Oxycontin Addiction Detox
This article is part 1 of a 3 part series that will give you a better understanding of prescription medication addiction, withdrawal and detox.
Oxycontin is a man-made opiate prescribed for extreme or long-lasting pain. Oxycodone is the drugs primary ingredient; it can also be found in drugs like Percodan and Percocet. In Oxycontin the drug is found in a potent, sustained release (time release) form containing anywhere from 10 to 160 mg of Oxycodone. It is used to treat terminally ill cancer patients and chronic pain sufferers as well as relieving postpartum, postoperative and dental pain. Oxycontin comes in liquid and tablet forms taken every 6 hours. Long-acting tablets are available to take every 12 hours.
When taken as prescribed, Oxycontin works very well for chronic pain. But because of its strength it has an excessively high abuse potential. Once people cross the line between what the bottle says and prescription addiction, they generally begin to use the medication inappropriately. They may chew the tablets so that they get an acute rush. Or crush the pills and snort them. This behavior causes the addiction to spiral rapidly out of control, turning what once was manageable into full-blown addiction and completely removing any sliver of self-control that may have remained.
Because of its strength and long half-life,, Oxycontin is extremely difficult to simply stop taking on your own. The withdrawal symptoms include aches, pain and cramping, and intense cravings to use drugs again are often overwhelming. Even attempts to slightly taper down on the dosage can trigger severe withdrawal symptoms and agitation.
Patients have described coming off of Oxycontin as much more intense than detoxing from heroin or any other long-acting opiate (the exception perhaps being methadone, an opiate replacement.)
Although Oxycontin (Oxycodone) addiction is a more challenging opiate addiction to treat, in most cases it can be treated successfully with buprenorphine (Suboxone, Subutex).
Generally, the start of an Oxycontin detox will begin with Subutex, as opposed to Suboxone. Because of Oxycontin's longer duration of action, there can be sensitivity to the Naloxone present in the Suboxone formulation- which could precipitate withdrawal before any relief begins- a symptom that no one would want to experience. This is a subject you definitely want to discuss with your buprenorphine provider.
The speed and simplicity at which kids and adults can acquire Oxycontin, and the ever-younger ages at which adolescents and teens are willing to try it, have all the signs of an epidemic. An increased demand for education and prevention has already begun; what's needed now is greater access to affordable detox and treatment. If we wait too long to make detox and treatment accessible, we run the risk of losing more than just a few addicts to Oxycontin.
This drug is strong enough to take an entire generation down with it.
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You have a choice. Why not choose a safe, relaxed and comfortable detox. Call
1-800-871-2020 today and learn about a virtually pain-free detox for prescription medication, heroin and opiates. And it's affordable, too! The Opiate Detox Project.
1-800-871-2020. |
