Oxycontin is a brand name for a drug known as Oxycodone. It is an analgesic medicine, which was developed in Germany in 1916. The drug was developed as an opiod and was meant to improve on the many opioids that were already on the market, for example, morphine, codeine and diacetylmorphine among others. Oxycontin drugs are usually prescribed for the relief of pain, regardless of whether it is severe, or mild.

The drug is made from a combination of other drugs, for example, ibuprofen and paracetamol among others. It ought to be understood that oxycondone is the real name of the drug, but it has been branded by various names, which differ according to manufacturer. The brand Oxycontin is a time release oral oxycondone, which is by Purdue Pharma.

Generally, the drug is supposed to be taken twice every day. This is a plus over other pain medications, which need to be taken several times to stop the pain. This, therefore, shows that the drug is extremely strong and effective in stopping pain.

Given the fact that the drug is strong, it is not usually prescribed for patients that have minor pain. Rather, it is prescribed for patients with chronic pain in their back and neck. The drug has also been established to be useful to cancer patients in pain.

However, since the drug is strong, it is often prone to abuse. Though the government has tried to regulate the distribution of the drug by ensuring that it is only given to people with prescriptions, addicts have still found a way of getting the drug to satisfy their addiction.

Many Oxycontin addicts have various ways of abusing the drug. The known ways all include crushing the tablet and then, snorting it, dissolving it in water and injecting or ingesting it directly.

It ought to be noted that hen the tablet is crushed and mixed with water; it is to a small extent weakened. However, it must also be noted that when the tablet is crushed, the user could ingest harmful doses of it.

If the drug is used properly, it is highly effective in relieving pain. However, if it is used as a drug or if crushed, it can have certain adverse effects. The drug has often been compared to heroine and most of its abusers say that when they ingest the drug, they have the same feeling as they do when taking heroine.

If consumed in high quantities, the drug can be fatal. Symptoms of overdose of the drug include dizziness, weakness and seizures among others. If the symptoms are not properly treated, the patient could end up dying. In case addiction has been established, the patient needs to be weaned off the drugs slowly.

It is, therefore, not recommended that use is discontinued immediately, but that it is discontinued in stages. Abrupt discontinuation of usage of the drug could lead to with draw symptoms like heart palpitations, fatigue, joint aches, cold/hot sweats, diarrhea, depression, nausea, watery eyes and uncontrollable coughing among others.