Doctors prescribe Oxycontin, the brand name version of oxycodone, to people with moderate to severe pain. People who have a tolerance to narcotics may also take Oxycontin. The medication relieves pain by binding to opioid receptors in the brain, which release endorphins, dynorphin and enkephalins, natural opioids produced by the brain. Many people become addicted to the drug: they may get the drugs off the street or from a prescription. If people stop taking Oxycontin too quickly, they can experience withdrawal symptoms.
Effects of Oxycontin on the Brain
The medical purpose of Oxycontin is to relieve pain, but the drug can also cause other effects. Oxycontin can also cause euphoria, in which users feel good and relaxed, and causes many people to become addicted to the drug. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research explains that the euphoric effects of Oxycontin result from the release of the natural opioids and the increase in dopamine. When Oxycontin acts on the brain, it restricts how much of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, the brain releases. With less GABA in the brain, the brain produces more dopamine, which causes pleasure.
How Withdrawal Occurs
Kristi Monson, PharmD, and Arthur Schoenstadt, MD, authors of the eMedTV article "OxyContin Withdrawal," explain that withdrawal occurs as users' bodies get used to the drugs. Withdrawal can occur in people who take Oxycontin for legitimate pain and people who abuse Oxycontin. The symptoms are a response to stopping Oxycontin too suddenly or after a significant decrease in dosage. For example, if a person addicted to Oxycontin takes a large dose one day but a smaller dose the next, she can experience withdrawal symptoms.
Withdrawal Symptoms
None of the Oxycontin withdrawal symptoms are dangerous, though they can become disruptive. For example, Monson and Schoenstadt note that people can experience muscular discomfort, which includes weakness, joint pain, backache, muscle pain and abdominal pain. Users may feel ill, with symptoms including sweating, chills, fast breathing, rapid heart rate, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, watery eyes, runny nose, yawning and sneezing. Other Oxycontin withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, irritability, dilated pupils, restlessness, insomnia and depression.
Risks
The University of Maryland's Center for Substance Abuse Research points out that the risk of withdrawal while using Oxycontin is high. When Oxycontin starts making changes to the brain in which users cannot quit, addiction can occur. Then, withdrawal occurs when addicted persons come down from their high. The cycle of abuse and addiction continues as people use more of the drug to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
Preventing Withdrawal Symptoms
Preventing withdrawal symptoms when addicted to Oxycontin is difficult, as users will continue to use the drug. If a user wants to quit, MedlinePlus explains that decreasing the dosage gradually can prevent withdrawal symptoms from occurring.
