It acts in the body the same way as heroin. Like heroin it was introduced as an effective pain management tool with few addiction risks. Heroin had found its way to this country in the late 19th Century from Germany, when scientists came up with an alternative to morphine, which was also touted as a kind of miracle drug to treat pain without fear of addiction.
The intentions were good, but the reality turned out to be a nightmare. Like morphine and heroin, oxycodone, aka OxyContin or "oxycotton" looked like it would be a like a good idea when it came to market in 1995. But in the 15 years since Purdue Pharma introduced it, the drug has become one of the most commonly abused prescription opiates.
People will abuse anything. That's human nature. If one pill is good for relieving pain, then two pills have to be better. A person may not be in pain at all, but they like the way they feel when they take the pain reliever. Anytime a drug is taken in excess, or for any other reason other than its intended purpose, that's drug abuse. Morphine was a good idea, because it helped control pain.
During the Civil War it was a\used extensively, but in the aftermath of that war, thousands were addicted. The scientists were convinced that heroin was the answer to morphine because they believed it was not habit-forming. It was manufactured in this country until 1913. Then Purdue Pharma introduced oxycodone, which is very similar in its molecular structure to heroin, claiming little addiction risk. Doctors prescribe it, it finds its way on to the street and people abuse it.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that the rate that Milwaukee-area doctors have prescribed opioids has increased tenfold over the last 15 years. One former doctor, Robert Wetzler, was mentioned in the article because six of his patients had overdosed and died on prescription pain medication. It wasn't until six had died that any action was taken to stop him.
The availability of opiate pain medication is increasing and more of these drugs are being sold on the streets. People get a prescription and may not take all of the pills, so they leave them in the medicine cabinet. Someone else takes those pills, or they sell them. People get pills from their families or their friends.
The flood of pills happens for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that doctors prescribe oxycodone routinely. The doctor understands that if the drug is taken at the right dosage, at the right interval, it will be an effective, short-term solution for pain. He/she is not necessarily thinking about the potential for abuse, or even suspicious that the person they are treating is scamming them for drugs.
There is an internet petition out there to ban OxyContin. They want the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to revisit its approval of this widely abused opioid. The petition states that OxyContin is the "preferred substitute for heroin," and it goes on to state, "There are other products as effective as OxyContin at controlling pain but no other legal opioid has the history of misrepresentation, abuse, death and destruction of OxyContin."
As stated at the beginning of this blog, oxycodone is very similar to heroin. It is reported that the high experienced is more intense, but it's expensive. People may get some sense of false security taking the oxy because they think it's safe because it is a prescription pain medication, but heroin is less expensive. It is not uncommon for toxicology reports to show that an overdose victim had both heroin and oxycodone in their system.
The heroin on the streets has no standards. You don't know what you're buying and the buyer has no idea what the drug has been "cut" with. The bottom line is that once a drug is on the streets and the product of a criminal enterprise, there are no morals or ethics to guide behavior. Who knows what people are buying?
Powerful opioid drugs have their place. In a perfect world, people would take them for a short period of time, just to get through the rough patch, and then the drugs would be destroyed. The drugs would never be sold for recreational purposes, people would be mindful of the harmful effects, and alternative forms of treatment would be offered. But we want a quick and easy way to feel better and drugs are the answer for too many people.
Television ads for every possible condition are hawking pills, because you deserve to feel better now. It's human pride and vanity. To be human is to be addicted and some are just susceptible to the feel good through drugs message. They get into trouble.
The intentions were good, but the reality turned out to be a nightmare. Like morphine and heroin, oxycodone, aka OxyContin or "oxycotton" looked like it would be a like a good idea when it came to market in 1995. But in the 15 years since Purdue Pharma introduced it, the drug has become one of the most commonly abused prescription opiates.
People will abuse anything. That's human nature. If one pill is good for relieving pain, then two pills have to be better. A person may not be in pain at all, but they like the way they feel when they take the pain reliever. Anytime a drug is taken in excess, or for any other reason other than its intended purpose, that's drug abuse. Morphine was a good idea, because it helped control pain.
During the Civil War it was a\used extensively, but in the aftermath of that war, thousands were addicted. The scientists were convinced that heroin was the answer to morphine because they believed it was not habit-forming. It was manufactured in this country until 1913. Then Purdue Pharma introduced oxycodone, which is very similar in its molecular structure to heroin, claiming little addiction risk. Doctors prescribe it, it finds its way on to the street and people abuse it.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that the rate that Milwaukee-area doctors have prescribed opioids has increased tenfold over the last 15 years. One former doctor, Robert Wetzler, was mentioned in the article because six of his patients had overdosed and died on prescription pain medication. It wasn't until six had died that any action was taken to stop him.
The availability of opiate pain medication is increasing and more of these drugs are being sold on the streets. People get a prescription and may not take all of the pills, so they leave them in the medicine cabinet. Someone else takes those pills, or they sell them. People get pills from their families or their friends.
The flood of pills happens for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that doctors prescribe oxycodone routinely. The doctor understands that if the drug is taken at the right dosage, at the right interval, it will be an effective, short-term solution for pain. He/she is not necessarily thinking about the potential for abuse, or even suspicious that the person they are treating is scamming them for drugs.
There is an internet petition out there to ban OxyContin. They want the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to revisit its approval of this widely abused opioid. The petition states that OxyContin is the "preferred substitute for heroin," and it goes on to state, "There are other products as effective as OxyContin at controlling pain but no other legal opioid has the history of misrepresentation, abuse, death and destruction of OxyContin."
As stated at the beginning of this blog, oxycodone is very similar to heroin. It is reported that the high experienced is more intense, but it's expensive. People may get some sense of false security taking the oxy because they think it's safe because it is a prescription pain medication, but heroin is less expensive. It is not uncommon for toxicology reports to show that an overdose victim had both heroin and oxycodone in their system.
The heroin on the streets has no standards. You don't know what you're buying and the buyer has no idea what the drug has been "cut" with. The bottom line is that once a drug is on the streets and the product of a criminal enterprise, there are no morals or ethics to guide behavior. Who knows what people are buying?
Powerful opioid drugs have their place. In a perfect world, people would take them for a short period of time, just to get through the rough patch, and then the drugs would be destroyed. The drugs would never be sold for recreational purposes, people would be mindful of the harmful effects, and alternative forms of treatment would be offered. But we want a quick and easy way to feel better and drugs are the answer for too many people.
Television ads for every possible condition are hawking pills, because you deserve to feel better now. It's human pride and vanity. To be human is to be addicted and some are just susceptible to the feel good through drugs message. They get into trouble.
No comments:
Post a Comment