toward relapse.

Medical detox with continuing treatment is the standard “drug rehab” route. The recovery process begins with a medically assisted detoxification as OxyContin addicts must first overcome physical dependency.

During detox, medications are prescribed to help reduce the discomfort of withdrawal, with doctors on call should a problem arise. After about a week, patients can continue additional treatment.

Detox is not treatment. If a patient fails to continue treatment after detox, a relapse is practically guaranteed.

Post-detox treatment options vary between inpatient and outpatient programs, including:

• Individual therapy
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• 12 Step groups
• Group therapy
• Life skills, vocational and educational programming
• Family therapy

Treatment programs teach recovering addicts the essential skill of how to overcome powerful and permanent cravings to use again.

Ultra-rapid detox claims to be a much less uncomfortable program by placing the addict under anesthesia in order to accelerate the withdrawal period; it is a controversial procedure due to its high cost and possible danger to the health of the recovering addict.

Methadone is a long-lasting synthetic opiate used to treat addiction to other opium derivatives such as OxyContin and heroin. In theory, a patient who receives one dose of methadone per day will not feel withdrawal symptoms, experience drug cravings, or attain the euphoric “high” associated with these drugs.

There are, however, disadvantages to methadone treatment:

• Methadone is addictive and subject to abuse
• A patient must go to a clinic to receive methadone daily.
• Patients who stop using methadone experience difficult withdrawal symptoms.

Suboxone is a more recently developed methadone alternative, which works in a similar way to keep a patient from entering withdrawal without a euphoric “high” or drug cravings.

Suboxone is a significant improvement on methadone treatment in the following ways:

• no daily clinic visits necessary; suboxone can be administered in month-long doses.
• withdrawal symptoms much less severe than methadone.

However, suboxone treatment has its drawbacks as well:

• As a partial opiate agonist, suboxone may provide only limited results for heavy addicts, who may experience withdrawal.
• Suboxone treatment costs more than methadone
• Doctors who prescribe Suboxone might be more difficult to find than a methadone clinic.

Withdrawal/detox symptoms

Users who suddenly discontinue their use of Oxycontin will often experience symptoms typical of any opioid withdrawal, including:

• Loss of appetite
• Mood swings
• Nausea
• Fever chills
• Aches and pains
• Flu-like symptoms
• Diarrhea
• Goose bumps
• Hallucinations
• Headaches
• Abdominal cramps
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Insomnia