Oxycontin is an agonist opioid that is designed to decrease pain by attaching itself to receptors in your brain, spine and central nervous system. It is a powerful Schedule II controlled substance and is primarily used to reduce chronic pain. Due to the euphoric feeling that patients get as they ingest Oxycontin, it has come to be widely abused over the last decade as anyone with a prescription can get it. The short term effects of abusing Oxycontin include:
– Hallucinations | – Drowsiness |
– Paranoia | – Headaches |
– Constipation | – Sweating |
– Mood swings | – Addiction |
– Depression | – Anxiety |
The most notable among those is addiction, which can happen very quickly to individuals that abuse this powerful pain reliever. The reason addiction can set in so quickly is because Oxycontin is an analgesic that does not approach a limit to its potency as you consume it. This means the more you ingest, the better you feel, so an abuser can become psychologically addicted extremely quickly. The short term effects of Oxycontin abuse are akin to that of alcohol or other similar downer drugs, they can produce behavioral aberrations and slight mental disorders that are apparent but can be resolved by abstaining.
Oxycontin works by blocking pain receptors in your brain and central nervous system (CNS), which is very helpful for patients experiencing chronic pain, but the ease of availability and high degree of dependence has made the drug a major societal problem due to its highly addictive effects. Users will experience nausea, seizures, constipation, drowsiness, weakness and also sleeplessness as side effects from regular use.
On the street many people call Oxycontin “legal heroin” due to its highly addictive nature and also because of its difficult withdrawal process. Addicted users attempting to withdrawal that are already experiencing short term effects can expect diarrhea, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, severe abdominal pain and irregular heartbeats to name a few. Overall you can expect even slight, short term effects to be difficult when trying to abstain from Oxycontin. The success rate without some medical intervention is very low for individuals attempting to withdraw from the drug and users at any stage of regular use are encouraged to visit a rehabilitation facility like Horizon Clinics so that they can receive help in a supportive environment free from outside influence.
Oxycontin has the one-two punch of attaching to opiate receptors and blocking pain along your CNS, then triggering the release of dopamine from your brain. This is a highly addictive combination that provides the euphoric, pleasurable experience that is prevalent among recreational drug use. The problem is that psychological addiction to these mood altering chemicals is nearly instantaneous and even short term use can result in a lifetime of difficult struggles to remove one’s self from the grasp of this narcotic.
Finally, Oxycontin can have the almost immediate effect of decreasing performance on virtually every level. As the narcotic is considered a downer, sexual performance will take a serious hit as a primary action of Oxycontin is to slow down the respiratory system, which results in a drowsy, groggy type of high. This lazy, apathetic nature in appearance and work ethic can also be a major indicator of abuse as a short term effect.