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by Katherine Neer

Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this How Stuff Works article:

Neer, Katherine. "How OxyContin Works." 22 August 2001. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/oxycontin.htm> 09 July 2008.

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OxyContin in the Body

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.

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.

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

Photo courtesy U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
160-mg OxyContin tablet

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.

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Abdominal Bloating Abdominal Fullness Prematurely Afte... Abdominal Lumps Abdominal Mass Abdominal Pain Abdominal Rigidity Abdominal Sounds Abdominal Swelling Abnormal Posturing Abnormal Tooth Shape Abnormally Dark Or Light Skin Absent Menstruation Absent Thirst Agitation Ambiguous Genitalia Ankle Pain Appetite Decrease Appetite Increase Apraxia Arachnodactyly Armpit Lump Autistic Behavior Babinski's Reflex Bed Wetting Belching Binge Eating Blackheads Bleeding Gums Bleeding Into The Skin Blindness Blockage Of Leg Arteries Blood In The Semen Blood in Urine Bloody Or Tarry Stools Bone Pain Or Tenderness Bounding Pulse Bowel Incontinence Breast Lump Breast Pain Breath Odor Breath Sounds Breathing - Slowed Or Stopped Breathing Difficulty Breathing Difficulty When Lying Dow... 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ABO Incompatibility AIDS ARDS (acute Respiratory Distress Sy... Aarskog Syndrome Aase Syndrome Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Abortion - Complete Abortion - Elective Or Therapeutic Abortion - Incomplete Abortion - Infected Abortion - Threatened Abscess Acanthosis Nigricans Achalasia Achilles Tendinitis Achondrogenesis Achondroplasia Acidosis Acne Acoustic Neuroma Acoustic Trauma Acquired Platelet Function Defect Acrodermatitis Acrodysostosis Acromegaly Actinic Keratosis Actinomycosis Acute Adrenal Crisis Acute Arterial Occlusion - Kidney Acute Bilateral Obstructive Uropath... Acute Bronchitis Acute Cerebellar Ataxia Acute Cholecystitis (Gallstones) Acute Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Infecti... Acute Gouty Arthritis Acute HIV Infection Acute Interstitial Nephritis Not NS... 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Beriberi Bezoar Bilateral Hydronephrosis Bile Duct Obstruction Biliary Atresia Biliary Stricture Bipolar Disorder Bipolar Disorder In-Depth Birth-acquired Herpes Birthmarks - Pigmented Birthmarks - Red Bladder Cancer Bladder Outlet Obstruction Bladder Stones Blastomycosis Blastomycosis Skin Lesion Bleeding Disorders Bleeding Esophageal Varices Blepharitis Blind Loop Syndrome Blocked Tear Duct Blood Clots Blount's Disease Body Lice Bone Tumors Borderline Personality Disorder Botulism Bowlegs Brachial Palsy In Newborns Brachial Plexopathy Brain Abscess Brain Herniation Brain Tumor - Adults Brain Tumor - Children Brain Tumors - Primary In-Depth Branchial Cleft Cyst Breast Cancer Breast Cancer In-Depth Breast Infection Breast Milk Jaundice Breath Holding Spell Brief Reactive Psychosis Bronchial Adenoma Bronchiectasis Bronchiolitis Bronchitis Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Brucellosis Bruxism Bulimia Bullous Pemphigoid Bunions Burkitt Lymphoma Bursitis Byssinosis CMV - Gastroenteritis/colitis CMV - Immunocompromised Host CMV - Pneumonia CMV Esophagitis CMV Retinitis CSF Leak Campylobacter Enteritis Canavan Disease Cancer Cancer - Penis Cancer - Renal Pelvis Or Ureter Cancer - Resources Cancer - Throat Or Larynx Cancer - Vulva Candida Esophagitis Canker Sore Treatment Canker Sores Caplan Syndrome Caput Succedaneum Carbunculosis Carcinoid Syndrome Cardiac Amyloidosis Cardiac Tamponade Cardiogenic Shock Cardiomyopathy Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Carpal Tunnel Syndrome In-Depth Cat Scratch Disease Cataract Cataracts In-Depth Catheter-associated UTI Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis Celiac Disease - Sprue Cellulitis Central Pontine Myelinolysis Central Serous Choroidopathy Central Sleep Apnea Cerebral Hypoxia Cerebral Palsy Cervical Cancer Cervical Cancer In-Depth Cervical Dysplasia Cervical Polyps Cervical Spondylosis Cervicitis Chagas Disease Chalazion Chancroid Chapped Hands Chapped Lips Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (heredi... Charley Horse Chediak-Higashi Syndrome Chemical Pneumonitis Chemotherapy Cherry Angioma Chickenpox Chiggers Child Abuse - Physical Child Abuse - Sexual Child Neglect And Psychological Abu... Childhood Disintegrative Disorder Chinese Restaurant Syndrome Chlamydia Chlamydia Infections In Women Chlamydial Urethritis - Male Choanal Atresia Cholangiocarcinoma Cholangitis Choledocholithiasis Cholera Cholestasis Cholesteatoma Cholesterol In-Depth Chondromalacia Patella Choroidal Dystrophies Chronic Bilateral Obstructive Uropa... Chronic Bronchitis Chronic Cholecystitis Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Chronic Fatigue Syndrome In-Depth Chronic Glomerulonephritis Chronic Gouty Arthritis Chronic Granulomatous Disease Chronic Inflammatory Polyneuropathy Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Chronic Motor Tic Disorder Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease In... Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disea... Chronic Pancreatitis Chronic Persistent Hepatitis Chronic Renal Failure