Oxycontin Abuse: Addiction, Effects, Treatment

What is Oxycontin?

Oxycontin is a trade name for a long-acting formulation of oxycodone hydrochloride, a narcoticopioidpainkiller legally available only by prescription in the United States. Oxycontin’s pain relief effects last about 8-12 hours, while immediate-release oxycodone’s effects last between 4-6 hours. How does Oxycontin abuse happen?

Oxycodone hydrochloride medications are typically prescribed for moderate to severe pain relief. Pain from neuralgia, arthritis, cancer, and injuries are among the conditions that a doctor might prescribe Oxycontin to treat.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 125 million opioid prescriptions were written for American patients in 2023, and oxycodone products, including Oxycontin and Percocet, were among the most often prescribed opioid pain medications.

Oxycontin is one of the most misused prescription opioids. In 2021, about 8.7 million people misused prescription pain medications, and 2.5 million adults had opioid use disorders.

In addition to pain relief, Oxycontin induces feelings of relaxation and euphoria by triggering the release of dopamine in the brain’s reward center. Dopamine is associated with satisfaction and pleasurable feelings, so it increases the likelihood that an activity will be repeated. This cycle can encourage addictive behavior.

Oxycontin Abuse Risks and Dependence

Oxycontin can have serious health risks, including respiratory distress, irregular heartbeat, organ damage, vision problems, and sexual dysfunction. There’s also risk for the onset or the exacerbation of mental health issues and risk of fatal overdose.

Misusing Oxycontin increases the risk of overdose and may lead to central nervous system depression, respiratory depression, hypotension, seizures, or death. The risk increases when Oxycontin is used with alcohol or other central nervous system depressants.

Other problems associated with prolonged misuse of Oxycontin include familial and social discord, job or legal problems, and financial troubles.

Since the use of Oxycontin results in increased amounts of the “feel good” chemical dopamine being released into the brain, its potential for misuse that leads to addiction is high. In addition, a user can develop tolerance to the drug, meaning that over time, it takes more of the drug to achieve the same effects.

Oxycontin was reformulated in 2010 to make it harder to crush, snort, or inject, but it remains a highly addictive opioid medication.

Warnings and contraindications for the use of Oxycontin relate to using alcohol while taking the medication, having a history of breathing problems or lung disease, or a history of a prior drug overdose. These factors increase the potential for Oxycontin overdose.

Users should also avoid breaking up, crushing, chewing, or dissolving the medication. These actions result in too much of the medication being released into the body at once, rather than slowly as intended, and increases the possibility of overdose.

Oxycontin FAQs

Is Oxycontin Still Prescribed?

Oxycontin is legally available in the United States by prescription. Oxycontin is designated as a Schedule II substance by the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule II drugs, which include fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, have a high abuse potential.

How Long Does Oxycontin Stay in Your System?

Oxycontin and other formulations of oxycodone are metabolized by the liver and are removed from the body through the kidneys in about 6-24 hours, depending on factors like the age and health of the user’s liver and kidneys. Oxycodone can show in a urine test 1-3 days after use, and trace amounts can be found in hair samples for up to 90 days after use.

Is Oxycontin an Opioid?

Oxycontin is a semi-synthetic opioid. It’s produced in a laboratory by chemically altering natural opioid substances. Fentanyl is another example of a synthetic opioid.

Oxycodone vs Oxycontin

It can be easy to confuse the difference between Oxycontin and oxycodone. Oxycontin is the brand name of an extended-release medication formulated to slowly release oxycodone hydrochloride, the main ingredient in Oxycontin and other oxycodone products.

Oxycontin provides pain relief for up to 12 hours, as compared to immediate release forms of oxycodone that last for 4-6 hours. Oxycontin comes in tablet and capsule form. Other oxycodone products come in tablet, capsule, and liquid form.

How Long Does Oxycontin Last?

Many factors, including dosage, body weight, individual metabolism and absorption efficiency, and potential tolerance to the drug, affect Oxycontin’s performance. For most patients, pain relief from Oxycontin use starts approximately one hour after ingestion. Relief can last for 8–12 hours. The shelf life of Oxycontin is 24 months.

Is Oxycontin a Narcotic?

Oxycontin is a narcotic and is legally available only by prescription.

Oxycontin Abuse, Addiction, and Withdrawal

Opioids like Oxycontin are highly addictive because they trigger chemicals in the brain that not only reduce pain but also boost pleasurable feelings. With repeated use, tolerance develops and higher doses are needed to get the desired effect.

Tolerance and cravings for the drug indicate addiction, at which point a person may continue to use an opioid medication despite negative physical, emotional, and social consequences. Once addicted, a person often experiences withdrawal symptoms if use of the drug is discontinued.

Oxycontin side effects may include behavioral changes like restlessness and anxiety. An individual may become overly anxious or nauseous and have difficulty sleeping. Bodily changes also take place that may lead to diarrhea and muscle aches. A user may start having hot or cold flashes or body tremors. Such conditions may increase stress and lead to possible thoughts of suicide.

During withdrawal, mild symptoms develop within a few hours and increase to moderate symptoms within 24 hours. The most severe symptoms usually peak within 2-3 days. Symptoms then typically begin to diminish, and then fully subside over a period of about a week.

For some people, a condition called post-acute withdrawal syndrome, or PAWS, occurs. Symptoms may resurface up to several months or a year after the initial withdrawal period has ended.

Medication assisted treatment, or MAT, is often used for Oxycontin and oxycodone abuse and has been shown to be an effective treatment. Medications and counseling are typically used together in MAT treatment. Evidence-based therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy are common counseling modalities used.

MAT medications for Oxycontin withdrawal may include methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Methadone prevents Oxycontin withdrawal symptoms and reduces cravings. Buprenorphine reduces opioid cravings but doesn’t generally produce the euphoric effects of other opioid drugs.

Naltrexone blocks some of the pleasurable and sedative side effects of opioids within the brain. However, it does not completely stop cravings for everyone.

Rehab and Treatment for Oxycontin Abuse

Treatment options for rehab for Oxycontin addiction may include inpatient treatment and outpatient treatment, both of which may include detox and MAT medications.

Inpatient Treatment provides 24-hour care in a medically supervised setting: hospitals or residential rehabs. Drug education and individual and group counseling are usually included. Peer recovery sessions, which often include the 12 Steps, may be incorporated into the programming as well.

Outpatient Treatment provides treatment during the day with no overnight stays. Outpatient treatment programs include partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs. Partial hospitalization, or day treatment programs, offer approximately 20 hours of treatment per week. Intensive outpatient programs usually offer about nine hours of treatment a week. Group and individual counseling sessions are provided, as is 12 Step programming.

Detox with medically supervised medication treatment may be used during inpatient or outpatient treatment. It may also be offered as a separate program at a specialized clinic. Some of these, such as methadone clinics, provide scheduled medication dosing options. Dosing hours may be available daily or several days a week.

Along with providing medication management, outpatient detox treatment usually involves scheduled group counseling sessions.