What do oxycontin do

Oxycodone is made by modifying Thebaine, an organic chemical found in Opium. Designated as an Opioid or semi-Synthetic Opiate, Oxycodone shares a general classification with Heroin , Hydrocodone , and Oxymorphone. This means that, although it has a definite medical purpose, there is a high potential for abuse. Taking more than the prescribed dosage, taking the drug for longer than recommended by a doctor, or ingesting the drug through chewing, injecting, or snorting all constitute abuse of Oxycodone.

Many people abuse Oxycodone for its euphoric effects. With approximately 32 million prescriptions written in for Percocet alone, the wide use and acceptance of Oxycodone in the medical community to treat patients with moderate to severe pain is clear.

Because prescription Painkiller use is generally accepted in society, it can be difficult to identify or address Oxycodone abuse. Especially in the cases of legitimate prescriptions, it can be hard to tell the difference between an acceptable dose and abuse.

A good telltale sign of abuse is when an individual runs out of their prescription before their next script is available for refill. Boca Raton, FL. View Center. Alcohol and Benzodiazepines are two of the most dangerous substances to combine with Oxycodone. Because Oxycodone, alcohol, and Benzos all depress the central nervous system CNS , mixing them can be extremely damaging and potentially fatal.

This deadly cocktail can slow down breathing and cardiac function to the point of complete failure. Additionally, people addicted to Oxycodone also commonly abuse Marijuana , Benzodiazepines, and Stimulants. These drugs may be taken to either amplify or mitigate the effects of Oxycodone. Oxycodone can also be a gateway to Heroin use. When a person addicted to Oxycodone can no longer get their prescriptions filled, they may turn to Heroin for a cheaper, more accessible drug with similar effects.

According to the United States Department of Justice, more than 13 million Americans abuse Oxycodone, including some children as young as 12 years old. Despite the dangers of the drug, many people still abuse Oxycodone, often in combination with alcohol. Contact a treatment provider today for help with this dangerous addiction.

After graduation, he decided to pursue his passion of writing and editing. All of the information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional. Theresa is also a Certified Professional Life Coach and volunteers at a local mental health facility helping individuals who struggle with homelessness and addiction. Theresa is a well-rounded clinician with experience working as a Primary Addiction Counselor, Case Manager and Director of Utilization Review in various treatment centers for addiction and mental health in Florida, Minnesota, and Colorado.

She also has experience with admissions, marketing, and outreach. As a proud recovering addict herself, Theresa understands first-hand the struggles of addiction. There is no limit to what Theresa is willing to do to make a difference in the field of Addiction!

Kailua-Kona, HI. Scotts Valley, CA. San Rafael, CA. Sunol, CA. Calistoga, CA. Malibu, CA. If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses. Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing. Oxycodone can cause serious unwanted effects if taken by adults who are not used to strong narcotic pain medicines, children, or pets.

Make sure you store the medicine in a safe and secure place to prevent others from getting it. Drop off any unused narcotic medicine at a drug take-back location right away. If you do not have a drug take-back location near you, flush any unused narcotic medicine down the toilet. Check your local drug store and clinics for take-back locations. You can also check the DEA web site for locations. Here is the link to the FDA safe disposal of medicines website: www. It is very important that your doctor check your progress while you are using this medicine, especially within the first 24 to 72 hours of treatment.

This will allow your doctor to see if the medicine is working properly and to decide if you should continue to take it. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects. This medicine may cause a serious type of allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention. Call your doctor right away if you have a rash, itching, hoarseness, trouble breathing or swallowing, or any swelling of your hands, face, or mouth while you are using this medicine.

It is against the law and dangerous for anyone else to use your medicine. Keep your unused medicine in a safe and secure place. People who are addicted to drugs might want to steal this medicine. If you think you or someone else may have taken an overdose of this medicine, get emergency help at once.

