Oxycodone Abuse

What Is Oxycodone?

​Oxycodone is a pain-relieving drug that’s prescribed frequently to deal with moderate to severe pain.   The material is found alone and in conjunction with other pain relievers in a pill form under many  brand names  such as:

• OxyContin — oxycodone; both immediate and controlled release formulations.

Oxycodone is synthesized, in part, by chemical modification of opioid precursor molecules that are obtained from the opium poppy. Despite being manufactured in a laboratory, oxycodone impacts the consumer in ways similar to other legal and illegal opioids. Also, as with other opiate and opioid medications, oxycodone is capable of delivering a  strong high–making it a possible  drug of misuse for an alarming number of people.
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Additionally, oxycodone usage will place someone at risk for developing  dependence and tolerance.   People are in danger of these phenomena even when the drug is taken as prescribed and, with time, addiction might be the final result. Those addicted to prescription opiates such as oxycodone are 40 times more likely to develop a heroin abuse problem

Signs and Symptoms

When somebody uses oxycodone they’ll experience a array of signs and symptoms associated with its action at opioid receptors throughout the body–basically  gloomy multiple roles throughout the body in a fashion consistent with other opioid substances.
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The signals will vary somewhat depending upon the particular formulation of oxycodone. Controlled release OxyContin provides signs that might be of lower intensity which last for a protracted period — provided that 12 hours — whereas medication such as OxyIR and other immediate release  variations can activate stronger symptoms for a shorter interval. The specific dose and the method used to absorb the substance will also help determine the effect on an individual also. Some of those ill-advised alternate routes of administration of oxycodone include crushing the pills and snorting them, or trapping them in aqueous solution to be injected.
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Effects of Oxycodone Abuse

Oxycodone is known as an opioid receptor agonist. Among the effects of the molecular interaction between the drug and receptor is in raising  dopamine  action in key brain areas. Additionally, dopamine is associated with the brain  benefit system–meaning that individuals experiencing this sort of dopaminergic action will appreciate the feeling and try to replicate it later on. This contributes to abuse of the medication and, as mentioned before, a few of the  consequences  of abuse include tolerance, physiological dependence and, ultimately, addiction.
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The withdrawal symptoms of oxycodone can be very uncomfortable and  enduring. As a result of this, individuals trying to stop oxycodone frequently benefit from seeking expert treatment.
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Depending on the amount, frequency, and period of time using oxycodone, a supervised detox  might be recommended. Detoxification is the significant reduction of oxycodone in the body. This is often completed within an inpatient setting so that medical professionals may often the individual–ensuring security and comfort.

During this procedure, other medicines may be prescribed to reduce cravings and other unpleasant symptoms.
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When detox is done, patients may be referred to several treatment options like:

• Residential rehabilitation.
• Outpatient therapy.
• Emotional health/dual diagnosis therapy.

Residential rehabilitation programs have the individual in recovery living at the treatment centre for a time period. Treatment program lengths vary, but often  ranging from several weeks to several months–a period during which there’s  intensive focus on recovery during every day. Addiction treatment can be administered via rehabilitation programs also. Outpatient addiction treatment is less time intensive than residential or inpatient applications, but typically involves weekly or daily (depending on  degree  of demand) counseling and education sessions to talk about recovery and learn methods to keep abstinence.

Teen Oxycodone Abuse

Adults aren’t the only ones abusing forms of oxycodone such as OxyContin. Since the prescription medication is found in many home medicine cabinets, it is readily available for adolescents. Often, teens are introduced to the drug by friends at college.
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Since it’s a legal prescription drug, many teenagers may see oxycodone as a benign high. As stated previously, but many abusers — including teenagers — wind up becoming addicted. As a crackdown on overprescribing clinics and heightened focus on a growing prescription medication abuse issue continues to upregulate the purchase price and reduce  availability of drugs such as oxycodone, young men and women are switching to illegal street drugs like heroin at discounted rates.
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It’s vitally important to speak with your teen about the dangers of prescription opiate abuse before it is too late.