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How To Stop Oxycodone Addiction

What Are The Side Effects Of Taking Oxycodone Medication

How to Overcome an Oxycontin Addiction | Addictions

When oxycodone is taken as prescribed, the side effects tend to be mild. Its an use of the drug that causes adverse side effects, especially when combined with use of other substances. Side effects of oxycodone use may include:

  • Headaches, dizziness, and nausea
  • Increase to the pressure of spinal or cerebral fluids
  • Irregular breathing or respiratory depression
  • Low blood pressure
  • Seizures
  • Fatal overdose due to cardiac arrest or slowed breathing

The U.S. National Library Of Medicine explains that fatal overdose is especially a risk when taking crushed, extended-release OxyContin tablets.

Side effects are more easily monitored when youre using this medication under your doctors care. Its when you use oxycodone outside the care of a physician that youre most at risk of use, addiction, and other consequences. As CESAR reports, when used illicitly, the chances of becoming addicted to it increase exponentially.

Because of how opioids workby changing the way your brain and body respond to paintaking them when you arent experiencing great pain can be harmful. Also, youre most at risk of developing an addiction to oxycodone if you take it for recreational use.

What Causes An Addiction To Oxycodone

Oxycodone can trigger a rush of dopamine in the brain. This causes a euphoric high. Although many people use oxycodone to manage pain following injury, illness, or surgery, some find themselves craving the euphoric effects.

When their prescription expires, they tell their doctor that they still need oxycodone to deal with the pain, though it might be more about its mood-altering capabilities. This is one of the first signs of dependence.

What Is Opioid Withdrawal

Opioid withdrawal is what happens when you stop taking opioid drugs after your body has come to rely on them to feel OK. It can affect you in many ways.

Opioids attach to things called receptors on nerve cells in your brain, spinal cord, and other places to block pain messages that your body is sending to your brain. They also trigger your brain to release dopamine, a chemical that makes you feel good.

Opioid drugs, like oxycodone or morphine, can help with pain when you have surgery or when you’ve been injured. Some people also use illegal forms of them, like heroin.

Prescription opioids are usually safe to use for a short time and as directed by your doctor. If you need to stop taking long-term opioids, talk with your doctor. To do it safely, you need to take less of the drugs slowly over time as a medical team keeps a close watch over you.

Also Check: Can You Get Addicted To Hydrocodone

Overcoming Opioid Addiction: A Woman Shares Her Story

Five days a week, Cristin wakes up before dawn and calls her employer to get her assignments for the day. As a mobile phlebotomist, the 36-year-old from Meriden visits assisted living residences, nursing homes and drug rehabilitation centers where patients need medical tests.

At the rehab centers she tells her personal story to cheer patients up. Theyre often depressed and feel really crummy about themselves, she says. I say, Keep doing the right thing, and it will get better. To prove it, she rolls up her sleeve. I show them the marks on my arm and say, I used to be in your position, she says. It is possible!

If someone is struggling with severe dependence, they may be out on the street or doing desperate things to try to support their habit. There can be health consequences and legal consequences if they cant start treatment right away.Carla Marienfeld, MD

With the help of Carla Marienfeld, MD, formerly an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale Medicine, and the staff at the nonprofit APT Foundation, which provides substance use disorder treatment and related services, Cristin is now in control of the opioid use disorder she acquired as a teenager.

Shes been able to escape a lot of the negative cycles that occur with long-term substance abuse, Dr. Marienfeld says. Shes successful in her job, happy in her relationship and even thinking about having kids. Shes made wonderful decisions and has really come a long way.

Why Renascent Addiction Rehab Centres

Oxycodone Addiction Treatment: What You Need to Know ...

Our substance addiction treatment programs address all your complete individual needs, supporting you through the detox process and give you the tools you need for lasting healing and long-term recovery.

