Free Essay

Oxycontin

In:

Submitted By writersclub
Words 317
Pages 2
Oxycontin, another prescription form of oxycodone, may become habit-forming and it can be a life-threatening type of medication, causing severe symptoms to patients prescribing the treatment anytime the dose is increased.

Oxycontin is a strong opioid painkiller that are prescribed to patients suffering chronic pain. It reduces the intensity of pain signals reaching the brain and impacts those certain areas in the brain that control human emotions and diminishes the effects of a painful stimulus. According to PubChem.com, “Oxycontin exerts its analgesic activity by binding to the mu-receptors in the central nervous system (CNS), thereby mimicking the effects of endogenous opioids. Subsequently, the release of nociceptive neurotransmitters, such as substance P, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), dopamine, acetylcholine, and noradrenaline, is inhibited. Oxycodone also inhibits the release of vasopressin, somatostatin, insulin, and glucagon. In addition, oxycodone closes N-type voltage-gated calcium channels and opens G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channels resulting in hyperpolarization and reduction of neuronal excitability” (Oxycodone, n.d.).The molecular weight of this chemical compound is 315.7g/mol and the exact mass is 315.1g/mol. (Oxycodone, n.d). The medication is associated with treating severe pain after a surgical procedure or with any other chronic pain. It functions both in the brain and the nervous system to diminish the pain signal being messaged through the body. Oxycontin can work to solve several different problems by its usage. It helps reduce back pain and chronic headaches. It also supports reducing pain associated with fibromyalgia. According to a Mayo Clinic Staff, “Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain processes pain signals. (Mayo Clinic, 2015). Oxycontin can also be a way for mental relaxation, helping to decrease the rate of anxiety, constipation and causes of euphoria.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Oxycontin Persuasive Essay

...OxyContin is a powerful painkiller with addictive properties that are similar to street-grade heroin. In the past several years, there has been a stunning rise in the amount of people seeking treatment for opioid addiction, especially in teens. Unfortunately, OxyContin and its counterpart Oxycodone has wreaked havoc on thousands of lives and ended the lives of countless others. The drugs powerful addictive properties causes many people to suffer from terrible withdrawal symptoms when they try to rid their bodies from the drug. Many substance abuse experts in the United States believe that opioid abuse is at epidemic proportions. One of the biggest problems facing the country today is the rise in people, namely teens, turning to heroin to feed their opioid addiction. Street-level heroin is far cheaper than opioids such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin and Morphine. In addition, the rise in heroin use leads to increased criminal activity since those who are addicted to the drug will often times go to any lengths to feed their intense craving for the drug. Over Prescribing Opioids in the U.S....

Words: 515 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Oxycontin Research Paper Outline

...Oxycontin research paper Oxycontin is a slow release pain medication that is often mixed with aspirin and/or other pain killers with the main ingredient called oxycodone. When used correctly the prescription drug is used to treat severe pain symptoms usually by the form of a pill. Between 2009 and 2010, a series of pop up pain clinics have been introduced to broward county florida attracting attention from people all over the country. Due to Florida being the only state to lack a prescription pill monitoring plan, those pain clinics easily became fronts for a legalized drug operation. They prescribed anyone who came through the doors oxycontin, xanax bars, percocets and any other opiates they want for cash money. The potential for profit...

Words: 1181 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Oxycontin V. Children Case Study

...Price sought OxyContin prescriptions from at least 10 dissimilar doctors from 10 different clinics in two cities, packing prescriptions at seven pharmacies in three cities. The practice was notified of Price’s demeanor so the doctors part Price’s management. Price then thread pursuit, maintain his practice, pharmacies, and the pharmaceutical companies that manufactured OxyContin had infringement their respect by imperfection to adequately admonishing him of the addictive quality of OxyContin. Under neglect legal action the medical/distributor/druggist does have a payment of regard long of elegant awareness and the tip from the manufacturer, he is in the condition to finish whether a critical medicate is proper for a composed or not. However, the justice also quality that it is the irresponsibleness of the crew to seek of the worth of a medicate to judgment an illegal drug and offer token that it is unhurt and efficient. In the US the FDA demonstrate/condemn the medicate after statistical analysis...

