OxyContin Withdrawal

OxyContin withdrawal is similar to heroin withdrawal in that the individual's entire body will feel the effects. Those who have gone though the withdrawal process from both OxyContin and heroin claim that OxyContin is by far worse and lasts longer.

OxyContin addiction is running rampant in many parts of America. Federal officials allege that no prescription drug in the last 20 years has been so widely abused after its release to the public. What is OxyContin? It is an opium derivative that is supposed to be used by terminal cancer patients and those who suffer from chronic pain. To avoid the controlled-release mechanism, individuals with addiction problems chew, snort, or inject the medication to get an instant and intense "high." All methods of abusing this medication lead to OxyContin withdrawal symptoms.

Like other addictive prescription drugs, OxyContin is able to short-circuit the user's survival system. It artificially stimulates the reward center, or pleasure areas in their brain, without anything beneficial happening to their body. As this happens, it leads to increased confidence in OxyContin and less confidence in the normal rewards of life. In addition to the psychological part of OxyContin addiction, there is also a physical addiction. Overtime, the user no longer experiences the same feelings of euphoria they once did for using the drug. However, they continue to use because the pain they would suffer from OxyContin withdrawal is far too great without it.

Symptoms of OxyContin withdrawal may include:

• abdominal cramps
• anorexia
• anxiety
• chills
• diarrhea
• increased blood pressure, respiratory rate, or heart rate
• insomnia
• irritability
• lacrimation
• muscle and bone pain
• myalgia
• mydriasis
• nausea
• perspiration
• restlessness
• rhinorrhea
• vomiting
• weakness
• yawning

OxyContin users develop a tolerance to the drug's effects. This means that they need to take increasingly larger and more frequent doses in order to recreate the high that they experienced with the original dose. Some addicts may take as much as 20 times the original dose in an attempt to get high. Because the body develops a physical dependence on the drug, addicts may begin to experience OxyContin withdrawal symptoms as soon as 6 hours after their last dose. OxyContin withdrawal symptoms are extremely unpleasant and, for this reason, addicts should undergo medically supervised OxyContin detox and treatment when attempting to overcome their addiction. Professional help from a drug rehab center is the best and safest way to do this. Unfortunately, there is no known "painless" method for withdrawing from this drug.

OxyContin withdrawal can also occur in a newborn whose mother was addicted to OxyContin during pregnancy. OxyContin withdrawal symptoms usually appear during the first few days of the newborns life. Symptoms exhibited from a newborn experiencing OxyContin withdrawal are: irritability, excessive crying, yawning, sneezing, increased respiratory rate, tremors, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea.

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