OxyContin Side Effects

OxyContin is an opiate commonly prescribed to relieve moderate to severe pain caused by arthritis, cancer, and invasive surgery. As with most pain medications, OxyContin holds a risk of dependency, and may cause various side effects in its users.

Common Side Effects

The most common side effects experienced by OxyContin users typically revolve around the gastrointestinal tract, nervous system, and respiratory systems. Frequent user reports cite constipation, vomiting, and nausea. Apnea and depressed breathing are relatively common, in addition to psychiatric effects such as paranoia and euphoria.

Rare Side Effects

Some of the lesser known and experienced effects of OxyContin include postural hypotension, allergic reaction, irregular heartbeat, and seizure.

Side Effect Causes

As with other drugs in the opiate family, OxyContin use holds a risk for increased histamine levels, which can lead to an array of allergy-like symptoms including itching, rash, dizziness and sinus pressure. Because OxyContin binds itself to the GI tract’s opiate receptors, constipation is relatively frequent among users. OxyContin’s ability to stimulate a precise area within the brain triggers the common nausea effect, causing muscle contractions throughout the stomach, and potential vomiting.

Addiction & Withdrawal

Addition and opiates are not strangers to one another. Like other opiates, OxyContin possesses the power to pose psychological addiction and physical dependence with regular use. Choosing to discontinue usage in an abrupt manner following frequent intake can result on an array of withdrawal symptoms, including nausea, diarrhea, intense pain sensitivity, cravings, and insomnia. Withdrawal symptoms will often begin as quickly as 6 hours after the last dosage, in varying amounts on intensity and duration depending on the user’s individual physiology and use history.