Oxycodone

Oxycodone is for moderate to severe pain relief. In medical settings, the prescribing of opioids is supposed to be limited to situations when non-opioid pain relievers haven’t worked adequately or can’t be taken.

Oxycodone is available in different forms, including oral tablets and time-released versions, as well as capsules and oral solutions. Oxycodone is a generic drug available under varying brand names like Oxayado and Roxicodone.

When someone uses oxycodone, it attaches to opioid receptors. These are found throughout the body, especially in the brain and central nervous system. The activation of these receptor sites then triggers a flood of neurotransmitters like dopamine that make the person using opioids feel good, relaxed, and even euphoric. This response and dopamine release are why opioids are highly addictive. Their use stimulates your brain’s reward cycle. The reward cycle is a natural way to reinforce pleasurable activities, such as sex or eating good food. Unfortunately, opioids and other addictive substances hijack the brain system.

When addictive drugs activate the brain, your use becomes out of your control or compulsive. This is a key characteristic of addiction—the use of the substance is no longer within your control, and nearly everything you do in your life is driven by a desire to keep obtaining and using the drug.

Other signs of addiction, aside from out-of-control, compulsive use, include:

• Continuing to use oxycodone even when you know it’s creating health problems or issues in different areas of your life.
• Developing a tolerance (needing larger doses to get the desired effects.)
• Visiting multiple healthcare providers to try and get prescriptions.
• Using oxycodone under dangerous circumstances, such as while driving or when using other substances.
• Having a desire to quit using oxycodone but being unable to.
• Stealing or lying to get more oxycodone or to cover your use.
• Having withdrawal symptoms if you stop using oxycodone suddenly or cut back on how much you use.

Opioids are central nervous system depressants. They relieve pain and create pleasant feelings. In addition, opioids slow down the essential functions we need to survive, like breathing and heart rate. Because it’s a depressant, physical signs of oxycodone use can include:

• Small, constricted pupils
• Impaired coordination
• Drowsiness
• Nodding in and out of consciousness and semi-consciousness
• Slurred speech
• Slow breathing
• Impaired judgment
• Memory problems
• Issues with focusing or concentrating
• Changes in sleep or appetite

If a person uses a dose of opioids that is more than what their body can tolerate, they can overdose. Opioid overdoses are often deadly because oxygen can’t adequately reach the brain, causing hypoxia.

At Resurge Recovery, we are a leading oxycodone rehab in Cincinnati. We understand the enormous impact of opioids on so many people’s lives, and we work to provide what’s needed for healing and recovery.