OxyContin, a brand name of the generic drug oxycodone, is a prescription painkiller that was introduced in 1996. Like heroin, OxyContin is an opiate derivative and is therefore extremely addictive. However, because this substance has a legitimate medical purpose, it continues to be produced and distributed in record volumes across the country.
Every year millions of people receive prescriptions for OxyContin or consume the drug recreationally, and a significant percentage end up becoming dependent on the pills to varying degrees. As a result, detox centers everywhere are experiencing an increase in the number of patients seeking rapid detox therapy for OxyContin addiction.
But what makes OxyContin so dangerous that people end up at detox centers because of it? If physicians prescribe the product, it can’t be that bad, can it?
There are several factors that set OxyContin apart from other narcotics and contribute to widespread abuse requiring rapid detox. Some of these factors include:
- Availability. Many doctors are quick to prescribe this drug for pain relief, so coming across pills is sometimes as simple as looking in a parent or friend’s medicine cabinet.
- Strength. Whereas the effects of other painkillers last for about 4-8 hours, OxyContin is a time-release drug that is designed to work for a full 12 hours. That means it is anywhere from 50% to 300% stronger than similar pills, and is more addictive as well.
- Usage. When swallowed whole, the time-release properties of the drug are preserved. But those that abuse OxyContin often chew, crush, or dissolve the pills in order to get the whole effect at once. This unusually strong dosage produces an extreme high that users wish to replicate again and again.
Suddenly discontinuing OxyContin intake can lead to severe and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, which is why many addicts choose rapid detox when they’re ready to quit. Rapid detox is performed while the patient is under anesthesia so he or she does not have to experience firsthand the physical symptoms of withdrawal. They simply submit to an 8-hour procedure at specialized detox centers that offer the service and wake up without a trace of opiates left in their bodies.
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