  • We are a national leader in treating substance use disorders.
  • Over 50 years, weve helped over 50,000 people.
  • We are a not-for-profit treatment centre our generous donors help offset your costs for high quality, leading treatment programs that work.
  • We are fully accredited and use evidence-based clinical best practices.
  • Our treatment centres are serene, comfortable, restorative settings.
  • Our holistic approach addresses the families, children, loved ones, workplaces, and communities who are also affected by addiction.
  • Our staff are professionally certified or licensed and have lived experiences of addiction and long-term recovery.

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Whats An Addiction To Oxycodone

Substance use disorder, including addiction, exists on a continuum.

Its possible to only have a physical addiction, or dependence, which can go away once you detox off oxycodone.

However, its not uncommon to develop an emotional addiction to oxycodone. For many people, the euphoric effects are challenging to let go of.

In either case, an addiction is an inability to stop using oxycodone, even though youre experiencing physical, emotional, and behavioral difficulties as a result of using it.

Stress And Drug Craving

That drug abuse patients are more vulnerable to stress than the general population is a clinical truism. In the research arena, numerous studies have documented that physical stressors and psychological stressors can cause animals to reinstate drug use and that stressors can trigger drug craving in addicted humans . The likely explanation for these observations is that opioids raise levels of cortisol, a hormone that plays a primary role in stress responses and cortisol, in turn, raises the level of activity in the mesolimbic reward system . By these mechanisms, stress may contribute to the abusers desire to take drugs in the first place and to his or her subsequent compulsion to keep taking them.

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Benefits Of Quitting Oxycodone

Quitting oxycodone offers many benefits, including:

  • Better physical health: Long-term abuse of drugs like oxycodone can cause physical and mental health problems,3 and in some instances may even lead to death.1
  • Better mental health: Many people addicted to oxycodone also struggle with co-occurring mental illness.4 Quitting oxycodone provides an opportunity to work with a professional to treat any underlying mental health issues and improve overall life satisfaction.
  • Better social relationships: Oxycodone addiction often has a negative impact on relationships with family, friends, and co-workers. Recovery offers an opportunity to rebuild lost trust and establish healthy relationships.

What Does Oxycodone Addiction Treatment Entail

How Does OxyContin Detox/Withdrawal Work?

Since oxycodone dependence and addiction are so severe, its generally not safe for individuals to quit cold turkey. Withdrawal side effects can be severe and dangerous, so its generally advised for individuals to undergo a medication-assisted detox program. Oxycodone treatment involves an integrative approach, combining counseling, medial supervision, medication, alternative therapies, and nutrition.

Patients and their loved ones should bear in mind that addiction is a serious medical disorder and needs to be treated accordingly. The overall goal of treatment programs is not only to stop drug use, but also to reduce dangerous behaviors associated with use. Oxycodone abuse centers help people learn how to live healthy, sober lives, as well as be able to identify and manage triggers.

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Oxycodone Side Effects And Signs Of Addiction

Are you struggling with:

  • A need to use more oxycodone, and more often, to get the same effect?
  • Physical symptoms such as shakes, cramps, vomiting, muscle pain, trouble sleeping and restlessness when you arent using oxycodone?
  • Spending more time and money getting oxycodone than with friends, family and activities you used to enjoy?

These are all signs of oxycodone withdrawal and addiction. If you have any of these symptoms, know there is help.

If you need help or someone to talk to about how to quit oxycodone, call us for help. We can help you, your family or friends, deal with the effects of your oxycodone addiction.

Your road to recovery starts here.

Medications To Help You Quit

Medications for opioid addiction can help with detoxification, the process of allowing the body to rid itself of a drug while helping prevent or ease withdrawal symptoms. These drugs also can help reduce cravings. Detox is not a treatment for addiction itself, but it is a useful first step when followed by treatment with a behavioral-based therapy and/or medication.

Increasing evidence shows that medically assisted treatment a combination of medication and psychosocial treatments is most effective for opioid use disorder. A study of MassHealth patients found that patients on medication treatments like methadone or buprenorphine are 50% less likely to relapse. Other studies have shown that patients treated with these medications are 50% less likely to die.

