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Over two million Americans are addicted to prescription pain medications. Moreover, one of the most commonly used and abused out of these painkillers is OxyContin. While an OxyContin addiction can be devastating, it does not have to be a life sentence. It is important to learn about OxyContin, the dangers of abusing this prescription drug, and how to properly ask for help, and find the road to recovery at an OxyContin addiction treatment center.
OxyContin is the name brand for a drug called oxycodone. Also, it’s a painkiller that is only available with a prescription. OxyContin is often prescribed for acute or chronic pain. Specifically, many people use the drug after an injury, an accident or surgery.
OxyContin is an opioid drug. That means it has a lot in common with other opiates like heroin, opium, or morphine. It can be incredibly powerful, and it can also be highly addictive. OxyContin comes on its own, but it also mixes with other primary ingredients to form prescription drugs like Percocet and Percodan.
Of the two million or more Americans dependent on opioids like OxyContin, most don’t start taking drugs for recreation. The overwhelming majority start taking OxyContin because they are experiencing pain. In many cases, doctors first prescribe OxyContin to users. However, users might borrow the addictive drug from friends or family members rather than visiting the doctor in person. It is sad to say, but getting access to these drugs is just as easy as becoming addicted to them.
While this may seem innocent enough, the side effects of OxyContin cause complications. Furthermore, it’s not as straightforward as taking an aspirin or ibuprofen. When you take prescription drugs like OxyContin, your brain and body can become dependent on them. Therefore, that means the body learns to function with a constant supply of the substance.
After dependence comes tolerance, where the body not only has learned that for it to function properly, it needs the drug, but the more it is taken, the more the body becomes tolerant or used to it. As a result, people think they can take a larger dose than prescribed, and as a result, overdoses occur, or worse premature death.
If you try to take that substance away, the body can react negatively. In many cases, users experience a sharp increase in pain. This can be a form of withdrawal. When this happens, most users believe they need the drug to live life comfortably.
This is the route to addiction. However, some users don’t even realize they have an addiction. In reality, chemical and emotional dependence are already developing, creating a need for an OxyContin addiction treatment center.
The CDC places the highest risk for people between the ages of 25 and 54. However, therapists at Crest View Recovery Center see plenty of younger and older program participants with OxyContin abuse and dependency. In fact, you’re at risk for dependence even if you follow your doctor’s orders. Here’s how it works.
When you receive a bona fide prescription, you start taking the pain pill. After a few weeks, your body develops a tolerance. As a result, you have to increase the dose. The drug now changes the way that dopamine release works even as it relieves your pain.
On the flipside, there are program participants who start OxyContin abuse from the onset. In fact, they began with high doses to get high. Many like feeling euphoric and well. They also use the painkillers for the relaxation that high doses provide.
OxyContin manipulates dopamine levels in both types of users. When you overdo the dose, it creates a sudden dopamine glut. Because you want to experience it again, you’ll do anything you can to recreate the feeling. For some, this means crushing the pills and snorting them or even injecting them.
OxyContin addiction is a serious problem. OxyContin is not meant to be used chronically. As a result, users may face physical and psychological problems.
OxyContin addiction can cause chronic nausea, vomiting, and constipation. For example, it can also lead to difficulty breathing. Many users experience depression, anxiety, aggression, and insomnia.
When a person has an OxyContin addiction, they are also at constant risk of overdose. Also, OxyContin users might turn to opioid alternatives. A staggering 80 percent of people addicted to heroin first developed an addiction to prescription painkillers.
Anyone who uses OxyContin daily for weeks or months at a time may have an addiction. If that person goes doctor shopping, that may also be a clear warning. Doctor shopping is when individuals visit more than one doctor, pain clinic, or pharmacy at a time to get access to OxyContin. The only reason to do this is to access more of the drug.
If chronic use of painkillers means broken relationships, financial ruin or health problems, then the person in question is likely struggling with addiction and in need of an Oxycontin addiction.
Addiction treatment for OxyContin is available at Crest View Recovery Center here in Asheville, NC. Through our OxyContin addiction treatment center, clients can learn how to live life without the need for opioid drugs. For example, sobriety is possible through the use of therapies such as:
No one should have to struggle with an OxyContin addiction on their own. For comprehensive support and the tools necessary to overcome addiction, consider Crest View Recovery Center in Asheville, North Carolina. Call 866-986-1371 to get on the right track toward health, happiness, and sobriety.
Stop trying to fight this battle alone. Let today be the day you take control back from addiction. Contact Crest View today.