What Is Oxycontin?

Oxycontin is a pain reliever that was introduced in 1995.  Its main ingredient is Oxycodone.  Oxycontin is specifically meant to treat moderate and severe pain but can also be used to treat several other conditions including constipation, anxiety and cough symptoms.  Within a few years of the introduction of Oxycontin the many cases of Oxycontin misuse and abuse began, especially among teenagers.

Most abusers of Oxycontin are seeking the rush and the feeling of euphoria that it creates along with the feelings of lightheadedness, release from inhibitions, stress and pain relief.  Oxycontin produces the same effects that heroin produces. 

Oxycontin addiction is a physical dependence that is unavoidable when a person is taking a high dosage for a long period of time.  The body adapts and develops a tolerance for the drug and it becomes so powerful that it actually produces cravings for it.  Cravings for Oxycontin result from its impact on an individual’s memory of the feelings of euphoria and pleasantness that it associates with the ingesting of Oxycontin.

Like other addictive drugs, Oxycontin is able to short circuit your survival system by artificially stimulating the reward center, or the pleasure center of your brain without anything beneficial happening to your body.

There are a number of effective options to treat a dependence on Oxycontin and other prescription opioids and to help manage the severe withdrawal symptoms that accompany sudden cessation of drug use.  They include treatment programs using methadone along with behavioral approaches.  Once the patient completes detoxification, the treatment provider must then work with the patient to determine which course of treatment would best suit the needs of the patient.

Rapid detox is the most recent entry into the field of opiate detoxification.  It treats opiate dependency at the receptor level, blocking opioid receptors and precipitating the withdrawal syndrome, while controlling it. This is achieved through use of medications, including anesthetic agents that allow withdrawal to occur, while the patient is unconscious.