Words: 934 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Corporate Greed

...Corporate greed, by definition, is when a company chooses to place significance on increasing profits in a way that harms employees, consumers and the environment. It occurs when making money becomes the only goal, and the other company’s social responsibility is ignored. There is some debate with companies over whether they are being greedy versus looking for the best business practice. How can one tell if a company’s practice is defined as corporate greed or if the company is just working to reduce costs in order to increase profit growth? How much social responsibility does a company have to society and the environment? An article written by Edmund Bradley, about the problem with corporate greed, gave a perspective on these questions stating that “However greedy or altruistic a business person happens to be, the institutions of the market channel his or her motivation to a social end. Business must serve society in order to thrive,” (Bradley, 2003). In order for a business to grow and expand, they need to make a positive impression on society. Especially in today’s market, with consumers focusing on what companies are doing to the environment and how to find ‘green’ products. Society want to know that the companies making millions of dollars are using their influence and power to do good things in the world around them. Another perspective, however, is that companies have to only focus on the growth and profit of the company. They should work to please shareholders...

Words: 1375 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Drug Abuse

...Oxycontin, which is the brand name for the medication oxycodone, is a powerful painkiller that is prescribed to those who are struggling with moderate or severe aches or pains. It greatly aids those who suffer from chronic pains that can be a result of cancer, burns, heart attacks, or bone pains. This drug provides patients with hours of pain relief. It is very similar to heroin because it stimulates the reward center of the brain producing a euphoric high. It is only available through a prescription from a physician for pain relief and is a narcotic. Despite this, Oxycontin is often sold on the street by names such as; cotton, kickers, pills, oxycotton, heroin hillbilly, orange county, ox, oCs, and os. People started abusing Oxycontin almost as soon as it hit the market. The way that this abuse has been tracked is by accounting for the number of injuries attributed to Oxycontin. Patients would take much high does than they were recommended to, and would crush, snort, or inject the powder. These methods of consuming the drug can result in an overdose fairly quickly. According to the National Drug Intelligence center, the death rates caused by this drug have been going up ever since the drug was released. According to the US Department of Justice, there are more than 13 million individuals who abuse this drug and use is for recreational purposes. In New York alone, it was reported that there was an 82% rise in prescriptions for Oxycontin from 2007 to 2010. This...

Words: 537 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Naloxone Case Study

...It was believed any amount of opioid analgesic would produce addicts, leading to an pain being left untreated. Pain advocates worked to dispel prevailing myths about pain building character, babies and the non-verbal not feeling pain, but they also worked to discredit those who were concerned with the addictiveness of these drugs. Even as Dahl found studies that claimed opioid addiction rates were around one percent, it was a clear deviation from scientific literature of that time. As this field of study’s research has become more robust is extremely clear even with “responsible” usage addiction rates are as high as ten percent. Regardless, Dahl and her peers pushed the safety of opioids like OxyContin even as recently as a few years ago, with Professor Dahl maintaining “opioid and heroin deaths are a small percentage of the population, and the media largely ignore the broader crisis of undertreated pain”. In 2014, there were a reported sixteen thousand deaths attributed to opioid overdose, now opioid overdose involved deaths surpass the number of people who die from breast cancer every year. At this point, it is clearly recognized that opioids have been overprescribed to patients dealing with pain. The important point to make here is the first recommendations towards...

Words: 1381 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Suboxone Research Paper

...Hydromorphone (Dilaudid), OxyContin, Oxymorphone (Opana), and diacetylmorphine (heroin) are all full agonist opioids, which means that they bind to the endogenous opioid receptors, especially the mu-receptor, with high affinity (binding strength) and high efficacy (strength of drug) and therefore the more a person takes of these opioids the more pain relief they receive, the more respiratory depression they experience, and so on. This is evident in that if an individual abuses these drugs, their tolerance increases, which requires a higher dosage of the drug to reach that same "baseline". Suboxone on the other hand is a partial agonist,...

