It was really horrible until this drug came along. It normalizes me. It lets me go back to work, and it's given my wife back to me. Although it is a godsend for millions of pain sufferers across the country, OxyContin has simultaneously been vilified by law enforcement officials, who have seen it overtake small, rural towns and kill 39 people in Southwestern Virginia in the past three years and at least 120 nationwide. The drug, which was prescribed nearly 6 million times last year, has become a mainstream remedy as doctors have looked for new ways to cure pain for aging baby boomers and chronic sufferers.
Some people swear by it, and some people swear at it.
The drug, approved by the Food and Drug Administration with no controversy in 1995, has come under intense scrutiny in recent months. Abuse of OxyContin, unlike other street drugs, began in rural areas, where narcotics such as heroin are not easily available. Va. The DEA says abuse of the painkiller has made its way from Appalachia, across Virginia and into the Washington region, including Maryland and the District. DEA agents are questioning distributors, doctors, pharmacies and users in investigations in Washington and its suburbs. Doctors say the drug is so addictive because it is so effective.