Oxycontin a Major Problem
It seems that Oxycontin, a powerful pain relief drug that has taken the drug world by storm for extreme pain relief, is really having some unintended consequences in the people who take them. It is very easy to get addicted to this pain relief drug because it produces a sort of “high” when it relieves pain.
Some have even compared it to heroine, because the effects it has on the body and the reason it’s so addictive is because it is chemically similar to the street drug. It’s even been dubbed “hillbilly heroine” by some and is starting to be labeled a scourge in towns where the addiction is rampant and the black market sales of the drug are out of control.
Another place it’s hitting hard is the addiction-prone world of Hollywood. Of course it’s getting a lot of attention there because Hollywood stars are entering rehab left and right due to their addiction to this and similar painkiller drugs that are in the same general drug family which have similar effects.
Drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet (brand names for other pain relief drugs that are in the same family of drugs) also cause a lot of addiction, and Doctors are even told to be conservative in doling it out. However, there are still some docs, and also some online pharmacies that give out these drugs with minimal hassle or checking on prescriptions.
Some high profile deaths have resulted from mixing pain drugs like these, and some high profile addictions as well. Rush Limbaugh actually acknowledged that he had an addiction to Oxycontin a few years ago after he was caught with large amounts of the drug.
These opiate drugs produce a feeling in some people that just makes them feel really good. However, the effect wears off with more and more use, and users begin to try to use more of the drug to get the same “feel good” effect, which results in overdoses and even death.
Unfortunately, for those in chronic pain, opiates are the best choice, because they increase the feel good chemicals in the body while depressing the chemicals that cause pain. There is probably a place for them in medicine still, for people in severe pain that nothing else will touch, but they are so addictive that they should be less prescribed even than they are now.
The dependency risk is just too great. Not to mention, the withdrawal symptoms are horrific – enough to make one relapse pretty quickly if they are trying to stop taking the drug and their body has already developed a dependency. The drug becomes deadly when someone takes more and more of it – it can suppress and slow the heart beat to the point of death.