This document discusses oxycodone, an opioid pain reliever. It lists the generic and brand names, describes how it works to relieve pain and its side effects. Potential signs of abuse are provided, such as doctor shopping or changing moods. Treatment options for addiction like buprenorphine, naltrexone and methadone are presented. Shocking statistics on overdose deaths and over-prescribing of opioids are shared, as well as a quote on the need to curb the epidemic.

1. Carrie Wambach
HE 285 OL Drugs & Society
Teachback
September 27th, 2016

2. Main Points
• Prescription opioid pain reliever; sometimes called a
narcotic
• Generic name: Oxycodone
• Brand names: Oxaydo, OxyCONTIN, Oxyfast,
Roxicodone, Xtampza ER
• Used to treat moderate to severe pain through a slow,
steady release of the opioid

3. Side Effects
• Drowsiness, headache, dizziness, tired feeling
• Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, loss of
appetite
• Dry mouth
• Mild itching
Rare but Serious Side Effects
• Mental/ mood changes
• Severe stomach or abdominal
pain
• Difficulty urinating
• Fainting
• Seizure
• Slow/ shallow breathing

4. How Prescription drugs are abused
• If you take a medication prescribed for someone else
• If you take a drug in a higher quantity
• If you take a drug via a different route than prescribed
• If you take a drug for
anything other than its
prescribed purpose

5. How opioid pain relievers affect
the brain
• Opioids act by attaching to specific proteins called
opioid receptors, which are found in the brain,
spinal cord, gastrointestinal tract, and other organs
in the body.
• Directly or indirectly causes an increase in the
amount of dopamine in the brain’s reward
pathway
• When opioid overdose is combined with
depressed respirations it can have short
and long term effects, including coma and
brain damage
• Alter a person’s judgement and decision
making

6. Signs someone may be abusing Opioids
• Noticeable elation/euphoria
• Marked sedation/drowsiness
• Confusion
• Constricted pupils
• Slowed breathing
• Intermittent nodding off, or
loss of consciousness
• Constipation
• Doctor shopping (getting
multiple prescriptions from
different doctors)
• Shifting or dramatically
changing moods
• Extra pill bottles turning up
in the trash
• Social withdrawal/isolation
• Sudden financial problems

7. What treatment is available for
opioid addiction?
• Buprenorphine or Buprenorphine/naloxone
• Brand names: Subutex or Suboxone
• partial opioid agonist* which can reduce cravings
• Naltrexone
• Brand name: Vivitrol
• prevents opioids from activating their receptors
• Methadone
• synthetic opioid agonist that eliminates withdrawal
symptoms and relieves drug cravings by acting on
the same brain targets as other opioids
*partial agonist activate the opioid receptors in the brain, but to a much lesser degree than a full
agonist. Full agonist activate the opioid receptors in the brain fully, resulting in the full opioid effect.

8. Shocking Statistics
• Prescription and over-the-counter drugs, after
marijuana and alcohol, are the most commonly
abused substance by Americans age 14 and older
• More than 2 million people in the US suffer from
substance abuse disorders related to prescription
opioid pain relievers
• Oxycodone can have similar effects to heroin when
taken in doses or routes other than prescribed
• Nearly half of young people who inject heroin
reported abusing prescription opioids before starting
heroin

9. Relevance to practice
• Opioid pain medications are so highly used in society;
in 2014 47,055 deaths were associated with drug
overdose
• Opioid pain reliever prescribing has quadrupled since
1999; we need to provide prescribers with more tools
and information.
• Ex: the Prescription Monitoring program recently
being utilized in Massachusetts and other states
• Recognizing when someone has become addicted and
knowing how to help them is the first step to curbing
the epidemic

10. Quote
“The opioid epidemic is devastating American
families and communities. To curb these trends and
save lives, we must help prevent addiction and
provide support and treatment to those who suffer
from opioid use disorders”
CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.

11. Discussion Question
In 2013, 207 million prescriptions were
written for prescription opioid pain
medications.
What do you think has led to the
over-prescribing of opioid pain
relievers?

12. Works Cited
• CDC Newsroom: Drug overdose deaths hit record numbers in 2014.
(2015, December 18). Retrieved September 25, 2016, from
Centers for disease control and prevention :
http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2015/p1218-drug-
overdose.html
• DrugFacts: Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications . (2015,
November ). Retrieved September 12, 2016, from National
Institute on Drug Abuse:
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/prescripti
on-over-counter-medications
• Opiate Abuse . (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2016, from
DrugAbuse.com: http://drugabuse.com/library/opiate-abuse/
• Oxycodone . (2016, September 5). Retrieved September 12, 2016, from
Drugs.com: https://www.drugs.com/oxycodone.html