Oxycodone - Consequences

Consequences

One of the consequences of oxycodone abuse is that people in real severe pain often cannot get enough medicine to treat their conditions. Cautious doctors sometimes under-prescribe pain medicines, fearful that the government will arrest them if they are seen as too

Prosecutor Theodore Romankow informs reporters in New Jersey in November 2004 about the bust of a major drug ring that dealt OxyContin. As part of Operation Dr. Feelgood, authorities nabbed suspected drug dealers and suppliers in several states
Prosecutor Theodore Romankow informs reporters in New Jersey in November 2004 about the bust of a major drug ring that dealt OxyContin. As part of "Operation Dr. Feelgood," authorities nabbed suspected drug dealers and suppliers in several states. AP/Wide World Photos.

generous with Schedule II narcotics. Doctors are also aware that some patients might take the painkillers improperly, leading to sudden death. As a result, many people have to live with levels of pain that could be treated effectively. For cancer and AIDS patients, for instance, this can be very frustrating. For some sufferers, it can lead to desperate doctor shopping and, ultimately, the wrong dosage being taken.

The consequences of oxycodone abuse are similar to those of heroin abuse. In periods of heavy use, people become consumed by the drug and spend all their money and time trying to find more of it. Some oxycodone addicts resort to theft or robbery to obtain money and drugs. They might turn to drug dealing to support their habits. They may also engage in prostitution to earn money for drugs. All of these criminal activities put people at risk for arrest and imprisonment.

One consequence of oxycodone abuse may come back to haunt the recreational user years later. If it is difficult for cancer patients with no history of drug abuse or mental illness to receive prescriptions for oxycodone, it is far more difficult for past drug users to receive pain prescriptions when they actually need the medicine. A drug conviction as a youth may lead to suffering from untreated pain as a senior citizen.

Dangers

People who crush OxyContin tablets and dissolve them in water to inject the drug run several risks. Small, undissolved particles of a pill can lodge in blood vessels and cause damage or blockage. The use of shared hypodermic needles is one of the major ways that people contract human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that can lead to AIDS, as well as several types of hepatitis, a contagious liver disease.

It should never be assumed that because OxyContin is a prescription drug, it is somehow "safer" to abuse than heroin. Both substances work the same way in the brain. Both lead to addiction and withdrawal symptoms. And both can lead to long-lasting health, legal, financial, and social consequences for individuals and their families.