OxyContin® is a prescription opiate which is used in pain management. This drug was introduced to the market in 1996 by Purdue Pharma, which continues to produce a branded version of the drug. It is also possible to obtain generic OxyContin®. Several doses of the brand and generic version are available, including color-coded five, 15, and 60 milligram pills.

This drug is a time-release form of oxycodone, an opiate which has been used in pain management since the early 20th century. Because OxyContin® slowly releases medicine into the body over time, it is only necessary to take a pill every 12 hours for long-lasting relief, rather than needing to take pills every three to four hours. This drug is often used in the management of severe and chronic pain such as the pain experienced by cancer patients.

Like other opiates, OxyContin® has some potentially serious side effects. It tends to depress the respiratory system, causing shallow breathing, a decrease in heart rate, dizziness, confusion, and fainting. The drug can also cause fever, nausea, dry mouth, itching, sweating, convulsions, and constipation. In people with breathing disorders like asthma, OxyContin® can become fatal, and the drug also accumulates in the bodies of people with liver and kidney problems, which can become an issue if these problems have not been diagnosed.

Access to this drug is tightly controlled, because it is habit forming. The potential for OxyContin® abuse is very high, and patients who take the drug must be very careful about how they use it. Doctors usually start out with a very low dosage recommendation, gradually increasing it as the patient requires more analgesia. When patients stop using the drug, they must taper the dosage, rather than quitting abruptly, or they may experience serious withdrawal symptoms. Patients who use OxyContin® must do it under the supervision of a doctor, and the drug should never be shared with others, because there are a number of contraindicated conditions and medications which should not be mixed with OxyContin®.

In addition to potentially causing problems for patients, OxyContin® is also very popular with addicts, who obtain the drug in a variety of ways. Addicts usually remove the time-release coating on the drug so that they can ingest a large amount at once, experiencing a high which can sometimes be fatal. Opiate abuse has been a problem for centuries, but with the development of extremely strong opiates like OxyContin®, the risk of fatalities is greatly increased. Crackdowns on abuse of prescription drugs have reduced the availability of such drugs for sale, but abuse continues to be an issue in many regions.