Your doctor may also give naloxone to treat an overdose. Signs of an overdose include: change or loss of consciousness, cold, clammy skin, coughing that sometimes produces a pink frothy sputum, decreased awareness or responsiveness, extreme dizziness or weakness, increased sweating, irregular, fast, or slow, or shallow breathing, pale or blue lips, fingernails, or skin, sleepiness or unusual drowsiness, slow heartbeat, seizures, swelling in legs and ankles, or trouble breathing.

Call your doctor right away if you notice these symptoms. This medicine may cause sleep-related breathing problems eg, sleep apnea, sleep-related hypoxemia. Your doctor may decrease your dose if you have sleep apnea stop breathing for short periods during sleep while using this medicine. This medicine will add to the effects of alcohol and other CNS depressants. Some examples of CNS depressants are antihistamines or medicine for allergies or colds, sedatives, tranquilizers, or sleeping medicine, other prescription pain medicine or narcotics, medicine for seizures or barbiturates, muscle relaxants, or anesthetics numbing medicines , including some dental anesthetics.

This effect may last for a few days after you stop using this medicine. Check with your doctor before taking any of these medicines while you are using this medicine. This medicine may be habit-forming. If you feel that the medicine is not working as well, do not use more than your prescribed dose. Call your doctor for instructions. Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting may occur when you get up suddenly from a lying or sitting position.

Getting up slowly may help lessen this problem. Also, lying down for a while may relieve dizziness or lightheadedness. This medicine may make you dizzy, drowsy, or lightheaded. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you. Using narcotics for a long time can cause severe constipation. To prevent this, your doctor may direct you to take laxatives, drink a lot of fluids, or increase the amount of fiber in your diet.

Be sure to follow the directions carefully, because continuing constipation can lead to more serious problems. If you have been using this medicine regularly for several weeks or longer, do not change your dose or suddenly stop using it without checking with your doctor.

Your doctor may want you to gradually reduce the amount you are using before stopping it completely. This may help prevent worsening of your condition and reduce the possibility of withdrawal symptoms, such as stomach cramps, anxiety, fever, nausea, restlessness, runny nose, sweating, tremors, or trouble sleeping.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant may cause serious unwanted effects, including neonatal withdrawal syndrome in your newborn baby. Tell your doctor right away if you think you are pregnant or if you plan to become pregnant while using this medicine. Using too much of this medicine may cause infertility unable to have children. Talk with your doctor before using this medicine if you plan to have children. There is a greater risk that you will overuse oxycodone if you have or have ever had any of these conditions.

Talk to your healthcare provider immediately and ask for guidance if you think that you have an opioid addiction or call the U. Oxycodone may cause serious or life-threatening breathing problems, especially during the first 24 to 72 hours of your treatment and any time your dose is increased.

Your doctor will monitor you carefully during your treatment. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had slowed breathing or asthma. Your doctor will probably tell you not to take oxycodone. Also tell your doctor if you have or have ever had lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD; a group of diseases that affect the lungs and airways , a head injury a brain tumor, or any condition that increases the amount of pressure in your brain.

The risk that you will develop breathing problems may be higher if you are an older adult or are weak or malnourished due to disease. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately or get emergency medical treatment: slowed breathing, long pauses between breaths, or shortness of breath.

Taking certain other medications with oxycodone may increase the risk of serious or life-threatening breathing problems, sedation, or coma. Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are taking or plan to take any of the following medications: certain antibiotics such as clarithromycin Biaxin, in PrevPac and erythromycin Erytab, Erythrocin ; certain antifungal medications including itraconazole Onmel, Sporanox , ketoconazole Nizoral , and voriconazole Vfend ; benzodiazepines such as alprazolam Xanax , chlordiazepoxide Librium , clonazepam Klonopin , diazepam Diastat, Valium , estazolam, flurazepam, lorazepam Ativan , oxazepam, temazepam Restoril , and triazolam Halcion ; carbamazepine Carbatrol, Epitol, Equetro, Tegretol, Teril ; medications for mental illness, nausea or pain; muscle relaxants; certain medications for human immunodeficiency virus HIV including indinavir Crixivan , nelfinavir Viracept , and ritonavir Norvir, in Kaletra ; phenytoin Dilantin, Phenytek ; rifabutin Mycobutin , rifampin Rifadin, Rimactane, in Rifamate ; sedatives; sleeping pills; or tranquilizers.

Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medication and will monitor you carefully. If you take oxycodone with any of these medications and you develop any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately or seek emergency medical care: unusual dizziness, lightheadedness, extreme sleepiness, slowed or difficult breathing, or unresponsiveness. Be sure that your caregiver or family members know which symptoms may be serious so they can call the doctor or emergency medical care if you are unable to seek treatment on your own.

Drinking alcohol, taking prescription or nonprescription medications that contain alcohol, or using street drugs during your treatment with oxycodone increases the risk that you will experience serious, life-threatening side effects. Do not drink alcohol, take prescription or nonprescription medications that contain alcohol, or use street drugs during your treatment. If you are taking the oxycodone extended-release tablets, swallow them whole; do not chew, break, divide, crush, or dissolve them.

Do not presoak, lick or otherwise wet the tablet prior to placing in the mouth. Swallow each tablet right after you put it in your mouth. If you swallow broken, chewed, crushed, or dissolved extended-release tablets, you may receive too much oxycodone at once instead of slowly over 12 hours.

This may cause serious problems, including overdose and death. Oxycodone comes as a regular solution liquid and as a concentrated solution that contains more oxycodone in each milliliter of solution. Be sure that you know whether your doctor has prescribed the regular or concentrated solution and the dose in milliliters that your doctor has prescribed. Use the dosing cup, oral syringe, or dropper provided with your medication to carefully measure the number of milliliters of solution that your doctor prescribed.

Read the directions that come with your medication carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions about how to measure your dose or how much medication you should take. You may experience serious or life threatening side effects if you take an oxycodone solution with a different concentration or if you take a different amount of medication than prescribed by your doctor. Do not allow anyone else to take your medication.

Oxycodone may harm or cause death to other people who take your medication, especially children. Store oxycodone in a safe place so that no one else can take it accidentally or on purpose. Be especially careful to keep oxycodone out of the reach of children. Keep track of how many tablets or capsules, or how much liquid is left so you will know if any medication is missing.

Dispose of unwanted capsules, tablets, extended-release tablets, extended-release capsules, and liquid properly according to instructions.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. If you take oxycodone regularly during your pregnancy, your baby may experience life-threatening withdrawal symptoms after birth. Tell your baby's doctor right away if your baby experiences any of the following symptoms: irritability, hyperactivity, abnormal sleep, high-pitched cry, uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body, vomiting, diarrhea, or failure to gain weight. Your doctor or pharmacist will give you the manufacturer's patient information sheet Medication Guide when you begin your treatment with oxycodone and each time you fill your prescription.

Read the information carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. Oxycodone is used to relieve moderate to severe pain. Oxycodone extended-release tablets and extended-release capsules are used to relieve severe pain in people who are expected to need pain medication around the clock for a long time and who cannot be treated with other medications.

Oxycodone extended-release tablets and extended-release capsules should not be used to treat pain that can be controlled by medication that is taken as needed. Oxycodone extended-release tablets, extended-release capsules, and concentrated solution should only be used to treat people who are tolerant used to the effects of the medication to opioid medications because they have taken this type of medication for at least one week.

Oxycodone is in a class of medications called opiate narcotic analgesics. It works by changing the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain. Oxycodone is also available in combination with acetaminophen Oxycet, Percocet, Roxicet, Xartemis XR, others ; aspirin Percodan ; and ibuprofen.

This monograph only includes information about the use of oxycodone alone. If you are taking an oxycodone combination product, be sure to read information about all the ingredients in the product you are taking and ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Oxycodone comes as a solution liquid , a concentrated solution, a tablet, a capsule, an extended-release long-acting tablet Oxycontin and an extended-release capsule Xtampza ER to take by mouth.

The solution, concentrated solution, tablet, and capsule are taken usually with or without food every 4 to 6 hours, either as needed for pain or as regularly scheduled medications.