OxyContin Facts: Drug Info

• 5mg of OxyContin has as much active ingredient (oxycodone) as one Percocet.
• Chewing/snorting a 40mg OxyContin pill is like taking 8 Percocet pills at once. An 80mg OxyContin pill is like taking 16 Percocet pills all at once.
• Doctors commonly prescribe this drug to cancer patients as an alternative to morphine.
• OxyContin has been referred to as "hillbilly heroin" or "the poor man's heroin."
• OxyContin purchased legally typically costs $1.25 for a 10-mg tablet. An 80-mg tablet will commonly cost $6 when bought legally. On the other hand, the street value of this drug in a 10-mg tablet form runs between $5 and $10 while an 80-mg tablet can cost a whopping $65 to $80!

OxyContin Facts: Effects & Side Effects

• Respiratory depression is the principal hazard of using OxyContin.
• Common OxyContin side effects are constipation, nausea, sedation, dizziness, vomiting, headache, dry mouth, sweating, and weakness.
• Oxycodone causes miosis (Miosis is the constriction of the pupil of the eye), even in total darkness.

OxyContin Facts: Abuse & Addiction

• OxyContin gives the user a high much like HIGH GRADE heroin but with worse consequences.

• When law enforcement was asked what OxyContin pill strengths were most commonly abused or diverted they reported 40 mg tablets as the most common, although all strengths (10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg, 80 mg, and 160 mg) have been encountered.

• Physical dependence to OxyContin is practically unavoidable. Those who abuse this drug develop a tolerance to its effect. This means more and more of the drug is needed for the user to experience the “high” or euphoria they once felt with taking a lower dosage.
• When used properly, OxyContin contains a time-release mechanism that spreads the release of the drug over a 12-hour period. The time-release mechanism can be circumvented by crushing the tablet. Users then ingest the drug by one of the following means:
  • Chewing them
  • Crushing the tablet and snorting it like cocaine
  • Crushing the tablet, dissolving it in water, then injecting it like heroin

OxyContin Facts: Overdose

• This powerful prescription pain reliever has become a hot new street drug that has resulted in more than 120 deaths nationwide.
• Overdose symptoms of OxyContin: slow breathing, seizures, dizziness, weakness, loss of consciousness, coma, confusion, tiredness, cold and clammy skin, and small pupils.
• A renowned toxicologist at the National Medical Services in Willow Grave stated, "…anyone can die from OxyContin if they chew or crush it as they take it."
• An overdose of OxyContin is serious and may require hospitalization. Occasionally, the individual needs to be temporarily hooked to a ventilator to help them breath until the OxyContin wears off.