What is oxycontin exactly? In fact, OxyContin is the brand name version of one of the most popular prescription painkillers, oxycodone. Oxycodone comes from opium of the poppy plant, the same natural substance from which heroin is made. Moreover, Oxycontin treats serious, chronic pain.
Doctors prescribe OxyContin for injuries, arthritis, and cancer pain. Furthermore, it’s frequently prescribed for these needs due to its time-release formula. Oxycontin provides pain relief over a long period of time, for up to 12 hours per dose.
Why People Abuse OxyContin
People abuse Oxycontin for the same reasons doctors prescribe it. That is, OxyContin is long lasting due to its time-release formula. Using oxycodone to get high means you stay high longer than when taking shorter-acting opioids.
Oxycontin also leads people into addiction due to its euphoric, pleasant, and relaxing high. When taking oxycodone, you feel these effects almost immediately, along with pain relief. However, many negative effects also come with taking oxycodone. For example, these ill effects include nausea, vomiting, lost appetite, and headache. You also experience lethargy, dizziness, sweating, dry mouth, itching, and confusion.