OxyContin: The Hillbilly Heroin

Also known as killer, Oxy and Hillbilly Heroin, OxyContin is part of the narcotic pain relievers group and is used to treat moderate to severe pain. This drug is popular in the pharmacy world because of its time-released and long lasting effect. Since the pill gives 12 hours of relief from chronic pain, patients only have to take two pills a day instead of multiple pills on another prescription.

Abusers of OxyContin crush the pill which disarms the time-released form, sending them into an intense high. While under the influence, addicts experience decreased anxiety, euphoria and mental relaxation. And just like with other addictive drugs, with the highs come the lows. OxyContin’s adverse side effects include insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, severe stomach cramps and in severe cases, death.

OxyContin Addiction Facts

There are two main factors as to why an addiction to OxyContin is deemed more dangerous that another drug. The first is that OxyContin contains a much larger amount of oxycodone than any other prescription pain reliever. Oxycodone is an opioid medication and can be combined with other medications to form pills like Percocet, Endodan and Tylox. Secondly, a great deal of money can be made by the reselling of OxyContin. If bought through a prescription, a 40 milligram pill costs $4 but can go for $20 to $40 on the street depending on the area of the country.

How to end OxyContin addiction

The drug’s manufacturer, Purdue Pharma set out a plan in 2001 to begin the end of OxyContin abuse. Their plan was to provide physicians with tamper-proof prescription pads, develop and distribute brochure to help educate pharmacists and healthcare professionals on how to prevent diversion, work with healthcare and law enforcement professionals to address the problem of prescription abuse, fund a study to the best practices in Prescription Monitoring Programs and attempt to research and develop other pain management products that will be less resistance to abuse and diversion.

For information on OxyContin and other drugs, check out The Canyon Treatment Center.

About The Canyon

The Canyon is the premiere sanctuary of healing for individuals with co-occurring conditions. This elite center offers a complete continuum of care that includes many treatment options, services, and learning tools that allow each client to build a lasting foundation of recovery. The Canyon is part of the Foundations Recovery Network.