In the past few years, the headlines have been filled with the latest actor, comedian, musician, or athlete who has overdosed on some sort of prescription medication. One of the most commonly abused of these drugs is the painkiller, OxyContin. The addictive quality of OxyContin has resulted in over 1,000 lawsuits against Purdue Pharma, the creator of the drug.
In May 2007 the company pled guilty to misleading the public and physicians about OxyContin's risk of addiction, and agreed to pay $600 million.
Although OxyContin was designed to be ingested orally and digested over a 12 hour period, drug abusers learned that by crushing or liquefying the pill they could snort or inject the substance, giving them a euphoric high, similar to that of heroin.
As a result, Purdue Pharma LP has designed a new OxyContin pill which is harder to crush and more difficult to dissolve. In April 2010, The Food and Drug Administration approved the new OxyContin OP (OxyContin Purdue) pill and have discontinued the production and sale of the OxyContin OC (OxyContin Continuous) pill.
“Due to OxyContin being remanufactured to the new OPs, which are harder to abuse, true addicts are finding that heroin is much easier and cheaper to get,” says James Pease, supervisor of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Mid-Coast Regional Task Force Office. “We’re seeing more people bring heroin in to the mid-coast.”
According to Pease, people are substituting their OxyContin addiction with a more harmful heroin addiction.
“By reformulating the pill to a less abusable pill, the pharmacy company is marketing that it is now preventing the drug abusers to get high on their product.” says Derry Hallmark Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor and Senior Director for Expansion for Narconon Arrowhead heroin rehab center. “Unfortunately, the damage is already done and the addiction is now present as a result of the OxyContin.”
Added Hallmark, “We also did want to remind everyone that the safety of the Oxycontin OC’s that was assured by Purdue ended up being an empty promise and that users of the new Oxycontin OP’s need to remain vigilant and aware of the abuse potential that still remains and that maybe, once again, the safety assurances have been exaggerated.”
Narconon Arrowhead, one of the world largest and most successful heroin rehab centers, is prepared to assist anyone who has become addicted to the OxyContin pill as well as those who have progressed to heroin.
“The last thing we want to happen is for those individuals currently addicted to OxyContin to replace their addiction with heroin,” says Hallmark. “What we thrive for is for people to be off all drugs permanently.”
With a 70% success rate, the Narconon drug rehab center has proven to be successful in rehabilitating those struggling with OxyContin or heroin addiction.
“Now is the time to stop this devastating cycle of addiction,” says Hallmark. “And Narconon Arrowhead is the facility that can do it.”
For more information on rehab centers for you or someone you know who is struggling with a OxyContin addiction or any other drug addiction contact Narconon Arrowhead’s heroin rehab center today at 800-468-6933 or log onto www.heroinaddiction.com. OxyContin and heroin addiction can be overcome through the Narconon program.
