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Street Name / Slang Terms
Killers, OC, Oxy, OxyCotton, Oxy80 (referring to the 80 mg tablet)

 

What is it ?
OxyContin (oxycodone HCI controlled-release) is the brand name for an opioid analgesic — a narcotic. Oxycodone is the narcotic ingredient found in Percoset (oxycodone and acetaminophen) and Percodan (oxycodone and aspirin). OxyContin is used to treat pain that is associated with arthritis, lower back conditions, injuries, and cancer. It is approved for the treatment of moderate to severe pain that requires treatment for more than a few days and available by prescription only.

 

What does it look like ?
Most commonly seen in tablet form. These round pills come in 10mg, 20mg, 40mg, 80mg and 160mg dosages. (Purdue no longer manufactures the 160 mg tablet) OxyContin also comes in capsule or liquid form.

 

How is it used ?
As a pain medication, OxyContin tablets are taken every 12 hours. Most pain medications must be taken every three to six hours. Oxycontin abusers remove the sustained-release coating to get a rush of euphoria similar to heroin. They chew the tabs, crush them for snorting, or boil the powder for injection.

 

Short Term Effects
The most serious risk associated with opioids, including OxyContin, is respiratory depression. Common opioid side effects are constipation, nausea, sedation, dizziness, vomiting, headache, dry mouth, sweating, and weakness. OxyContin is oxycodone in a sustained release form and that is why the tablet should not be broken.

   Taking broken, chewed, or crushed, tablets could lead to the rapid release and absorption of a potentially toxic dose of oxycodone. Reports indicate that hundreds of people have died after overdosing in this fashion, usually as a result of acute pulmonary edema.

 

Long Term Effects
A range of negative health consequences associated with OxyContin abuse have lifelong implications, including malnutrition, skin infections, and an increased risk of Hepatitis C and other infections.

   Chronic use of OxyContin use will result in increased tolerance to the drug in which higher doses of the medication must be taken to receive the initial effect. Over time, OxyContin will be come physically addictive, causing a person to experience withdrawal symptoms when the drug is not present. Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, and involuntary leg movements.

 

Federal Classification
Schedule II

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GAO Finds Problems With Marketing Of OxyContin

In January 2004, the federal General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report on the marketing of Oxycontin. "The maker of OxyContin, [Purdue Pharma,] sent doctors promotional videos that made unsubstantiated claims minimizing the dangers associated with the pain relief drug.” The GAO also said that Purdue failed to submit one of the videos to the FDA for review, as required, when the company started circulating it to thousands of doctors.

   The company said its failure to send the video to the agency was an oversight. On the video, a doctor says less than 1% of people who take pain relief medication like OxyContin become addicted. That’s a figure the FDA says has not been substantiated. The agency said it “appeared to make unsubstantiated claims regarding OxyContin’s effect on patients’ quality of life and ability to perform daily activities and minimized the risks associated with the drug.”

   The FDA also publicly cited Purdue for overstating OxyContin’s safety in print ads.

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• The FDA reports that OxyContin may have played a role in 464 deaths across the U.S. in 2000 to 2001.

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