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July 18, 2001 Purdue Pharma Important Drug Warning Letter
Purdue Pharma sent 800,000 “Dear Healthcare Professional” letters in response to reports of illegal misuse, abuse, and diversion of OxyContin. Purdue also alerted healthcare professionals of the Black Box Warning that was added to OxyContin labels warning of the “abuse liability similar to morphine.” A Black Box Warning is the strongest warning issued by the FDA. To view the letter click here.

OxyContin Withdrawal

Anyone who is using OxyContin drug legitimately and does not have an abuse or addiction problem should still expect to taper off of the painkiller to avoid complete OxyContin withdrawal.
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Information on OxyContin Drug

Oxycontin Drug FAQ's

What is OxyContin Drug?

The drug OxyContin is a semisynthetic opioid analgesic prescribed for chronic or long-lasting pain. OxyContin’s active ingredient is oxycodone and can also be found in drugs like Percodan and Tylox. OxyContin, unlike these other drugs contains between 10-160 mg of oxycodone in a timed-release tablet. Tylox and other similar painkillers contain just 5 mg of oxycodone and require multiple doses to be taken because it does not have the timed-release formulation.

How Is the drug OxyContin Used?

OxyContin, also referred to as “Oxy,” “O.C.,” “Oxycotton”, and “killer” on the street, is supposed to provide as many as 12 hours of relief from chronic pain. Most often prescribed for terminal cancer patients or chronic pain sufferers, OxyContin was supposed to provide patients with relief because people would only need to take the drug twice a day.

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How Do People Abuse the drug OxyContin?

OxyContin drug is crushed and then ingested, snorted, or diluted in water and injected. Crushing or diluting the tablet disarms the timed-release action of OxyContin to cause a quick and powerful heroin-like high. Some areas in the country have replaced the use of heroin with the drug OxyContin.

OxyContin’s manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, has taken steps to reduce the potential for abuse of the medication. An alternative to OxyContin without the addictive traits is being studied, but if another medicine is created it will not be available for a significant amount of time. Until then, Purdue Pharma has been trying to develop ways of preventing more instances of abuse and addiction to OxyContin.

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How Does OxyContin Abuse Differ From Abuse of Other Pain Prescriptions?

Unfortunately, people have been, and will continue to, abuse prescription drugs, but OxyContin has become an especially alarming situation. OxyContin drug contains a much larger amount of oxycodone compared with other prescription pain relievers that have been abused in the past. OxyContin abusers crush the pill and snort or inject it in order to instantaneously feel the effects the drug can have.

Abuse of the OxyContin drug was first reported in rural areas, such as Kentucky, that rely on labor-intensive industries that are often times located in economically poor areas. The residents may have started off with prescriptions for OxyContin and soon found their strong addiction to the painkiller would allow them to sell it for profit. The cases of addiction were followed by robberies and false prescriptions that made getting OxyContin for legitimate patients hard due to the number of pharmacies refusing to carry the abused drug.

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How likely is OxyContin addiction?

Healthline reported on the controversy of OxyContin that has relieved thousands of people from pain but have resulted in OxyContin addiction despite the patients following the prescription directions. OxyContin is abused for its “heroin like highs”, making getting off of OxyContin also like getting off heroin.

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What are signs of OxyContin addiction?

OxyContin abuse is on the rise and has become the most abused drug in the U.S. Some patients have found relief from their severe pain in OxyContin, but others have found the drug prescribed by their doctors has resulted in OxyContin addiction. Addiction results when OxyContin patients find they need to take more than their prescribed amount for pain control or to get high. If you have been prescribed OxyContin and feel you have developed an OxyContin addiction problem despite following the prescribed amount, please contact us.

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Do I have any legal rights for the OxyContin addiction and/or side effects I have experienced from the drug?

OxyContin manufacturer has been criticized for over marketing the painkiller without fully disclosing the dangers of addiction and abuse that can occur. In addition, criminal cases involving physicians abusing their prescribing powers with OxyContin has been in the news showing how OxyContin abuse has immersed even medical professionals. Please contact us to speak with an OxyContin attorney.

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What is OxyContin?
FDA approved as a “breakthrough” in 1995 as a painkiller for moderate to severe pain, OxyContin topped at $1 billion in sales in 2000, making it the number one selling brand-name prescription painkiller. The active ingredient in OxyContin is oxycodone, a morphine-like ingredient found in other painkillers such as Percodan and Tylox. Unlike the other painkillers, OxyContin contains 40-160 mg of oxycodone opposed to the 5 mg other painkillers are made up of. OxyContin is supposed to control pain for a 12-hour stretch of time with the increased amount of oxycodone that is in a time-released formula.

Questions?

If you would like more information on OxyContin addiction or OxyContin abuse, please contact us to speak with an OxyContin attorney.

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