Finding the Best Oxycodone Addiction Treatment
OxyContin is a powerful synthetic pain killer prescribed by a doctor for moderate to severe pain. It’s also known as oxycodone, the generic name generally sold at pharmacies. There has been a drastic increase in the prescribing of this powerful opioid over the past decade, which has caused increasing numbers of people to need treatment for oxycodone addiction. If you or someone close to you struggles with dependency issues, please keep reading.
Why Do People Abuse the Drug?
The medical industry has become increasingly focused upon pain management over the past ten years. Patients diagnosed with back pain, suffering from cancer, burn victims, or those recovering from heart attacks may receive time-released formulas of these high-dose opioid prescription medications. Eventually, some people began manipulating the time-release safeguard, allowing the full dose of the medication to affect the body all at once, and producing more intense effects.
The fact that these medications are only considered legal when prescribed by a physician – and are Scheduled 2 Narcotics as classified by the Drug Enforcement Agency – does not change the fact that for many users, opioids became a very popular recreational drug. Through manipulating the time-release formula, people were not just getting pain management relief from the pills, but instead began abusing the medications in order to experience a euphoric high that felt very similar to heroin.
Because these painkillers are made in a lab and frequently prescribed by a doctor, many people experiment with these pills who would otherwise likely never try heroin.
What are the effects of Oxycodone Abuse?
When a long-term opioid user stops using the medication, withdrawal effects should be expected. There are many side effects experienced when abusing this narcotic. Some of the effects are restless legs, loss of appetite, nausea and sleepless nights until the chemicals completely exit the patient’s system. The longer a person abuses this drug, the more intense the detoxification effects can be expected to be.
Developing a Tolerance
Depending upon how much of the medication a person is using, they will build up a tolerance to the drug’s effects. The tolerance will never lessen until the user gets into treatment for their dependency and stops using the narcotic all together.
Tolerance is defined as the body needing increasing amounts of a substance in order to get the same effect they once received with a lower dose. Increased tolerance will nearly always lead to drug addiction, forcing the patient to seek treatment for their dependency upon the medication. Long-term abuse of this drug can also lead to permanent liver damage due to the acetaminophen contained as an additional pain reliever in the pills.
Signs and Symptoms of Addiction
Most individuals who struggle with active addiction are not going to be willing to enter treatment upon first approach. Sometimes the best persuasion can come from a supportive third party like a family member or loved one very close to them. They need to see that what they’re doing is leading to a cycle of endless challenges. Do you know someone that is struggling with this type of addiction, and wonder if it would benefit them to enter into treatment? Listed below are some of the signs and symptoms you can keep an eye out for:
- Finding drugs around the house. Addicts do this to make sure they have easy access and don’t have to worry about running out of their substance of choice.
- Using the drug in private. Active users don’t want anyone to know how bad their problem has gotten and hiding it is the only way they know how to maintain the pretense of normalcy.
- Feelings of extreme pain if they cannot access the drug. Experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Those who use opioid pain medications frequently have been shown to be more sensitive to pain than individuals who do not take these medications.
- Having multiple prescriptions. This is evidence of addiction, and shows that the user is afraid of running out of their supply of the medication. Having multiple prescriptions confirms the user’s tolerance is growing and that what the doctor originally prescribed is not enough to produce the desired response anymore. When this happens, drug abusers start seeking more medication through multiple physicians, or may resort to purchasing the pills illicitly.
- The user is constantly thinking about or discussing the drug. They become compulsive and will do anything to get the drug, despite how negative or severe the consequences could be.
Why is Oxycodone So Addictive?
Oxycodone medications are so addictive because they produce artificial endorphins in the brain. The person has warm and comforting, euphoric sensations. After long term use, the brain will no longer produce those endorphins on its own. This will cause the person to become depressed and frantic when they don’t have the narcotic in their system. This is why it is so important to encourage those struggling with oxycodone dependence to seek professional treatment.
More Than Just Detoxification
Oxycodone treatment nearly always begins with detoxification. This involves cleaning out all the toxins left in the body by the drug. Detoxing is only one of the essential parts of oxycodone rehabilitation treatment. In order for the best possibility of successful recovery, the treatment center will need to understand why the user started abusing the drug in the first place, as well as if they have been to treatment before and if so, determine any reasons for relapse.
Almost all long term users of oxycodone are going to require assistance in order to be able to stop using the drug. Many users do wish to quit, and would have stopped already if they were able to do so alone. If you want long term recovery for your loved one, seek professional help for their oxycodone dependency today.
Importance of Oxycodone Addiction Recovery
It is important to select a rehabilitation center that specializes in oxycodone treatment, specifically. People who struggle with this addiction often turn to heroin if they can no longer access oxycodone, because it is less expensive and easier to find. For these reasons, overdose is common among users of oxycodone, and symptoms of withdrawal are often unpleasant.
Overdoses and infection are a major risk caused by abuse of this drug, which should encourage anyone struggling with addiction to seek rehabilitation assistance as soon as possible.
Make sure you look at all of the options available for opioid addiction treatment before you make your final decision. Just because it’s a rehabilitation center does not mean they offer the best treatment for oxycodone abuse.