Appearing on the market for the first time in the late '90s, OxyContin rode in on the wave of new awareness of the need for better pain control for cancer and other medical conditions. Studies showed doctors were undertreating pain for fear of addicting their patients. In patients who have moderately severe to very severe pain, it works very, very well - when it's used as intended. Purdue officials originally thought the time-release coating would thwart abuse by preventing the quick high. All you have to do is break it up to get the instant effects.
Abusers typically swallow, inhale or inject the smashed pills.
Taking broken, chewed or crushed tablets could lead to the rapid release and absorption of a potentially toxic dose of oxycodone. Others were victims of family members and neighbors. We've beefed up this part of the seminars because right now, no other prescription product is being abused at the level OxyContin is, and we have to deal with that. There is no doubt it is the drug du jour. At a recent Tucson seminar, the company brought in DEA agents to discuss OxyContin abuse with physicians.