As long as you haven’t switched to oxycontin or similar. :-)[/quote]
Isn’t ocycontin used as a cancer painkiller in terminal cases??[/quote]
In terminal cancer cases in which severe pain is present, you’re more likely to find patients on morphine, fentanyl, or dilaudid (a semi-synthetic morphine). Sometimes, oxycodone is added, on an “as needed” basis, for breakthrough pain.
Oxycodone is a semi-synthetic opioid analgesic that is prescribed for moderate to moderately severe pain. It has a chemical structure very similar to that of codeine; however, many believe it to be superior to codeine in its pain-relieving effects, and it can be used by some patients who are allergic to codeine. Oxycodone is the active ingredient in a number of painrelievers, including Percocet/Percodan, Roxicet, Tylox, and Oxycontin. All of these are valued by recreational drug users.
Oxycontin is in particularly high demand because it has a very large amount of oxycodone compared to the others, which also include either aspirin or acetaminophen. A standard oxycodone dose in opioid-intolerant patients is typically 5 or 10 mg. Oxycontin, however, comes in a variety of strengths up to 160 mg. This reflects the amount of oxycodone, the difference being that the active ingredient is embedded in a chemical matrix that permits a slow, steady release of oxycodone into the bloodstream over a 12-hour period. For the chronic pain sufferer, this is a godsend: consistent pain relief with far fewer side effects, less drowsiness, and less chance of accidental overdose and respiratory depression.
Oxycontin was an immediate hit with recreational drug users because of the high oxy content. However, the matrix has to be destroyed in order to access the oxy, so abusers will crush Oxycontin tablets and either snort or inject it. For long-time opioid abusers, this did not usually create a health risk, but for new or intermittent users, the sudden influx of 80 mg or 160 mg of oxy into the bloodstream frequently causes respiratory depression and death. Oxycontin abuse came to the attention of public health and drug enforcement authorities soon after its introduction in the U.S. in 1996.
The problem, contrary to frequent editorial and public opinion, is not Oxycontin. Untreated and undertreated pain, both acute and chronic, is a major public health issue in this country, costing hundreds of billions of dollars in lost productivity, disability payments, and ineffective medications, treatments, and procedures. Most patients for whom narcotic pain relievers are prescribed never become addicted to the medications, as evidenced by hundreds of research studies. However, we are allowing the actions of substance abusers (a relatively small segment of the citizenry) to form our therapeutic drug policy. Not only is that wasteful, it’s inhuman. There are oncologists who practice in high-abuse areas who complain that they cannot prescribe adequate medication to their patients.
People state that the government should prohibit the manufacturer from making Oxycontin. The only thing that will serve to do is increase the suffering of the patients for whom the medication was designed. Those that are taking life-threatening risks with the drug to get a heroin-like high will simply find some other drug to abuse.