Words: 675 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Herion

...Heroin is an illicit drug classified as an opiate derived from morphine after it has been refined from the Asian poppy. Heroin is known for its strong pain relief characteristics. Heroin’s medicinal name is diamorphine (National Institute of Health, 2013). According to Foundation For A Drug-Free World (2013), The Truth About Heroin, street names for Heroin are too many to list, but the following are a few examples: Horse, ‘H’, Smack, Heavy Stuff, Brother, Chick, China White, Judas, and Mr. Brown. Heroin typically presents as a powder form ranging in colors from white, gray, yellow, or brown. It can also be refined into a thick stick tar-like substance also street named “black tar” (National Institute of Health, 2013). Heroin is an illicit drug classified as an opiate derived from morphine after it has been refined from the Asian poppy. Heroin is known for its strong pain relief characteristics. Heroin’s medicinal name is diamorphine (National Institute of Health, 2013). According to Foundation For A Drug-Free World (2013), The Truth About Heroin, street names for Heroin are too many to list, but the following are a few examples: Horse, ‘H’, Smack, Heavy Stuff, Brother, Chick, China White, Judas, and Mr. Brown. Heroin typically presents as a powder form ranging in colors from white, gray, yellow, or brown. It can also be refined into a thick stick tar-like substance also street named “black tar” (National Institute of Health, 2013). Heroin Addiction Heroin...

Words: 826 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Walgreens Managment Challenges

...Walgreens Management Challenges Lauren Smith August 11, 2015 MGT2037 It all started with Charles R. Walgreen and an innovative idea to change the way pharmacies and drug stores were run. After leaving Dixon, Illinois Walgreen started his journey to Chicago where he worked a long side many innovative pharmacists of his time. He had a strong desire to give customers exceptional customer service, give customers a selection of many goods that were affordable, and to offer customers high quality prescriptions while keeping costs low. He decided to open Walgreens Drugstore and never imagined that one day Walgreens would be the largest drugstore chain in the United States. Walgreens may be the most successful drugstore chain, but it certainly didn’t get this way without its fair share of challenges along the way. By 1930 there were over 500 chains and was well on its way to becoming a major contender in the pharmacy business. When the Great Depression hit, like any other business his stores were affected by the slowing dying economy. However, he used this time to keep changing his business for the better. Upon his death in 1939, Walgreen left his company and well trained management team to his son, who continued to keep the chain alive and thriving and making it the Walgreens we know today. A major blow came to the iconic drugstore in 2011. For the first time since its opening, Walgreens faced financial hardships. Costs of operating were outrageous and were out weighing the...

Words: 1146 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Educ 1300 Ch.

...illness. They both can keep you from doing what you need to do. Question 3. Define the "holistic" approach to wellness. Answer. By focusing on healing the mind, soul, and body. The soul has the ability to develop healthy relationships to communicate with others. Question 4. Discuss three symptoms of depression. Answer: Having difficulty sleeping, you cut off people who are important to you, and you tend to have memory loss. Question 5. Why are prescription drugs as dangerous as non-prescription drugs? Answer: Since the user is familiar with the drug they can be dangerous. They can be addictive. Question 6. Compare and contrast OxyContin to alcohol. Answer: OxyContin and alcohol are both addictives and they help seize pain. Alcohol, if abused, you can get liver disease, memory loss, or have black outs. OxyContin can be crushed to be inhaled. Question 7. In your opinion, rank the top three forms of birth control. Justify you answer. Answer: The Pill, male condom, and abstinence are the top three forms of birth control in my opinion. You should always use protection if you are sexually active. I think you should as much protection as you can but make sure it is alright. Question 8. How many types of Birth control and STD protections are there? Answer: There are 16 types. Question 9. What are two types of STDs? Answer: Syphilis...

Words: 343 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

=Jknm; L, ';, ; Lmklnjk

...Index  * Food * Movies * Music * Travel * Fashion * Shopping * Money * Games * ------------------------------------------------- Home * ------------------------------------------------- Puzzles * ------------------------------------------------- Fitness * ------------------------------------------------- Illusions * ------------------------------------------------- Personality * ------------------------------------------------- Paranormal * ------------------------------------------------- Linguistics * ------------------------------------------------- Software * ------------------------------------------------- Health * ------------------------------------------------- Stop Smoking * ------------------------------------------------- Cholesterol * ------------------------------------------------- Hygiene * ------------------------------------------------- CR Calculator * ------------------------------------------------- Calorie Restriction * ------------------------------------------------- Nutritional Data * ------------------------------------------------- Drug Rehab Rehabilitation from Drug Addiction Drug addiction is a growing epidemic in the United States. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that 7.9 percent of persons 12 years of age and older used illicit drugs during the month preceding a study in 2004. Children get exposed to drugs and drug use in...

