How Many People Are Addicted To Oxycodone

Opioids By The Numbers

$9 billion in grants from HHS to states, tribes, and local communities to fight the opioids crisis in FY 2016-2019*

14,000+ substance abuse facilities in the U.S.

1.27 million Americans are now receiving medication-assisted treatment.

4.1% decline in drug overdose deaths in the United States from 2017 to 2018.

106% increase in total DATA waived providers from January 2017 to June 2019.

142% increase in patients receiving medication-assisted treatment at HRSA-funded health centers from 2016-2018.

The Drug Evaluation Network System Program Sample

A total of 157 treatment programs participated in the Drug Evaluation Network System during the time period when the OxyContin questions were added . These programs were located in 22 states and 105 different cities. Fifty-seven percent of the sites were located in major urban areas, whereas 43% were located in nonurban areas. Most of the sites were outpatient programs, 22% were inpatient/residential programs, 11% were methadone treatment programs, and 6% were mixed-modality programs.

When this set of programs was originally selected in late 2001, it was a random, nationally representative sample from the federal registry , representing all licensed, adult treatment programs and all major rehabilitation modalities . However, there have been substantial and repeated reorganizations within the treatment system, including closure and merger rates of up to 20% per year . Because of these changes, it is no longer reasonable to regard this program sample as nationally representative. Nonetheless, it consists of a large number of randomly selected adult addiction treatment programs and all patients entering those programs.

How Long To Get Addicted To Oxy

It may take a couple of weeks for someone to become physically dependent on oxycodone, but that varies by person. How quickly someone becomes addicted to oxycodone depends on factors like frequency of use, doses taken, family history of addiction, and use of other drugs or alcohol.

However, we also know that even those who take prescription opioids directed regularly and for long periods can develop physical dependence, which is a risk factor for addiction. Other factors such as the family history of drug use and existing mental illness can also increase the likelihood of drug abuse.

Whether genetically or through learned behavior, those who grow up in households where drug use was common or had close relatives with drug problems are at an increased risk of developing a drug problem themselves. Additionally, many people with mental illnesses like depression and anxiety turn to drugs to alleviate their symptoms, developing an addiction that will co-exist with their current condition.

Those who abuse their prescription opioids are not only at an increased risk of developing an addiction to their medications, but theyre also more likely to turn to harder drugs – like heroin – to feed their developing tolerance. Its important to note that nearly half of those who use heroin started abusing prescription opioids first.

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Treatment Of Pain In Addicts

Is it inhumane, as some in pain management believe, to withhold opiates from someone in pain who has a history of addiction? No, say two experts in chemical dependency who talked with WebMD.

“Medical professionals need to be educated about addictions,” says Peter Provet, PhD, president of Odyssey House Inc., in New York City. “A problem with addicts is they don’t like pain of any kind. They’ve been medicating their emotional pain, physical pain, or familial pain. The addict is quick to ask for a pill, but sometimes we have to deal with our pain.

“All other kinds of treatment should be first considered before the physician jumps to what is the easiest solution, a synthetic opiate,” he tells WebMD. “An addict or recovering addict suffering pain from cancer or after a car accident should talk with a physician well-versed in addiction. On occasion, someone who is in recovery may need a drug like OxyContin. It would need to be done thoughtfully with full knowledge of addiction, and then the treatment should be very carefully monitored.”

Pinsky, author of When Painkillers Become Dangerous: What Everyone Needs to Know About OxyContin and Other Prescription Drugs, says the risk of addiction is so great, not only for addicts but for anyone genetically prone to addiction, that any patient who comes forward with pain should first be asked if there is a family history of alcoholism or addiction.

Learn About Oxycontin Addiction

OxyContin is a powerful prescription painkiller. This medication contains oxycodone, which is a semisynthetic opioid. OxyContins beneficial effects include the easing of pain and the elevation of mood. Dangerous effects of OxyContin include suppressed respiration, slowed heart rate, and risk of addiction.

Whether you use OxyContin for a legitimate medical reason or for illicit recreational purposes, you can become dependent on this drug. OxyContin addiction can compel you to use the drug with increased frequency and in larger and larger doses. It can also cause you to experience considerable distress when you try to end your OxyContin use, or when you are incapable of acquiring the drug.

In the absence of proper care, OxyContin addiction can quickly overwhelm your ability to live a healthy, satisfying, and productive life. Thankfully, OxyContin addiction is a treatable condition. When you receive the type and level of professional assistance thats right for you, you can learn to manage your symptoms and regain control of your thoughts and actions.

Statistics

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Dosage For Pain Management

Oxycodone immediate-release tablets

Adult dosage : The dosage is fixed initially between 5mg to 15 mg to be consumed every 4 -6 hours. This is the dosage for those not on opioid medications in the past. During follow up consultations, the healthcare provider gradually increases the dosage based on the response.

