LYCOS RETRIEVER
Oxycontin
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Oxycontin is a widely used painkiller produced by Purdue Pharma. First introduced in 1995, it is a long-acting version of another popular opiod - Oxycodone - that is derived from opium. Like morphine, Oxycontin is a strong narcotic used to treat moderate to severe pain, though typically for longer periods of time.
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Oxycontin is produce by Purdue Pharma for treatment of severe pain. An opiate based drug, Oxycontin has become one of the most abused drugs on the market and its use can be related to hundreds of deaths.
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Oxycontin ® and heroin have similar effects; therefore, both drugs are attractive to the same abuser population. Oxycontin ® is sometimes referred to as "poor man's heroin", despite the high price it commands at the street level. A 40 mg tablet of Oxycontin ® by prescription costs approximately $4 or $400 for a 100-tablet bottle in a retail pharmacy. Street prices vary depending on geographic location, but generally Oxycontin ® sells for between 50 cents and $1 per milligram. Thus, the same 100-tablet bottle purchased for $400 at a retail pharmacy can sell for $2,000 to $4,000 illegally.
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Taking Oxycontin daily can result in physical dependence, a condition in which the body shows signs of narcotic withdrawal if the Oxycontin is stopped suddenly. This is not the same addiction, which represents a situation in which people obtain and take narcotics because of a psychological need, and not just to treat a legitimate painful condition. Physical dependence can be treated by slowly under the advice of a physician by slowing decreasing the Oxycontin dose when it is no longer needed for the treatment of pain. Concerns of drug addiction should not prevent patients with appropriate pain conditions from using Oxycontin or other narcotics for pain relief.
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Avoid alcohol while taking Oxycontin, because alcohol will greatly increase the drowsiness and dizziness caused by Oxycontin and could be dangerous. Be careful when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Oxycontin will cause drowsiness or dizziness. If you experience drowsiness or dizziness, avoid these activities.
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Oxycontin is indicated for the management of moderate to severe pain. A disturbing amount of reports have surfaced detailing widespread addiction to the drug from patients who were prescribed the drug as well as people obtaining the drug through illegal channels. Oxycontin has been linked to over a hundred deaths. Its high and addiction have been compared to those of heroin. The devastation associated with Oxycontin includes armed robberies, criminal indictments of doctors, individual and state lawsuits against Purdue Pharma, and concern from the DEA and FDA. The DEA has asked Purdue Pharma to change its strategy regarding Oxycontin. These suggestions included: marketing Oxycontin only to pain specialists, omit the claim that Oxycontin is less subject to abuse than other narcotics, and reformulation of the drug.
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