Opiod Abuse – Oxycontin and Roxies by Shane Porter, MS, LMHC President – DocGreet and CCNSB

Aug. 13, 2010 - PRLog -- Volusia county as well as most counties in Florida has seen an amazing new trend in Drug Addiction over the last few years. In the last year of my practice at the Counseling Center of New Smyrna Beach I have seen more teens and young adults struggling with addiction than I have seen in years prior. Most of them are addicted to Alcohol, Marijuana or Pain Killer. The last being the topic I would like to discuss in this article.

Pain Killers are typically in a class of drugs known as narcotics and are opiod type medications. These drugs are highly addictive, readily available, seen as harmless and are ripping apart families and taking lives everyday. In fact it would not surprise me if the next report I read says that oxyies and roxies have risen to the number one slot of cause of death in all classes of drugs.

In treating dependency or abuse of these or any drug it is important to have accurate information about the drug.

Drug Name

Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Roxicodone®, Percocet®, Percodan®, OxyIR®(oxycodone instant release IR or oxycodone extended release ER)

Street Names

OC's, OXY, OXY's, OXIES, OXYCOTTON, OXY80, PERKS, HILLBILLY HEROIN, ROXIES

Category

Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic medication synthesized from thebaine.

Drug Type / Action

Oxycodone is a central nervous system depressant. Oxycodone's action appears to work through stimulating the opioid receptors found in the central nervous system that activate responses ranging from analgesia to respiratory depression to euphoria.

Licit Uses

Oxycodone is an effective analgesic for mild to moderate pain control, chronic pain syndromes, and for the treatment of terminal cancer pain. Oxycodone is considered to be similar to morphine, in all respects, including its abuse & dependence liabilities.

Illicit Uses

Oxycodone is abused for its opiate-like effects. As with most opiates, the adverse effects of oxycodone abuse are dependence and tolerance development. Opiate abusers have been injecting or snorting the crushed and/or dissolved tablets.  The major source of oxycodone to the street has been through forged prescriptions, professional diversion through unscrupulous pharmacists, doctors, and dentists, "doctor-shopping", and large-scale thefts.

User Population

Every age group has been affected by the relative ease of oxycodone availability and the perceived safety of these products by professionals. Sometimes seen as a "white-collar" addiction, oxycodone abuse has increased among all ethnic and economic groups.

DEA Status

It is a Schedule II (CII) Narcotic.

Sources of Legal Distribution

It is available only through prescription.  Prescriptions for oxycodone cannot be refilled and can only be filled with a written prescription.

Withdrawal Symptoms of Oxycodone Usage
_. Perpetually being tired
_. Hot/cold sweats
_. Heart palpitations
_. Diarrhea
_. Rapid breathing
_. Crying
_. Runny nose
_. Hyperactivity
_. Hot and cold flashes
_. Aching muscles   
_. Joints and muscles in constant pain
_. Vomiting
_. Nausea
_. Uncontrollable coughing
_. Agitation
_. Increased heart rate
_. Loss of appetite abdominal
_. Cramps    _. Insomnia
_. Watery eyes
_. Excessive yawning
_. Depression
_. Fever
_. Dilated pupils
_. Tremors
_. Watery eyes
_. Excessive yawning
_. Depression

We are finding an alarming increase in the number of adolescents using oxycodone.

There were 119 Oxycodone-related deaths in Broward County in 2007 including 85 where the drug was considered the cause of death and 34 where the drug was detected in the deceased person. Across Florida, there were 1,253 Oxycodone-related deaths including 705 where the drug was considered the cause of death.

United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse

From the Office of the Medical Examiner, Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach, FL
Upon reviewing the last 172 deaths involving the use of oxycodone in Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office in which post mortem toxicological studies indicated the presence of oxycodone.  Benzodiazepines, detected in 96 cases, were the most common co-intoxicants in the cases of combined drug toxicity, followed by cocaine, which was found in 41. The most frequently encountered benzodiazepine was Xanax (alprazolam). This study confirms that deaths in which oxycodone is a factor are most commonly cases of combined drug toxicity.

A recent Sun Sentinel report.

Rx for Death: Patients in pain overdosing in alarming numbers
Sun-Sentinel investigation documented 393 prescription drug-related deaths over the past two years in the seven-county area stretching from Okeechobee to Miami-Dade County.  The drugs showing up most often are OxyContin®. It was present in at least 224 of the 393 deaths.  OxyContin® has become the most frequently prescribed narcotic in the country, with almost 6 million people using it, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

Historically, oxycodone products have been popular drugs of abuse among the narcotic abusing population. In recent years, concern has grown among federal, state, and local officials about the dramatic increase in the illicit availability and abuse of OxyContin® products. These products contain large amounts of oxycodone (10 to 160 mg) in a formulation intended for slow release over about a 12-hour period.
Abusers have learned that this slow-release mechanism can be easily circumvented by crushing the tablet and swallowing, smoking, snorting, or injecting the drug product for a more rapid and intense high. The criminal activity associated with illicitly obtaining and distributing this drug, as well as serious consequences of illicit use, including addiction and fatal overdose deaths, is of epidemic proportions in some areas of the United States.   

FACT:

There is significant research that reveals the fact the medical detoxification without a rigorous program of recovery that includes Psychotherapy and Substance Abuse Group Therapy, may have little lasting effect. The rate of recidivism (relapse) is extremely high with those that choose to forego therapy in conjunction with medical detoxification. At the Counseling Center of New Smyrna Beach we have several specialist who treat addiction issues, if we can be of help please feel free to contact us for an appointment.

The following is a link to the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration.

http://www.samhsa.gov

Link to an article I wrote on Addiciton.

http://member.docgreet.com/doctor/CCNSB/articles.aspx

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