Child dosage : Children below 18 should not take this drug, as there is no sufficient proof regarding the safety of the drug for this age group.

Senior dosage : Healthcare providers usually start oxycodone at a reduced dosage or prescribe a different dosing schedule for seniors. This is because of the inability of senior adults to process drugs efficiently, increasing the risk of side effects.

Oxycodone extended-release tablets

Adult dosage : The initial dosage is set at 10 mg every 12 hours for oral intake. Doctors fix this dosage for those on opioid medications for the first time. The specialist tweaks the dosage after evaluating the response to the drug.

Child dosage : Doctors do not prescribe Oxycodone extended-release tablets for children below the age of 11. Among the 11-17 age groups, only those that have been able to tolerate this medication for the initial few days are administered the drug. Healthcare providers fix the dosage based on the reactions/response.

Be careful about

The Physical Risks Of Combining Alcohol And Hydrocodone Oxycodone Or Morphine

If a person takes these two substances together, both alcohol and the opioid medications can slow down the persons breathing rate. Without enough oxygen, the brain will begin to shut down organ systems, and the person can eventually suffer brain complications or death due to lack of oxygen.

An individual who mixes these drugs can also fall into a coma, stop breathing, and die.

Alcohol can enhance the sedating effects of opioid medications, leading to increased drowsiness and, eventually, loss of consciousness. Mixing alcohol and hydrocodone, oxycodone, or morphine can increase the risk of people losing their balance and suffering severe falls. This is particularly true in older adults, whether they just take an opioid painkiller, just drink alcohol, or combine the two substances. These drugs can also, either individually or together, lead to serious memory loss or increase dementias effects. Loss of coordination is also dangerous, and of course, individuals should not drive while under the influence from any substance.

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Opioid Epidemic In The United States

In the United States, the opioid epidemic is an extensive ongoing overuse of opioid medications, both from medical prescriptions and from illegal sources. The epidemic began in the United States in the late 1990s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , when opioids were increasingly prescribed for pain management and resulted in a rise in overall opioid use throughout subsequent years. The great majority of Americans who use prescription opioids do not believe that they are misusing them.

How And When To Take It

Follow your doctor’s instructions about how to use this medicine. This is particularly important because oxycodone can be addictive.

Take oxycodone with, or just after, a meal or snack as it’s less likely to make you feel sick.

It’s important to swallow slow-release oxycodone tablets whole with a drink of water.

Oxycodone comes as:

• capsules these contain 5mg, 10mg or 20mg of oxycodone
• slow-release tablets these contain 5mg, 10mg, 15mg, 20mg, 30mg, 40mg, 60mg, 80mg or 120mg of oxycodone
• liquid this contains 5mg of oxycodone in 5ml or 10mg of oxycodone in 1ml of liquid.

Oxycodone liquid, capsules and injections work faster . They’re used for pain which is expected to last for a short time and often used when you start taking oxycodone, to help find the right dose.

Oxycodone tablets are slow release. This means the oxycodone is gradually released into your body over either 12 or 24 hours. This type of oxycodone takes longer to start working but lasts longer. It’s used for long-term pain.

Sometimes your doctor may prescribe both fast-acting and slow-release oxycodone to manage long-term pain.

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What If I Take Too Much

It’s important not to take more than your prescribed dose, even if you think it’s not enough to relieve your pain. Speak to your doctor first, if you think you need a different dose.

Urgent advice: Call 111 now if:

• you take too much oxycodone

If you take too much oxycodone you may feel very sleepy, sick or dizzy, find it difficult to breathe or become unconscious.

Go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111

If you need advice for a child under the age of 5 years, call 111.

If you go to A& E, do not drive yourself get someone else to drive you or call for an ambulance.

Take the oxycodone box or leaflet inside the packet plus any remaining medicine with you.

The Food And Drug Administration

Under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act and implementing regulations, the FDA regulates the advertising and promotion of prescription drugs and is responsible for ensuring that prescription drug advertising and promotion are truthful, balanced, and accurately communicated. There is no distinction in the act between controlled and noncontrolled drugs regarding the oversight of promotional activities. Although regulations require that all promotional materials for prescription drugs be submitted to the FDA for review when the materials are initially disseminated or used, it is generally not required that these materials be approved by the FDA prior to their use. The FDA has a limited number of staff for overseeing the enormous amount of promotional materials. In 2002, for example, 39 FDA staff members were responsible for reviewing roughly 34 000 pieces of promotional materials.19 This limited staffing significantly diminishes the FDA’s ability to ensure that the promotion is truthful, balanced, and accurately communicated.

