Oxycodone was created in 1995 to help relieve severe and chronic pain, but since then it has been discovered to be highly addictive and effective for its intended purpose. Although originally designed to be a time release pill that is increasingly effective over a 12 hour period so the pain killing attribute lasts longer, drug addicts crush the pill to speed up the process. Unfortunately, this leads to a much higher risk of overdose for those in search of a greater high.

The addiction typically begins when someone is prescribed oxycodone for a severe and chronic pain that cannot be relieved by any other medication. Since oxycodone is synthetic morphine, it is extremely useful for relieving pains that fall into that category. The unfortunate thing is that many who start taking it have a very difficult time stopping and often end up taking more of the medication than they actually need because the drug numbs both the body and the mind. A person in enough pain to be prescribed this drug is often also going through emotional trouble, as well, especially if the injury causes the person to be unable to do the things they could do before.

Someone who is addicted to oxycodone can be recognized by the fact that they go to multiple physicians or clinics to be able to obtain more of the drug. Forging prescriptions is also not out of the question for some people. If you find yourself taking more of the drug than your doctor recommends, you may have a problem. If you even consider going to a different doctor for a new prescription after your regular doctor refuses to give you more, this is a huge red flag that indicates that you could have a problem. Realize that “doctor shopping” is a crime in many states punishable by fines and jail time and that eventually, everyone gets caught at doing this.

While oxycodone blocks pain signals from being received by your brain, it also increases the amount of dopamine in your brain, which is a naturally occuring substance that allows us to feel happiness and pleasure. Unfortunately for those using oxycodone to feel more pleasure, they do not realize that the drug is not as effective at the same dosage for long and to feel the same amount of pleasure, more must be taken, vastly increasing the chance of overdose. Your respiratory system will begin to fail, which is the most common cause of death in oxycodone addicts.

Treatment for oxycodone addiction is available through rehabilitation centers and while the programs can take weeks to complete, they are more than worth it to get away from a physically and emotionally crippling addiction.