Oxycodone is a full opioid agonist and is relatively selective for the mu receptor, although it can bind to other opioid receptors at higher doses. Like all full opioid agonists, there is no ceiling effect to analgesia for oxycodone. Clinically, dosage is titrated to provide adequate analgesia https://ecosoberhouse.com/ and may be limited by adverse reactions, including respiratory and CNS depression. Opioid antagonists, such as naloxone, are specific antidotes to respiratory depression resulting from opioid overdose.

OxyContin Addiction, Abuse, And Treatment

Oxycodone is extremely addictive because it is derived from opiates, making it similar to morphine and heroin. Data from a study involving 24 patients with mild to moderate hepatic dysfunction show peak plasma oxycodone and noroxycodone concentrations 50% and 20% higher, respectively, than healthy subjects. Oxymorphone peak plasma concentrations and AUC values are lower by 30% and 40%. These differences are accompanied by increases in some, but not other, drug effects.

WARNING: SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF OXYCONTIN

• In controlled pharmacokinetic studies in elderly subjects (greater than 65 years) the clearance of oxycodone was slightly reduced.
• You should make sure that you and your family members, caregivers, or the people who spend time with you know how to recognize an overdose, how to use naloxone, and what to do until emergency medical help arrives.
• Abuse or misuse of OXYCONTIN by crushing, chewing, snorting, or injecting the dissolved product will result in the uncontrolled delivery of oxycodone and can result in overdose and death see OVERDOSE.
• The severity of withdrawal symptoms can vary depending on the individual’s level of dependence on the drug.
• This is why a healthcare professional may recommend you start your treatment with detox.

Regularly evaluate for signs of respiratory depression, sedation, and hypotension see Use In Specific Populations and CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY. If switching from other oral oxycodone formulations to OXYCONTIN, administer one half of the patient’s total daily oral oxycodone dose as OXYCONTIN every 12 hours. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In How Addictive Is OxyContin these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary.

How addictive is OxyContin (oxycodone)?

• Taking OxyContin with other opioid medicines, benzodiazepines, alcohol, or other central nervous system depressants (including street drugs) can cause severe drowsiness, decreased awareness, breathing problems, coma, and death.
• Patients are warned never to take more OxyContin than prescribed or to take it in ways other than how it’s intended to be used.
• Contact a treatment provider today to explore your treatment options.
• For the more than 79,000 people who died of an opioid overdose between April 2022 and March 2023, some of those lives may have been saved had this drug been administered in time.

Oxycodone, a morphine-like drug, is found along with non-narcotic analgesics in a number of prescription drugs, such as Percodan (oxycodone and aspirin) and Percocet (oxycodone and acetaminophen). In OxyContin detox, your body slowly rids itself of the oxycodone in its system. Your medical team closely monitors for symptoms of withdrawal and provides treatment to make the process as safe and comfortable as possible. Medically-supervised detox also helps you avoid relapsing back to opioid use when withdrawal symptoms become too difficult. If you or a loved one is struggling with OxyContin addiction, we can help.

For some people, the fact that opioids come from a medical doctor’s office with a prescription may make them think they’re safer to use. While taking opioids as prescribed and under a doctor’s close care is indeed safe, opioids do come with side effects. Some early signs of misuse are taking oxycodone more frequently than your healthcare drug addiction treatment professional prescribed, or taking a higher dose than you were prescribed.

• These medications interrupt pain signals in the brain and can produce a euphoric feeling, which can result in a pleasurable experience and the potential for abuse and addiction.
• Opioid use — even short term — can lead to addiction and, too often, overdose.
• Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction to oxycodone chloride hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• They’ll monitor your dosage and response to the drug, including the potential for misuse and addiction.
• OxyContin was first synthesized in 1916, but it didn’t make its way to America until 1939 when variants of it would show their addictive potential in decades to come.