OXYCONTIN

OxyContin



OxyContin

1. What does the OxyContin do that interest the person to take it?

OxyContin is a form of synthetic morphine taken in tablet form designed to kill pain over several hours. OxyContin is a trade named product for the generic narcotic OxyContin hydrochloride, an opiate agonist. OxyContin is a central nervous system depressant, a very effective medication for mild to severe pain.

2. What is the substance of that drug?

OxyContin's chemical name is derived from codeine. The chemical structures are very similar, differing only in that

OxyContin has a hydroxyl group at carbon-14 (codeine has just a hydrogen in its place), hence OxyContin;

OxyContin has a 7,8-dihydro feature, whereas codeine has a double bond between those two carbons; and

OxyContin has a carbonyl group (as in ketones) in place of the hydroxyl group of codeine, hence the "-one" suffix. (Kalso, 2005)

3. What does it provide?

OxyContin causes the increase of the amount of dopamine in the brain, which causes increased feelings of pleasure and euphoria. Withdrawal symptoms include "flu" like discomfort, muscle and bone pain, nausea, and cold flashes. Continuous use of a drug like OxyContin produces chemical changes in the brain that comes to depend on the drug and makes it impossible to stop without medical attention. Drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, headache, sedation, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, constipation, cramps, cold and clammy skin, sweating, itching, slow breathing, and blurred vision are only some of the side effects of the dangerous drug OxyContin. If taking this drug, precautions must be made. Pregnancy, severe heart disease, respiratory depression, and children under the age of eighteen should not use this harmful drug.

4. The history of that drug?

OxyContin is the brand name of a time-release formula of OxyContin produced by the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1995 and first introduced to the U.S. market in 1996. By 2001, OxyContin was the best-selling non-generic narcotic pain reliever in the U.S.; in 2002, over 7.2 million prescriptions were written for it, for total sales of $1.5 billion. An analysis of data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration found that retail sales of OxyContin "jumped nearly six-fold between 1997 and 2005." Mundipharma distributes OxyContin in Australia, China, and Europe.

OxyContin is available in 5 mg (blue) tablets in Canada and the U.K.; 10 mg (white) in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.; 15 mg (grey) in the U.S.; 20 mg (pink) in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.; 30 mg (brown) in the U.S.; 40 mg (tan) in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.; 60 mg (red) in the U.S.; and 80 mg (green) in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. In 2001, Purdue Pharma suspended distribution of 160 mg tablets in the U.S. because of the "possibility of illicit use of tablets of such high strength." (Sneader 2005)

Slang terms for OxyContin include "Hillbilly Heroin", "Killers", "OC", "Oxy", "Oxycoffin", and "Oxycotton".[20][21][22] The word "OxyContin" should not be confused with "morphine sulfate", "MS Contin", "Oxandrin", "oxybutynin", "oxytocin", or "Roxicodone". Among those names the final given, Roxicodone, being the same drug, OxyContin, but IR rather ...