Oxycontin, the brand name for oxycodone, is a potent opioid pain reliever. Like all opioid medications, Oxycontin carries with it the potential for abuse. Abuse can occur after a patient has been prescribed the medication for legitimate medical problems, or after Oxycontin is acquired illegally. Oxycontin abuse has a number of both physical and medical effects on addicts.
Acute Effects
One of the most serious side effects of Oxycontin abuse is depression of the respiratory system, the Partnership For a Drug Free America explains. Oxycontin can also lead to nausea, constipation, vomiting and dry mouth. Other side effects of Oxycontin abuse include dizziness, sweating, sedation, weakness and sweating. These side effects are generally not serious if the medication is taken as prescribed. However, abuse often leads to patients taking more than the recommended dose. This can cause severe respiratory depression, which can be fatal.
Tolerance
Another effect of Oxycontin abuse is tolerance. This means that patients will need to take more and more of the medication to achieve the desired effect, notes Baptist Health Systems. Tolerance is the result of the brain adapting to the effects of Oxycontin, which can occur as a result of long-term Oxycontin abuse. One of the key signs of tolerance to Oxycontin is the need to take progressively more of the drug, which also increases the risk of overdose.
Dependence
Another effect of Oxycontin abuse is physical dependence on the medication. Physical dependence is the result of the same brain adaptation that causes tolerance, and is marked by the appearance of withdrawal symptoms when Oxycontin is not taken for a period of time. These include insomnia, diarrhea and agitation. In addition, Oxycontin abusers who have not taken the drug recently may feel a powerful craving to take Oxycontin. Physical dependence can also occur with patients taking Oxycontin as prescribed for the treatment of pain, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment explains. Physical dependence on the therapeutic effects of Oxycontin can be managed by a gradual decrease in the dosage.
Drug-seeking Behavior
One of the effects of Oxycontin abuse is the appearance of drug-seeking behavior. This is marked by the patient changing behavioral patterns in order to make it easier to obtain more Oxycontin. This can result in the loss of the patient's job as well as the loss of relationships with friends and family, notes the "Journal of the American Medical Association." Oxycontin abuse can also lead to an increase in risky or criminal behavior, as the addict needs to go to increasing lengths to continue to obtain the drug.
