Oxycontin addiction

Oxycontin is best described as an opioid analgesic. Oxycontin addiction has escalated remarkably since its inception in 1995. This drug was developed to alleviate chronic pain and is known to be highly addictive. Similar in structure to that of heroin, morphine and percodan, oxycontin has become one of the most highly abused prescription drugs on the market.

Oxycontin, which contains an ingredient called oxycodone, is actually synthetic morphine. Physically addicting and emotionally crippling, oxycontin was designed to be a 12 hour time release pill. To increase the "high" produced by the Oxycontin, people crush the pill, bypassing the time release element of the medication. This leads to an even greater risk of addiction and overdose.

Similar to other prescription medications such as Vicodin, Percodan or Dilaudid, Oxycontin is prescribed by a licensed physician. Because this drug is prescribed by a physician, many people tend to live in denial about their addiction to the drug. They will compare their situation to people who are buying Oxycontin on the street. What they fail to realize is that they are no longer taking the Oxycontin as prescribed. The amount they are taking has increased, the frequency has increased and a tolerance for the drug oxycontin has developed. When the initial prescription is no longer adequate, due to the amount of the Oxycontin one is consuming, people find themselves forging prescriptions, attending to multiple pain clinics, regardless of the severity of the pain. They find they can not live without the Oxycontin.