What follows are some of the most myths about OxyContin use, and actual facts behind them.
Myth: OxyContin is Not Addictive.
Fact: Just because it is made by a respected pharmaceutical company does not mean that OxyContin is not a highly addictive drug.
The active ingredients in OxyContin are opiates -a highly addictive family of drugs found in heroin and other prescription painkillers that are proven addictive (such as Vicodin).
Myth: Snorting or Injecting OxyContin is No More Dangerous Than Taking it Orally.
Fact: Individuals who snort or inject OxyContin are the most likely to overdose on the drug.
OxyContin is designed to be a time-release drug. When taken orally, and used as intended, the drug emits its pain-relief effects over time, with each dose being released over the course of many hours. When the drug is crushed and snorted, of mixed with water and injected however, all the opiates are released at once, causing a rush that many people simply cannot handle. The result is often overdose, or in many cases death.
Myth: OxyContin is Now Illegal in the United States
Fact: OxyContin is still being prescribed legally by doctors to a select percentage of the population that is suffering from extreme chronic pain to due to illness or injury.
What IS illegal is forging doctors signatures on prescriptions, stealing from medicine cabinets and other desperate means that the individual who is addicted to OxyContin will use to obtain the drug.
Myth: Withdrawal Symptoms from OxyContin Use Are Not Severe
Fact: As with any strong opiate, the withdrawal symptoms experienced by those have become addicted to OxyContin can cause a great deal of physical and psychological discomfort.
- Anxiety
- Muscle aches and pains
- Depression
- Suicidal thoughts
- Nausea
Perhaps the most serious withdrawal symptom stemming from OxyContin use is the high risk of relapse. Those individuals going through withdrawal as a result of detox are the most likely to relapse back into taking OxyContin.
Myth: The Media is Blowing the OxyContin Problem Way Out of Proportion
Fact: Statistics on drug use tell a different story.
For all those who believe that OxyContin is simply a “media creation”, consider the following statistics regarding OxyContin use in the United States:
- OxyContin is blamed for almost 1,000 deaths per year -and that number continues to rise.
- OxyContin theft is become more and more of a law-enforcement problem, with over 2,000 OxyContin related crimes committed last year alone.
- Emergency room visits as a result of OxyContin use number in the “five figures” across the United States and two years ago topped 20,000 for the first time.
Michael’s House is a residential drug treatment program located in Palm Springs, California that knows how to treat OxyContin addiction. Through a medical-level understanding of the drug, as well as the behaviors of those who use it, Michael’s House is able to develop customized treatment programs that best meet the needs of the individual, and will help them get off OxyContin faster and more completely.
Contact Michael’s House today for more information about their residential rehab program, and how it can help those addicted to OxyContin break free from the cycle of addiction.
