Oxycodone: A prescription for pain in the suburbs and beyond

If your going to have minor surgery or major dental work chances are you will be given a prescription for a mild narcotic such as hydrocodone or oxycodone. These pills contain only trace amounts of these drugs because they are so powerful. The opiate pain killer is typically coupled with a non-narcotic over the counter Nsaid pain reliever such as acetaminophen or Ibuprofen to reduce abuse potential and increase pain relief without having to load up the body with too many opiates. These lower risk narcotics are abused widely across the nation, but there is an even more dangerous pharmaceutical narcotic danger prevalent.

People with severe chronic pain need higher amounts of these drugs because of the tolerance they have developed over time. For these situations much stronger medication is needed. For these situations there are drugs like Oxycontin which is the registered brand name of a pill containing only large amounts of the powerful synthetic opioid analgesic oxycodone. Drugs such as Oxycontin sometimes have 10 or 20 times the narcotic as their mild versions without the abuse limiting over the counter medicine being coupled with it. This creates a drug with high abuse potential.

Although there are efforts being made to create anti-abuse strong pain meds, there already are so many pills that have been directed away from the pharmacies and into the black market. People literally have stock piles of them and make tens of thousands of dollars. Pills typically sell for up to a dollar a milligram, and when pills can be up to 80 milligrams then imagine the profits. Because of the demand, there is extra incentive to provide this illegal service.

People who demand these drugs are dependent on their effects just to function. Without opiates in their system, extreme withdrawal symptoms create depression, fatigue, and an overall uncomfortable genuinely bad feeling. Just the idea of experiencing withdrawal symptoms terrifies most addicts. This is why they are willing to pay such high prices. Oxycontin is kind of like the pharmaceutical equivalent to heroin. Heroin users generally consider Oxycontin the best substitute when their drug of choice is hard to find. Oxycontin addiction occurs more commonly in suburban areas rather than areas of poverty where heroin dictates more of the narcotic addiction.