OxyContin in the Body

Opium

The use of opium has a very long history. It is believed that ancient civilizations in Egypt and Greece used opium for its euphoric effects. During the 1800s, laudanum (opium dissolved in alcohol) and other opium products were used in Great Britain and America to treat various ailments, from teething soreness in babies to fever and cough in children and adults.

The milky liquid from the opium poppy plant seed pods is extracted and dried to form opium powder. Various alkaloids from this powder can be isolated to form opioids such as morphine, codeine and oxycodone. The alkaloid in oxycodone is thebaine.

Once oxycodone enters the body, it works by stimulating certain opioid receptors that are located throughout the central nervous system, in the brain and along the spinal cord. When the oxycodone binds to the opioid receptors, a variety of physiologic responses can occur, ranging from pain relief to slowed breathing to euphoria.

When abused, OxyContin, like other opiates and opioids, can be dangerously addictive.

Rather than ingesting the pill as indicated, people who abuse OxyContin use other methods of administering the drug. To avoid the controlled-release mechanism, they either chew, snort or inject the medication to get an instant and intense "high." Frequent and repeated use of the drug can cause the user to develop a tolerance to its effects, so larger doses are required to elicit the desired sensation and the abuser gets increasingly addicted to the drug.

For more information on OxyContin, pain relievers, drug abuse and related topics, check out the links on the next page.