Addiction of any kind can be severely debilitating and cause impairment of one’s social and occupational functioning. Of the many addictions and abused substances becoming common in this day and age, oxycodone is one of the major ones.
Oxycodone medications are a type of opioid pain medicine prescribed for the treatment of severe pain. This prescription medication is available under the brand names OxyContin, Percodan, and Tylox.
Oxycodone addiction affects 1.9 million people in the United States according to The American Society of Addiction Medicine. This addiction usually precedes a prescription of oxycodone-containing painkillers for chronic pain. According to the American Psychiatric Association, 75% of deaths due to overdose are caused by opioids.
Given the risk of prescription painkiller overdose and the addiction burden of oxycodone, knowing its signs and symptoms can help us identify those at risk and seek help accordingly.
Behavioral Symptoms
Behavioral symptoms of oxycodone addiction include:
- Secretive behavior that involves lying and stealing to abuse the substance
- Withdrawing oneself from social and public situations with a preference for spending time alone since it allows easy abuse of substance
- Faking symptoms to get access to prescription painkillers. May involve frequent visits to different doctors
- Increased work or school absenteeism
- Inability to maintain and sustain relationships and friendships
- Loss of interest in once enjoyable activities
- Use of oxycodone to cope with troubles
- Anger outbursts
Physical and Mental Symptoms
Physically, addicts may display the following symptoms:
- Being drowsy all the time
- Loss of weight and appetite
- Impaired memory or gaps in memory
- Slowed reflexes and calculation time
- Impaired judgment of space and time
- Slowed heart rate
- Dilated pupils
- Being anxious and paranoid
What Are the Risk Factors Of Oxycodone Addiction?
Several factors may put individuals at risk for abuse of oxycodone. These include:
- Genetic Factors: unfortunately, addiction can be a heritable trait. Individuals who have a family history of substance abuse disorder or addiction are at an increased risk for substance abuse themselves. Family risk is increased if one of the immediate family members has a history of drug use.
- Physical Trauma: undergoing significant physical trauma can precede oxycontin addiction. Accidents that cause severe physical pain may cause oxycodone to be a part of one’s prescription medications. Given the high potential of addiction, patients develop chemical dependency in a short period of time. This may be followed by the development of an addiction.
- Environmental Factors: Early exposure and easy access by being around novelty-seeking friends or groups of people who partake in oxycodone abuse can increase one’s chances of developing an addiction. The pleasurable effects of narcotic opioids serve as a constant motivation to keep up with the addiction.
- Psychological Factors: Having a mental illness such as depression or anxiety can increase an individual’s risk of developing substance use disorder. Oxycodone helps create a sense of relaxation by activating opioid receptors in the brain. This effect helps individuals with mental illness escape their symptoms for some time.
What To Do If Someone Is Addicted To Oxycodone?
If you, or someone you know, is addicted to narcotic painkillers or oxycodone-containing pain relievers, you need to seek help immediately to mitigate the long-term dangers and risk of death associated with the substance.
Thankfully, one can seek the help of professionals in exploring the various treatment options available for opioid addiction. You can either get an outpatient treatment plan or enroll in a professional treatment center that specializes in opioid addiction.
There should be careful consideration that individuals who recover from this addiction should not be prescribed this group of medicines unless necessary.