Words: 906 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Vulnerable Populations in the Work Place

...Vulnerable Populations in the Workplace Project Patricia Lawson NUR/440-Health Assessment and Promotion for Vulnerable Populations April 11, 2011 Sheila de Vaugh, APRN, BC CBS Evening News correspondent Ben Tracy reported on April 6, 2011 that teenage drinking and drug use has increased by 22% and that 71% of all teenagers have had a drink of alcohol before finishing high school. Most teenagers believe that smoking marijuana is not a big deal and that parents and society opposed cigarette smoking more (Tracy, 2011). Celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Brittany Murphy, and Anna Nicole Smith overshadow the issue of prescription drug abuse when every day people are experiencing the same outcomes. Emergency room (ER) nurses are the frontline in treatment of individuals suffering from addiction, withdrawal, and overdose. Still, many doctors and nurses have become hardened because of the belief that patients are drug seeking, which leads to poor management of pain and increased disparity accessing health care. In this paper I will present demographics on prescription drug abuse, issues of cultural competence and sensitivity, and strategies nurses can use to alleviate health consequences for this vulnerable group. Finally, I will conclude by presenting a brochure that ER nurses can use to identify patients at risk for substance abuse and to assess for early referral to treatment. Consequently, looking at the big picture can help health care providers...

Words: 1809 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Opioid Epidemic Research Paper

...more addictive opioids again to patients with chronic pain. Due to these beliefs, doctors weren’t really concerned with opioid abuse throughout the 1990’s(Moghe). As time progresses and we get closer to modern day, things have only escalated. In 1996, OxyContin was ‘born.’ The number of painkiller prescriptions filled increased by 2 to 3 million per year in the 1990’s. From 1995 to 1996, this number jumped by 8 million! Also, in 1998 a video came out that served as an appraisal to OxyContin and how it completely ‘saved’ the lives of six individuals. As expected, a year after this aired, the number of painkiller prescriptions filled jumped by 11 million. By 2000, ads for OxyContin were eliminated and again, things are starting to look good for the opioid epidemic, but it didn’t take long for things to change again. A pharmaceutical company released a book for people and doctors that explained that the opioid addictions were exaggerated and that there aren’t bad long term effects. People began to use opioids again. In 2010, OxyContin manufacturers released a new tamper-resistant pill that made abusing the drug more difficult; however, people still found ways to abuse it. Inevitably, those who could no longer crush up their OxyContin just switched to other opioids(Moghe). All of this lead us to today. It might be easy to brush off these statistics and carry on with one’s day, but for some people these are not just numbers on a paper. Dave Baker doesn’t just see an opioid abuse statistic...

Words: 1750 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Synthetic Opioids Research Paper

...time) manage chronic pain. In the 90s, everything changed. There was a swift shift (fueled in a big way by pharmaceutical companies) away from the tentative, opioid-shy opinions of past medical professionals. A new way of thinking emerged in which managing pain became the first focus of treatment. The pain scale illustrations that we have all seen in countless doctor’s offices were produced and used as a first line of questioning in all emergency rooms, urgent care facilities, and doctor’s offices. OxyContin, thought by many to be the drug that started it all in regards to the current opioid...

Words: 1874 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Opioid Epidemic Analysis

...they look up to are the same people harming them. Take for example how representative Mary Bono and Hal Rogers have borne witness to multiple attempts fail in the government to approve laws of which would cease the over prescribing of opioids. Their failure is due to campaigns presented by drug producers, persuading influential lawmakers (McGreal). Lawmakers are supposed to be leaders of which have the country’s citizens needs in mind, but the pharmaceutical companies are jeopardizing these morals, and the people's’ connection with the government. Furthermore, in the instance of the drug company Purdue’s launch of OxyContin, doctors were paid to reassure citizens that this drug had no addictive properties to be concerned about and that it could treat all ailments (Keefe Radden). Doctors are trusted, so the patients listened, but when many became hooked on OxyContin it was the doctors who gave them a false sense of security. Because of weak restrictions on prescribing doctors, the over prescribing of opioids is another leading contributor to the current drug crisis; they have become a go-to pain reliever. For example, according to Nora Volkow, director of the National Institution on Drug Abuse, “Even for acute pain, like that of a broken bone, opioids are overprescribed”(qtd.Taking Pains ). This over prescribing leads patients to become dependent on opioids for smaller amounts of pain that could be relieved with less addictive drugs. Furthermore, the doctors that prescribe...

Words: 1088 - Pages: 5