Oxycodone is a very common pain reliever, used to treat extreme pain. It’s used by many patients after surgery. Oxycodone is a narcotic which means it changes the way the nervous system and brain react to pain. It’s also an opiate, so it contains opium which is found in many other pain killers.

Oxycodone, which is found in the pill form of Oxycontin, the brand name, is prescribed by doctors for many patients. If you take this drug too often you can become used to it which causes you to become addicted. Even when taken at the right dosage amount these pills have side effects. The most common ones are nausea, vomiting, sweating, headache, but there are many more. Even death of permanent brain damage can occur if you take too high of dosages of this drug.

If you are not in pain or do not need to take Oxycontin, you can get a “high” off of this drug. Many people use this for recreational use. But this is very dangerous, because it’s easy to overdose when taking these and it’s also very addictive. It can be addictive if taken more than the right dosage, taken too often, or taken longer than your doctor told you too. When people depend on this drug they develop a tolerance, so when they increase the dosage they are even more likely to be addicted. Then once you stop taking Oxycontin, after you have for so long, you could have withdrawal symptoms. There are a bunch of rehab programs to help with this addiction.

In the United States, Oxycontin is one of the most commonly abused drugs. The abuse is way more common in teenagers and adults in their twenties, than older people. Most people that have abused oxycodone have said that they bought it illegally from someone who was prescribed to it. Another dangerous part of the abuse of this drug is that oxycodone is known as a gateway drug. This means that it could easily lead to the abuse of other drugs that could possibly be more dangerous and harmful.

Oxycodone can obviously be very dangerous if not taken correctly. But this opiate is only one of many that are being abused. Over 9 percent of Americans have or will abuse opiates in their lifetime says a study done at Medline Plus.

Do you think oxycodone is a good drug for doctors to prescribe?

What are some other side effects of Oxycontin?

What other drugs could be prescribed besides Oxycontin?