Although sometimes criticized as replacing one addiction with another, these medications can restore normalcy to peoples lives, stabilize their home and work life, and enhance their motivation to change.

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Signs Of Someone Oxycodone Hydrochloride Addiction

At first, it may be difficult to recognize the signs of oxycodone addiction. There are a few telltale symptoms that signal you, or someone you know, are addicted.

Its important to understand that since opioid addiction affects your mind, body, and emotional health, signs of addiction to it may be physical, behavioral, or mental. One of the biggest signs of any addiction is the inability to stop the use of the substance, even if you want to stop, or being unable to stop taking more than your prescribed dose.

The American Academy Of Family Physicians reports the following signs of opioid use and addiction:

  • Agitation
  • Sleep troubles and changes to sleep patterns

Oxycodone Addiction And Abuse In Canada

how to stop taking oxycodone without withdrawal

Oxycodone addiction and abuse are just one of the many opioid problems plaguing Canada in 2021. Uncontrolled opioid abuse spins out of control and can lead to severe consequences. For instance, between 2016 and 2018, there have been over 11,000 deaths due to oxycodone and other forms of opioid abuse.

The use of oxycodone is a two-edged sword. Oxycodone is a prescription medication that douses immense pain. However, just like other opioids, its highly addictive. Beyond its addictive properties, oxycodone abuse can also result in psychological side effects.

Opioids are notorious for how addictive they can be. According to studies, its possible to develop an oxycodone habit with the very first use. Medical monitoring is supposed to prevent addictions. However, we often find that patients go out of their way to use beyond the prescribed dosage.

Patients are not to blame for the oxycodone abuse and addiction situation in Canada. We believe the Canadian healthcare system can do more to prevent opioid addiction.

While exploring these crisis-preventing measures is beyond the scope of this article, well consider some other critical things. From the numbers to the symptoms, well paint a picture of how bad oxy abuse is in Canada.

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How Common Is Oxycodone Addiction

Because oxycodone is a prescribed drug, its difficult to determine how many patients suffer from oxycodone addiction. However, its more common in the United States, as doctors are willing to prescribe oxycodone more frequently in other parts of the world.

In the UK, for example, oxycodone is rarely prescribed. Instead, United Kingdom doctors rely on tramadol and codeine to help their patients.

Its estimated that between 26 and 36 million people, worldwide, abuse oxycodone. Not all may be addicted, but overdoses by use of the drug have more than quadrupled in the United States over the past 18 years.

Its interesting to note that those who are prescribed oxycodone are 40% more likely to abuse heroin. Its unclear what causes this connection, but researchers indicate that, as heroin is a street drug, abuse of heroin may be a result of drug-seeking behaviors. In other words, when someone who suffers from oxycodone addiction cant find oxycodone, he or she will use heroin instead.

How To Stop Taking Oxycodone Without Withdrawal Using Kratom

Countless individuals have learned how to stop taking oxycodone without withdrawal by using a natural plant in the coffee family called kratom. Kratom is not an opiate, but it does act as a natural opioid agonist.

Remember how I taught you that coming off oxycodone cold-turkey leads to blood-opioid concentrations falling too fast and thus causing an oxycodone withdrawal syndrome?

Kratom is an herbal remedy containing natural alkaloids that bind to your opioid receptors and naturally boost your blood-opioid concentration.

Ive seen people on very high doses of oxycodone use kratom to stop taking oxycodone without withdrawal.

The main benefits of self-hacking your oxycodone-dependent brain with kratom are listed below:

  • Kratom is natural and is much less powerful than oxycodone, though its still strong enough to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
  • Many people use kratom to stop taking oxycodone without withdrawal, then they spend a few weeks or longer tapering off kratom with specific supplements and its a walk in the park compared to coming off oxycodone.
  • Kratom is legal in the United States, though it is banned in a few states and counties. As long as you dont live in a state with a ban on kratom, you can legally purchase kratom online and use it to help you stop taking oxycodone without withdrawal.

