OxyContin Addiction Treatment
At Lighthouse Recovery Institute, we provide OxyContin addiction treatment for those ready to immerse themselves in recovery. If you’d like to leave OxyContin addiction behind, reach out to our friendly staff either online or at 866-308-2090 to learn more about our treatment center in Boynton Beach, Florida.
Long-term OxyContin use can contribute to social, emotional, and medical consequences. Most people find that it is nearly impossible to overcome an OxyContin addiction without the support and supervision of trained professionals.
What Is OxyContin?
OxyContin is a highly addictive opioid, meaning that it comes from the opium found in poppies. The opioid class of drugs includes prescription painkillers, such as Percocet, morphine, Vicodin, codeine, and fentanyl. There are various forms of oxycodone available that affect how the drug affects the central nervous system and the period of time it’s available in the system. OxyContin abuse and addiction are relatively common. Its classification as a Schedule II drug proves it has a high potential for misuse and abuse.
OxyContin not only causes a mental addiction, but also a physical addiction. OxyContin addiction treatment often requires many steps of treatment to help heal from use and to achieve long-term recovery.
Why Do People Become Addicted to OxyContin?
Like many other opioids, OxyContin has potent pain-relieving properties since these drugs work by attaching to the receptors in the brain that regulate pain. These drugs also produce dopamine and serotonin, the brain’s “feel-good” chemicals. In the short term, OxyContin use can cause drowsiness, slowed respiratory function, euphoria, and pain relief.
Unfortunately, short-term OxyContin use can cause a fatal overdose by shutting down the respiratory system. An overdose can also lead to brain damage and coma, even when the overdose victim survives.
Long-term OxyContin use leads to tolerance, dependence, and addiction. In addition to these effects, OxyContin can cause sleep problems, constipation, nausea, and lower pain tolerance.
Identifying OxyContin Addiction
Many people dependent on OxyContin struggle financially due to the need to fund their dependence, and many find themselves unable to maintain employment. The rollercoaster of euphoria and withdrawal can create or worsen depression and anxiety. As the addiction develops, users may lose relationships with friends, family, and partners due to the pursuit of OxyContin becoming the number one priority.
As someone’s tolerance, which is the amount of the substance they need to feel the desired effect, rises, they may turn to high-risk options, such as using higher amounts of the drug or injecting the drug. These habits can lead to a host of severe effects, such as overdoses, contraction of infectious diseases, and even fatality.
Signs that someone may have an OxyContin addiction or OxyContin dependence include using more than the prescribed dose, purchasing OxyContin illegally, and health problems from using the medication.
Additionally, other signs include:
- Mood swings
- Changes in daily habits
- Track marks from injecting
- Visiting multiple doctors for the same condition to acquire more prescriptions
Treating OxyContin Addiction
Since OxyContin is addictive and produces intense physical withdrawal symptoms, medical detox is necessary for people who decide to stop using. Withdrawal from OxyContin can lead to dehydration, extreme physical discomfort, acute mental distress, and suicidal ideation.
The first step of OxyContin addiction treatment is medical detox. Medical detox allows the process to be as comfortable and safe as possible. It’s also imperative to monitor the medical detox process because many addicts attempt to wean themselves off OxyContin by using other substances, such as benzodiazepines like Xanax or Valium.
The outcome of mixing these drugs is hazardous, as the combination can result in slowing down or stopping the respiratory system and cause death. Combining OxyContin with many substances, such as alcohol, cocaine, and other prescription pills, vastly increase the chance of suffering an overdose.
OxyContin Addiction Treatment Programs
At Lighthouse Recovery Institute, we treat OxyContin addiction by helping patients to develop relapse prevention skills alongside therapy targeted at processing and resolving core issues of their substance abuse disorder. Individuals must begin developing positive relationships and understanding how to deal with negative emotions appropriately.
Some of our OxyContin treatment programs include:
- Medical detox
- Inpatient treatment
- Outpatient treatment
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Relapse prevention
