Is it true that OxyContin abuse is increasing? Is it associated with heroin use?
A. Yes and yes. OxyContin, a time-release tablet, is a trade name product for the generic narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride, an opiate agonist. OxyContin, sometimes referred to as “poor man’s heroin,” or “hillbilly heroin,” is a high-powered prescription painkiller and often is prescribed to cancer and surgery patients and those with injuries, arthritis, and lower back conditions. The drug is popular among abusers because of its heroinlike effects. OxyContin tablets can be ingested several ways: by chewing, crushing them and then snorting the powder, or dissolving them in water and injecting the solution. When OxyContin is not taken in tablet form, the controlled-release is cancelled and the user has a high risk of receiving a lethal dose due to the drug being released immediately into one’s system. As initiatives to curb the abuse of OxyContin are implemented, abusers of the drug may begin to use other oxycodones, such as Percocet and Percodan. Abusers may also begin to use heroin, esp