Read Also: What’s The Most Addictive Drug

Yale Medicine Is Out Front On Addiction

Most doctors view addiction as a chronic disease, akin to diabetes. When you get it, you dont get rid of it, Dr. Schottenfeld says. Its hard to recover from. With so many Americans dependent on opioids, hundreds of thousands of people will need ongoing treatment for prolonged periods of time, he says.

The good news is that some treatments work well. Medications such as methadone and buprenorphine can stimulate the opioid receptors enough to eliminate the drug cravings, without getting a patient high. The goal is to help patients feel normal, Dr. Marienfeld says. Then they can focus on other aspects of their lives, such as working or parenting.

Treatment without medication rarely works. You get extraordinarily high relapse rates, 85 to 90 percent in a year, and an enormous risk of overdose death, Dr. Schottenfeld says. Opioid users have long had trouble getting help with their addiction. Treatment hasnt been readily available, Dr. Schottenfeld says. Its difficult to get, expensive and not necessarily covered by insurance.

Now physicians can complete training and receive a special waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. Dr. Schottenfeld and Dr. Marienfeld have helped dozens of local physicians in Connecticutmostly psychiatry residents, family practitioners, primary care doctors and internal medicine specialistsreceive the training.

Why Do Some People Develop An Addiction To Oxycodone

Oxycodone Addiction and Rehabilitation | Drug Knowledge | Detox to Rehab

Oxycodone may lead to addiction because of the rush of dopamine in your brain and how quickly your body adapts to having it in your system.

Over time, the regular use of oxycodone results in difficulties for the brain and body to produce natural opioids as well as other natural feel-good chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin, says Aaron Sternlicht, a family addiction specialist in New York City.

When the brain is low on those neurotransmitters, it can create an experience known as anhedonia, when you lose your natural ability to feel pleasure.

The only relief is taking more oxycodone. But as you take more, you feel less pleasure. As you feel less pleasure, you want to take more oxycodone.

Individuals with an oxycodone dependence often report having a low mood as well as other physical and mental feelings of discomfort if they are not under the influence of the substance, Sternlicht says.

  • small pupils
  • vomiting

If you or someone you know is experiencing an overdose, get immediate medical attention. Call 911 or local emergency services, or go to the nearest emergency room.

You can also call poison control at 800-222-1222 in the meantime.

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How To Treat Oxycodone Addiction

There are many resources and treatment options available if youre living with oxycodone addiction.

The key is to reach out and use these resources. Thats where recovery from an addiction begins, Crépault says.

As time goes on, the recovery process is about putting lives back together by reconnecting with loved ones and learning how to navigate everyday life, including things like work, school, and other responsibilities, without going back to the addiction, he says.

Theres no one-size-fits-all approach to addiction treatment. What matters is that you find one that works with you.

How Do People Become Addicted To Oxycodone

While oxycodone has many legitimate medical uses for pain control, especially for people with severe pain, it can quickly become addictive. Oxycodone, along with numerous other types of opioid painkillers, can lead to addiction if used for a longer period of time or used in ways other than how it was prescribed. 3

Oxycodone is part of the opioid class of drugs that were prescribed in large numbers during the 1990s. People who took these medications, and the doctors who prescribed them, did not fully understand how addictive they were.5

To stem the tide of opioid misuse and overdoses, Federal and State governments worked to implement more control over oxycodone and other opioid prescriptions. These prescription-monitoring programs helped to curb opioid misuse by reducing overprescribing and doctor-shopping, a process where people would obtain legal opioid prescriptions from multiple doctors. 6

Unfortunately, there was an unintended outcome of prescription-monitoring programs, as people who were then unable to obtain oxycodone and other opioids started to turn to heroin as a substitute.7 Although heroin is an illicit drug with no medical purpose, it is cheaper and easier to obtain than opioid painkillers, such as oxycodone.8

In fact, around 80% of all heroin users report first using prescription opioids, which is a reversal from heroin use in the 1960s and 1970s, when heroin was the first opioid drug that 80% of people used prior to using prescription opioids.7

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