Drugs 101
Oxycontin
OxyContin® is a prescription painkiller used for moderate to high pain relief associated with injuries, bursitis, dislocations, fractures, neuralgia, arthritis, lower back pain, and pain associated with cancer.(1) OxyContin® contains oxycodone, the medication's active ingredient, in a timed-release tablet.
Street Names
Kicker, OC, Oxy, OX, Blue, Oxycotton, Hillybilly Heroin
Short Term Affects
Analgesia, sedation, euphoria, feelings of relaxation, respiratory depression, constipation, papillary constriction, and cough suppression. A 10 mg dose of orally-administered oxycodone is equivalent to a 10 mg dose of subcutaneously administered morphine as an analgesic in a normal population. Oxycodone’s behavioral effects can last up to 5 hours. The drug is most often administered orally. The controlled-release product, OxyContin®, has a longer duration of action (8-12 hours). The most serious risk associated with opioids, including OxyContin®, is respiratory depression. Common opioid side effects are constipation, nausea, sedation, dizziness, vomiting, headache, dry mouth, sweating, and weakness. Taking a large single dose of an opioid could cause severe respiratory depression that can lead to death.
Long Term Affects
As with most opiates, oxycodone abuse may lead to dependence and tolerance.
Acute overdose of oxycodone can produce severe respiratory depression,
skeletal muscle flaccidity, cold and clammy skin, reduction in blood
pressure and heart rate, coma, respiratory arrest, and death.
Chronic use of opioids can result in tolerance for the drugs, which means
that users must take higher doses to achieve the same initial effects.
Long-term use also can lead to physical dependence and addiction.
