OxyContin prescription drugs

For many centuries morphine and codeine, alkaloids found in the oriental poppy plant, have been used as effective painkillers. Codeine, which is structurally similar to morphine, is used in some prescription painkillers and cough syrups. Heroin, obtained by a chemical modification of morphine, is strongly addicting and is not used medically. The structure of the prescription drug OxyContin (oxycodone) used to relieve severe pain is similar to heroin. Today, there are an increasing number of deaths from OxyContin abuse because its physiological effects are also similar to those of heroin. 

Recently, many health advocates have become concerned with a prescription drug called OxyContin. Manufactured by Purdue Pharma, OxyContin is the brand name for the drug oxycodone hydrochloride. Concern about this drug is a result of its increasing non-medical abuse. In 2003, for example, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that about 2.8 million people older than 12 years of age had used OxyContin at least once non-medically. The problem, perhaps, is that OxyContin is extremely good at doing its job—pain relief. OxyContin is a powerful prescription medication used by millions of people annually to treat severe pain. 

Drug use by teenagers in 2004 appears to have declined, though use of inhalants and oxycodone (OxyContin ), a prescription opioid pain reliever, are on the rise. Recent reports indicate that a ready source of drugs of abuse for adolescents is prescription drugs found in the home medicine cabinet, as well as prescription drugs available on the Internet. ... 

The most commonly abused prescription drugs are opioids and opiates such as oxycodone and morphine, central nervous system depressants such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines, and stimulants such as dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate. Brand-name painkillers such as Vicodin and OxyContin, depressants such as Valium and Xanax, and stimulants such as Ritalin and Dexedrine are commonly abused (as are some OTC cough remedies). Although helpful and safe when used appropriately, these drugs can cause serious harm when taken in unapproved ways. 

Pinsky, Drew. When Painkillers Become Dangerous What Everyone Needs to Know about OxyContin and Other Prescription Drugs. Center City, Minn. ... 

Inciardi, James A. and Jennifer L. Good. 2003. OxyContin and Prescription Drug Abuse Miracle Medicine or Problem Drug Consumer s Research Magazine 86(7) 17. 

Roche, Timothy. The Potent Perils of a Miracle Drug. Time, vol. 157, January 8, 2001, p. 47. Describes the emergence of OxyContin, the opiate painkiller that is becoming one of the most widely abused prescription drugs. The time-release capsules are broken open and the drug can then be snorted or injected, producing an effect not unlike heroin. Federal au-... 

The 2004 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), conducted by Partnership for a Drug-Free America, showed that prescription drug abuse is higher than or on par with most other illicit substances (Figure 1.2). PATS data indicates that one in five teenagers has abused Vicodin , and one in ten has abused OxyContin (a pain medication) or a stimulant such as Ritalin (a medication to control attention-deficit/hyperac-tivity disorder, or ADHD). 

Prescription drug abuse has infiltrated current teen culture. PATS data revealed that 37 percent of teens say they have close friends who have abused prescription painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin. Some 29 percent say the same about prescription stimulants Ritalin and Adderall . Average teens demonstrate a remarkable sophistication and knowledge when it comes to prescription (Rx) medications, which must be subscribed and supervised by a doctor, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, which are available for general purchase and use, and all other drugs. Teens are familiar with brand names of a wide variety of medications and can accurately describe their effects. 

Oxycontin and Vicodin, both codeine derivatives, along with Demerol, are among the most commonly abused prescription drugs. 

During the trial, it was revealed that the physician prescribed more OxyContin than any other doctor in the state of Florida. Prosecutors in the case accused the physician of running an illegal pill mill in which OxyContin prescriptions were given to anyone, including known drug dealers, who paid an office visit fee. 

The number of prescriptions written for oxycodone combination drugs increased slightly during the period from 1996-2000. However, the DEA s Diversion Control Program found that the number of prescriptions written for oxycodone-only drugs such as OxyContin was 14 times higher during the same time period. 

OxyContin s street value and appeal to drug abusers has led to a rise in a phenomenon known as doctor shopping, in which people visit multiple doctors and attempt to acquire prescriptions for their own use or to sell for profit. 

The FDA is normally the federal agency that deals with drug-related deaths. However, in 2001, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported the results of extensive autopsy data and that the painkiller OxyContin was suspected of playing a role in 282 deaths between 2000 and 2001. Based on responses to date (October 2001) the DEA concluded that OxyContin was directly linked in 110 overdose deaths because either tablets were found in a person s stomach or a prescription for the drug was found on a body. DEA officials also classified 172 deaths as OxyContin... 

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