Oxycontin Reformulation And Abuse

 

The abuse of controlled substances is often difficult to mitigate because of their widespread availability. Unlike illegal drugs, these actually perform valid and vital functions in medical settings. It is only when they are misused that problems arise. OxyContin is a good example of this. It's a brand of painkiller that contains oxycodone, an opioid narcotic substance. In proper doses, it can be of tremendous help to patients suffering from moderate to severe pain. Yet some people have begun to abuse it causing the manufacturer to take action through OxyContin reformulation.

The History of OxyContin

There are plenty of other medications that contain oxycodone going under different brand names. What makes OxyContin unique is that it was designed to provide patients with long-lasting relief from pain. Its extended effects were achieved through greater oxycodone content compared to most other competitors. When it was introduced to the US market in 1995, it became widely used by doctors in the treatment of extreme medical cases.

Methods of Abuse

The original formulation of OxyContin created a tablet that was quite brittle. It was easy to crush into a fine powder. People would chew it in their mouths, dissolve it in liquid, and so other kinds of manipulation just so that they could avail of all the oxycodone content at once for quicker pain relief. It didn't take long for recreational drug users to realize that its physical characteristics made it well-suited for their purposes. The drug became the preferred path for opioid abuse especially since it could be obtain virtually anywhere in the country.

Impact of Reformulation

Changes were made when the situation became clear to the manufacturer, the pertinent government agencies, and other concerned sectors. OxyContin was reformulated in such a way as to frustrate those who would want to tamper with it. The tablet no longer lends itself to being crushed for snorting. Even those who find a way to dissolve it in liquid for injection will be discouraged with the results. It will not be immediately released into the bloodstream which takes away the high that abusers crave. Indeed, studies show a significant decrease in OxyContin dependence right after the reformulation.

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