|
| |
OxyContin
- Hillbilly Heroin
Know the Dangers
Find Fast Facts
Oxycontin - a brand name for the medication Oxycodone - is a prescription
medication used to treat moderate to severe pain like that found in cancer,
arthritis and other conditions. Oxycontin, in its prescribed form, is a
time-released medication that delivers pain relief over several hours. But it
has gained an unsavory reputation over the past few years as an abused drug of
choice for many people.
Common street names for this potent drug include Blue, Hillbilly heroin, Kicker,
Oxycotton, OCs, ox and oxy; or 40 (a 40-milligram tablet) or 80 (an 80-milligram
tablet). Abusers experience an immediate, powerful high along with feelings of
peacefulness, euphoria, drowsiness and a lack of pain. Most abusers grind up
the pills to snort the powder or to inject it into the bloodstream directly.
When the tablet is ground up, the time-released qualities are lost, and the full
amount of oxycodone is released, often in fatal doses. Addiction occurs rapidly
as tolerance develops. Overdoses are common and deaths due to oxycodone overdose
are on the rise.
Effects:
u
Euphoria
u
Extreme
itching
u
Nausea
and vomiting
u
Pinpoint
pupils, even in dark
u
Irregular or depressed breathing and heart rate
u
Constipation
u
Headache
u
Depression of cough reflex
u
Necrosis
of skin around injection site
u
Addiction, tolerance and withdrawal
u
Coma,
death
u
Depression, anxiety
u
Sleeplessness, restlessness
People
addicted to or dependent on OxyContin experience some or all of the following
withdrawal symptoms when they stop using the drug:
u
Restlessness
u
Muscle and
bone pain
u
Insomnia
u
Diarrhea
u
Vomiting
u
Cold
flashes
u
Involuntary leg movements
Someone
who takes a large dose of OxyContin risks severe respiratory depression that can
lead to death. Inexperienced and new users are at particular risk, because they
may be unaware of what constitutes a large dose and have not developed a
tolerance for the drug.
Information gathered from various online sites, including the
US Dept. of Justice -
National Drug Intelligence Center and
Keystone
Treatment Center
|
