Oxycontin abuse is close to the top of the list of the drugs mentioned at alcohol and drug abuse centers when it comes to prescription drugs as stated by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency. Today, more and more individuals are turning to their medicine cabinets or to a friend’s to enjoy the high found with prescription drugs such as opiate painkillers with Oxycontin at the top of the list. In 2007, more than seven million individuals in America abused prescription drugs. The worst part of all is that close to six percent of all high school seniors had abused oxycontin one time during the year.

Oxycontin is often prescribed for seniors suffering with chronic pain like arthritis. The tablets once in the hands of abusers often crush the tablets to they can snort the drug or mix it with water to inject into their veins. The effects of this drug are the reason that oxycontin abuse is so high on the list for treatment centers. A rush is quite immediately with a feeling of well following shortly. The body begins to build up a tolerance to the drug, which leads to dependency brought on from oxycontin abuse. In some cases, individuals are so addicted to this drug that they will visit more than physician in order to obtain enough prescriptions to fill their addiction. Others buy oxycontin on the street whereas others steal from the pharmacies.

The first issues of oxycontin abuse in the United States was noting in farming areas such as Kentucky, Maine, Virginia, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The drug was given to workers that needed pain relief from such jobs as farming, logging, and mining. Rural areas of American have a larger oxycontin abuse problem that inner city treatment centers.

Oxycontin abuse begins when a person begins to use more than prescribed in order to receive that same high that was felt in the beginning. The more a person abuses oxycontin the more susceptible they will become to addiction. Once a person has abused the drug so long, the craving for the drug becomes intolerable and if they stop taking the drug, will have withdrawal symptoms. At this time, oxycontin abuse has grown into a full-fledged opiate addiction, which will need medical help in order to quit.

If you believe a friend or family may have an oxycontin abuse problem the signs you should watch for include muscle pain, bone pain, muscle twitching, insomnia, sweating, diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, slow breathing, pupils the size of pinpoints, unwarranted drowsiness, and confusion.

The scary part of oxycontin abuse is that in most cases, the person just looks like they tied one on and needs to sleep it off. This may be true with alcohol, however with oxycontin this can result in death. Oxycontin slows the breathing so low that a person can die and with high doses, breathing can stop altogether. If you or someone you know has an oxycontin abuse problem, you should seek medical help as soon as possible.