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Oxycontin Use And Abuse

OxyContin is the brand name for a timed-release formula of oxycodone, a narcotic analgesic . It’s used to relieve pain from injuries, arthritis, cancer, and other conditions. Oxycodone, a morphine-like drug, is found along with non-narcotic analgesics in a number of prescription drugs, such as Percodan and Percocet .

OxyContin contains between 10 and 80 milligrams of oxycodone in a timed-release formula that allows up to 12 hours of relief from chronic pain. What distinguished OxyContin from other analgesics was its long-acting formula, a blessing for patients who typically need round-the-clock relief.

“If you have pain that’s there all the time, four hours goes by very quickly,” says cancer specialist Mary A. Simmonds, MD. “If you’re not watching the clock, the pain comes back. People tend not to take their pills on time. The pain builds back up, so you’re starting over. It’s not very good management of pain.”

Simmonds gave testimony on the value of OxyContin for alleviating cancer pain at a 2002 Congressional hearing. “For moderate to severe pain, aspirin and Tylenol aren’t effective. We do need opioids.”

It’s the high content of oxycodone that makes OxyContin popular on the street. People who abuse the drug crush the tablet and swallow or snort it, or dilute it in water and inject it. This destroys the time-release mechanism so that the user gets the full effects of the narcotic. Users compare the high to the euphoria of heroin.

Why Is Oxycontin So Addictive

Is OxyContin addictive? OxyContin is a prescription opioid medication that is widely prescribed in the United States to treat severe or chronic pain. But this medication can be addictive. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , up to 25% of patients who are prescribed opioids for a long period of time may become addicted.

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Effects Of Oxycodone Abuse

As with most forms of prescription opioids, taking oxycodone in any other way than the recommended prescription is considered abuse. This includes taking larger doses or for longer than recommended, chewing pills, breaking down and snorting oxycodone pills, and injecting a solution of pills and liquid.

Like its opioid cousin heroin, many abuse oxycodone for its euphoric effects. And like with heroin, oxycodone abuse affects the brain’s reward and pleasure system, causing people to form a dependence on the drug to feel normal.

The short-term effects of oxycodone use include:

• Happiness and euphoria

• Loss of pallor

• Blue lips and fingers

The indications above are often signs of overdose, which requires immediate medical attention. More people die from opioid overdose each year than any other kind of drug.

As with all forms of addiction, oxycodone addiction is measured by the negative consequences the abuse of the substance has on the user’s life. Its not uncommon for people with oxycodone addictions to report negative impacts on their physical and mental health, problems in their relationships, financial problems, and work-related problems resulting from their addiction.

Detox & Rehab Benefits

Rehab has proven extraordinarily successful in helping countless oxycodone addicts to achieve long-term recovery. As opioids have become more and more prevalent and damaging across the UK, an ever-greater number of addicts are finding the help they need in rehab.

Some of the advantages of rehab include:

• A medical detox, where highly qualified professionals will make the addicts journey through withdrawal as comfortable and safe as possible.
• Pleasant, peaceful surroundings in which an addict can focus wholly on his or her recovery.
• A broad range of therapy options to ensure the most appropriate therapeutic care for each patient.
• Group therapy, providing patients with a peer group of those who have been through similar experiences and can share advice and support.
• Bespoke dietary and fitness plans, working on the principle of healthy body, healthy mind.
• Complete confidentiality to ensure that patients need not be concerned about details of their condition becoming public knowledge.
• One years free aftercare, providing supplementary support as the recovering addict readjusts to a drug-free life.

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Oxycontin Addiction: Facts And Statistics

Oxycontin addiction is a part of the broader opioid epidemic facing the country. The number of people who misuse and die from Oxycontin may be surprising. The latest statistics on Oxycontin abuse show that:

• Men are more likely to die of prescription opioid overdose than women, and an estimated 9,978 men died of prescription opioid overdose in 2016
• Women are 40% more likely than men to develop an addiction to prescription opioids
• 12.9% of teens in their senior year of high school say they have used prescription opioids for nonmedical reasons at some point in their lifetime
• About one in three Medicare beneficiaries receive a prescription for opioids each
• From 2006 to 2012, elderly adults accounted for 71,000 emergency department visits and hospitalizations for prescription opioid overdose

Oxycontin addiction is especially problematic in the elderly because older people can have some more severe side effects from Oxycontin misuse than younger people. These include medical problems such as urinary retention and decreased libido.

Are Any Pain Killers Safe With Alcohol

Most over-the-counter and prescription painkillers can potentially cause compounded side effects when used in combination with alcohol. Some of these side effects may include drowsiness, increased risk for overdose, slowed or difficulty breathing, impaired motor control, unusual behavior, liver and kidney problems, and more. Be sure to speak with your physician about the medications you take and whether your alcohol use may cause certain unwanted effects.1

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