Dangers of Oxycontin
OxyContin is a powerful painkiller prescribed by doctors and administered by medical professionals to ease severe pain and elevate a patient’s mood. While there are legitimate medical reasons for using the drug, there is also a danger of addiction because the medication contains oxycodone, a semisynthetic opioid. If you are suffering from opioid abuse, reach out to Alina Lodge online, or call us at 833.685.1700 today to learn how our opioid rehab center can help you break the cycle of addiction.
The Danger of OxyContin
OxyContin has proven to deliver beneficial effects, including the relief of pain and improvement of a person’s mood. However, the danger of OxyContin is that the drug can suppress respiration, slow your heart rate, begin a period of opioid abuse, and lead to an OxyContin addiction.
OxyContin does not care if you use it for a legitimate medical purpose or take it recreationally to get high. Opioid abuse can lead to you becoming dependent on the drug, and that presents a true danger. This is because OxyContin addiction will compel you to use the drug with increased frequency and in larger doses as you develop a tolerance to its effects. Attempting to stop using OxyContin comes with its own dangers, as withdrawal symptoms can be severe and relapse likely.
Opioid abuse can also cause you to experience considerable distress when you try to end your OxyContin use or when you are incapable of acquiring more of the prescribed drug. Alina Lodge’s opioid rehab center is a professional facility capable of compassionately helping you overcome your opioid abuse and start you on the road to recovery.
The Impact of OxyContin Addiction
If left untreated, your OxyContin addiction can profoundly affect virtually all aspects of your life. The danger of OxyContin addiction is that it can expose you to continued physical harm and long-lasting psychological damage. Opioid abuse will also negatively impact your school life, career, personal finances, and your social well-being.
The many dangers of OxyContin include:
- Heart, liver, and kidney damage
- Respiratory distress
- Worsening co-occurring mental health disorders
- Job loss
- Financial distress
- Withdrawal and isolation
Additionally, opioid abuse can lead to arrest, incarceration, and other legal problems and:
- Family issues
- Ruined relationships
- Poor self-esteem
- Helplessness or hopelessness
- Suicidal ideation and risky behavior
Professional treatment for your OxyContin addiction will help you manage your symptoms, avoid continued opioid abuse, and begin the healing process from any adverse effects you are already experiencing. You can enjoy long-term recovery from OxyContin abuse, and Alina Lodge can help.
The danger of OxyContin goes beyond taking the pills. There are two other ways of injecting OxyContin, and those are even more harmful.
Dangers of Snorting OxyContin
OxyContin can be crushed, turned into a powder, and snorted just like cocaine. When people snort the prescription drug, it is absorbed swiftly through the membranes in the nose, moves into the bloodstream fast, and delivers a rapid onset of the action users seek. In addition to the regular danger of OxyContin and opioid abuse, when students crush and snort OxyContin repeatedly, they risk developing frequent sinus infections. If snorting over a long period of time, delicate nasal tissue may begin to break down, which can lead to permanent damage in the nasal cavity.
Dangers of Injecting OxyContin
Some students who seek help from Alina Lodge have also begun to crush OxyContin and then mix the powder with water to form a mixture injected into their body with a needle, similar to heroin. OxyContin can be injected directly into veins or muscle and skin and comes with serious risk in addition to those associated with opioid abuse itself. Injected OxyContin can see you contracting HIV, hepatitis, and other blood-borne diseases by sharing needles. Ten percent of new HIV infections are the result of injection drug use.
Of course, overdose is a risk with any drug use and opioid abuse, but the potential to OD is much higher when the drugs are injected into the body.
The danger of OxyContin overdose include:
- Extreme confusion or disorientation
- Unconsciousness and inability to be awakened
- Slow, shallow, or labored breathing
- Dangerously low heart rate
- Faint or imperceptible pulse
- Bluish coloration of the skin
- Seizure
Learn More at Alina Lodge
If you are currently struggling with opioid abuse, contact Alina Lodge immediately. Use our secure online form or call us at 833.685.1700 today to learn more about how we can help you break the cycle of addiction and start on the path toward recovery.