The issue of drug addiction can be largely owed to the easy access to prescription drugs. Drugs have become so easily accessible to individuals and this is driving more teens to initially experiment with a particular type of drug, before they actually fall prey to it. The availability of most prescription drugs is posing a problem for teens around the world, and unless proper measures and precautionary measures are taken, this issue will continue to grow. Although prescription drugs are known to be less dangerous than lethal drugs like cocaine and heroin, they can be extremely dangerous if used over a long time span.
Oxycodone is a prescription drug that’s used by patients suffering from chronic pain. It is a highly addictive pain reliever and is marketed by Purdue Pharmaceutical under the brand name OxyContin. Users of the lethal OxyContin are known to suffer from severe withdrawals if they discontinue using the drug abruptly. Patients suffering from chronic pain also become highly addicted to the drug once they’ve used it as medication and this is lethal as, on many occasions, it is known to drive them into addiction.
Purdue Pharmaceutical has discontinued manufacturing and sale of the lethal OxyContin drug but is marketing the same under a different brand name OxyNEO. However, the replacement drug OxyNEO means that Purdue Pharmaceutical has only changed the name without making any alterations to the components. Although the drug was meant to be less addictive than OxyContin, a death was reported in the first week of it being sold in the market. The drug claimed its first life in March, 2012.
By using the same components as OxyContin, the renamed OxyNEO will continue to pose as a serious threat to abusers of the drug. The number of patients seeking OxyNEO addiction treatment will continue to rise. Clinics and medical centers will need to step up to provide OxyNEO addiction treatment and keep the public informed of its dangerous side effects. Some of the most common side effects of the prescription drug include drowsiness, constipation, dizziness, headache, dry mouth, nausea, tiredness and sweating. More serious side effects are depression, hallucinations, itching, flushing of face, skin rash, fast or slow heartbeat and restlessness.
OxyNEO, killer or painkiller