OxyContin Abuse
The opioid-based drug OxyContin is a narcotic or opioid analgesic prescription painkiller that is most often prescribed to patients suffering from long-term or chronic pain. Its active ingredient, oxycodone, is found in a number of brand name painkillers like Percodan, Percocet and Tylox to name a few, but in none is the concentration of this potently addictive drug higher than in OxyContin: anywhere from 10 to 160 milligrams in each time-release tablet. For this reason, OxyContin addiction is a gripping disease that is difficult, if not impossible, to break alone.
At Orchid Recovery Center, you will find the medical and therapeutic support you need to treat your OxyContin addiction through a variety of holistic therapies. Our beautiful facilities in Palm Springs, Florida, creating a relaxing backdrop for the healing you need during your recovery from OxyContin abuse and addiction.
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The Extent of OxyContin Abuse
OxyContin was first introduced in 1996 and over the next four years, the number of prescriptions for the drug steadily increased to reach an estimated 6 million active prescriptions in 2000. Since then, the number of prescriptions for the medication have continued to grow and, along with it, so too have the number of people struggling with OxyContin addiction, according to reports from pharmacists, medical examiners, drug addiction rehabilitation programs and law enforcement. In fact, in a four-year period, large cities have seen deaths related to oxycodone overdose or abuse increase by 400 percent and emergency room visits necessitated by the same increase by 100 percent. However, OxyContin abuse and addiction is far more prevalent in rural and suburban regions far from metropolitan areas.
No matter where you live, Orchid Recovery Center in Palm Springs, Florida, provides a getaway and a retreat-like rehabilitation and treatment center for women suffering from OxyContin addiction.
Signs of OxyContin Abuse
OxyContin addiction is a natural consequence of regular OxyContin use but abuse occurs when the pills are taken without a prescription, at a higher dose than what is prescribed or in combination with other opiates, benzodiazepines or alcohol. If more medication is taken after pain is effectively controlled or taken in an effort to get high, then OxyContin use is termed abusive, and treatment for OxyContin addiction is necessary. There are negative physical and social consequences to OxyContin abuse and yet, if you are addicted, you feel compelled to continue taking the drug in unsafe amounts. Addiction is a disease and, as such, is treatable. Orchid Recovery Center can help.
OxyContin Abuse Effects
At every stage of OxyContin addiction, the abuse effects are scary with a potential to overwhelm the system and cause cardiac arrest, coma and even death. For those who are experimenting, a deadly overdose is common as the sudden binding of neurotransmitters throughout the body can be overwhelming when there is little or no tolerance built up to the drug. Even when overdose isn’t fatal, it can still result in respiratory depression so that it is difficult to breathe, intense fatigue and weakness, cold and clammy skin, mental confusion, impaired coordination and blurred vision.
In those who have a longer history with the drug, too much OxyContin can result in dangerously low blood pressure and heart rate, nausea and vomiting, loss of consciousness and gastrointestinal problems like stomach spasms and cramping. Over time and with continued use and abuse, OxyContin can result in permanent and fundamental changes in the brain including the rerouting of neural pathways.
Try to stop taking the drug or significantly lower your dose in an effort to quit, and you will find that the abuse effects continue, this time in the form of withdrawal symptoms. These include restlessness and insomnia, irritability and anxiety, muscle and bone pain, involuntary leg movements, nausea and vomiting, severe stomach cramps and diarrhea.
Treatment for OxyContin Abuse at Orchid Recovery Center
At Orchid Recovery Center, we treat women who are addicted to a variety of opiates and opioid-based prescription painkillers like OxyContin as they go through detox and then a unique treatment personalized to address their particular issues. If chronic physical pain or a co-occurring psychological disorder is a root problem, you can find assistance for these issues simultaneously during your stay at Orchid Recovery Center. For more information, contact us today by phone at and begin your healing journey to an abstinent life.
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(561) 433-2336
