OxyContin Addiction & Women

OxyContin addiction can be extremely harmful for females, especially those who believe they are aware of the substance abuse risks. There are a great number of ways that women find themselves addicted to prescription medications. Some take these drugs following surgery or an injury. Others begin popping pills as a way to supplement an existing addiction. Still others will use medications in a casual manner at the insistence of a loved one or close friend. While OxyContin is only legal when prescribed by a certified physician, many users find ways to score it without physician approval.

Many women dealing with an addiction to OxyContin may not even realize they have an issue. Though use frequency may be heightened, users often find it difficult to come to terms with why they are actually using the drug. OxyContin, as with many other types of drugs, can cause users to engage in activities and exhibit behaviors that would normally be deemed inappropriate.

Unfortunately, addiction to OxyContin is quickly becoming the drug of choice for women suffering from substance abuse in addition to those seeking to take their own life. A 2011 study suggests a 210% suicide attempt increase in women by way of OxyContin overdose.

Pregnant women dealing with OxyContin addiction impose a variety of risks on their children en utero. Pregnancy often works to affect habits and lifestyles, with many women seeking help following a positive testing.

If you or a women you care for is suffering from an OxyContin addiction, out Above It All treatment specialists are available to help. Give us a call, 24/7, and let us help you back on track towards the happy, productive, and healthy lifestyle you deserve.

OxyContin Dependence Reduction Techniques

As a prescription drug, OxyContin is used to address and alleviate back, arthritis, and post-surgical pain. Since its introduction in 1995, OxyContin abuse has escalated drastically, due primarily to its highly addiction nature. Like heroin, OxyContin is an opioid narcotic, providing users with intense feelings of well-being and euphoria.

OxyContin dependence reduction can be difficult, as many medical doctors tend to write prescriptions that exceed the amount required to ensure a comfortable and healthy recovery.

1 – Find yourself a medical detox program. OxyContin withdrawal symptoms can include anything from nausea and insomnia to vomiting, body aches, seizures and convulsions. When left untreated, these symptoms may result in death. A medically monitored detox program provides addicts with medical supervision to help ensure an easier transition into sobriety.

2 – Locate a residential rehabilitation facility. Because of the severity of OxyContin addiction, residential programs may be necessary to help ensure proper support and guidance during the initial recovery stages. These types of programs offer patients a safe and secluded environment to jump-start their recovery, while engaging in family, group, and individual therapy sessions.

3 – Seek out a local outpatient support group for narcotic addicts in recovery. Outpatient groups such as these offer support and social interaction addicts intent on kicking the habit. Participants are provided with the tools necessary to achieve and maintain a long-lasting recovery while helping others to achieve the same.

4 – Ask. Sometimes determination is simply not enough to overcome the weight of addiction. If you are intent on a true and long-term recovery, the first step is reaching out. You are not alone; Help is simply a step towards the freedom you deserve.

OxyContin Induced Mood Disorders

Many of those who suffer from addiction often suffer from mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, borderline personality etc. However, drugs like OxyContin have the ability to bring on mood disorder episodes as well. In most cases, OxyContin disorders are limited to anxiety and depression. These types of disorders can often complicate the treatment process, which is why choosing a medically monitored detox and substance abuse rehabilitation program is so important.

Whether these types of disorders where present prior to the OxyContin abuse or began as a result of the addiction can be difficult to determine. Many specialists in the field are finding that non-medical OxyContin use is often associated with mood disorder development. Addiction and mental health experts are generally able to properly sift through the symptoms, while formulating a proper diagnosis and treatment regimen.

In order for drug addiction induced mood disorders to exist, a physical examination, patient history, and laboratory findings of abuse, dependence, intoxication and withdrawal must be apparent. These types of disorders can often last upwards of 4 weeks following a successful transition into sobriety.

There are an array of issues that come about once an individual becomes addiction to OxyContin. If you or someone you love are suffering from an OxyContin addiction, our Above It All treatment counselors are available to help. Give us a call today, and let us help you back on track towards the loving, happy, healthy, and fulfilling life you deserve. 

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. 

OxyContin Addiction – What Are The Signs?

OxyContin is a popular painkiller used to address an array of conditions, including lower back pain, arthritis, dislocations, and pain caused by cancer. The main ingredient found in OxyContin is oxycodone, a potent, and potentially dangerous opioid.

Oxycodone addiction in the U.S. stems back over 30 years, with more than 3.5 million citizens age 12 and over reporting regular use. With this statistic on a seemingly perpetual incline, the dependency risks only continue to grow.

Symptoms

If you or someone you know are currently using OxyContin, it serves your best interests to understand the symptoms and signs associated with a developing addiction. In assessing these signs, it should be noted that opiate addiction is not a picky mistress; meaning that anyone can become an addict.

Common Signs & Symptoms:

-Irritability

-Anxiety

-Abdominal Pain

-Insomnia

-Loss of Appetite

-Vomiting

-Muscle & Joint Pain

As a general rule, the longer an individual is addicted to OxyContin, the more apparent these signs are likely to become. In many cases, OxyContin addicts begin using the drug in an effort to counter legitimate pain. The addiction, unfortunately, can be a surprise side-effect.

Recognizing The Signs

Acknowledging an OxyContin addiction is the initial and most important step one can take on the road to recovery. Individuals who have become addiction through legitimate prescriptions will often find it more difficult to admit there is a problem. Once acceptance does take place, the addiction has often escalated to a point where the individual is unable kick the habit alone. In these situations, medical detox and therapy are commonly utilized to help the individual regain sobriety. 

OxyContin – Fact & Fiction

When it comes to prescription drug abuse, perhaps no other drug holds the public eye more often than OxyContin. As a pain-killer, the drug has gained a solid reputation for providing quick and effective relief to patients suffering from an array of conditions, ranging from post-surgical recovery to arthritis. As a street drug, the same effects have unfortunately made OxyContin the epicenter of a long-spanning drug war, with an assortment of myths and misconceptions. What follows are a few of the more common myths associated with OxyContin use, and the facts behind them.

Myth - OxyContin is not addictive

Fact – Just because substance happens to be manufactured by a respected pharmaceutical company does not imply that it does not hold the potential for addictive behaviors.

The active ingredients found in OxyContin are actually opiates – the same type of substances that make up drugs such as Vicodin and heroin.

Myth – Injecting or snorting OxyContin is no worse than ingesting the drug orally.

Fact – The majority of OxyContin overdoses occur in individuals who inject or snort it.

OxyContin is manufactured with the intent of being a time-release substance. When a user takes the drug orally, OxyContin works to emit its effects over a period of hours. When the drug is snorted or injected, the opiates within the drug are released into the body at the same time. As such, the risks of overdose and death are heightened exponentially.

Myth - OxyContin is illegal

Fact – Due to its success in treating chronic pain, OxyContin is still legally prescribed by physicians.

The legality of OxyContin is often questioned due to addicts who forge physician signatures, steal pills from medicine cabinets, and purchase the drug illegally for an individual with a valid prescription.

Myth – The withdrawal process is not so bad

Fact – Just as with other substances in the opiate family, the withdrawal symptoms associated with OxyContin withdrawal often pose a great deal of psychological and physical discomfort.

Common symptoms include:

-Nausea

-Depression

-Suicidal thoughts

-Muscle aches

-Anxiety

Perhaps the most concerning symptom of OxyContin withdrawal stems from the heightened risk of relapse. Without the proper guidance and support, many addicts will often find themselves off the wagon and assuming the same routine.