Unfortunately, stimulants are not the only type of prescription drugs that are being abused by college students. Oxycontin is a powerful pain reliever often prescribed for cancer patients that has become a popular drug of choice for abusers on campuses across the United States.

More Powerful than Morphine

Oxycontin has effects similar to those of morphine. But the active ingredient in the drug is two times as potent as morphine. Oxycontin is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of moderate to severe pain, but college students who abuse drugs take the medication for its high. There have been reports of Oxycontin abuse in several states across the country.

The medication is designed to act as a slow release drug. This means it is packaged to be gradually released over time, keeping the level of medication constant in the body. It is generally taken twice per day. Patients who are prescribed the drug to treat pain are advised never to break, chew, or crush the pills, but drug makers worry the product labeling may have inadvertently clued in abusers as to the potential effects of the drug. In fact, people who crush, chew, or break the pills could risk serious overdose and death as the drug fills their system.

The medication is designed to be taken only by people who experience pain that is moderate to severe and that lasts every day, for a large part of the day. College students who abuse the drug without a prescription and in particular who drink alcohol while taking Oxycontin risk serious side effects. Combining alcohol with the medication can result in serious injury or death. While the drug is safe and effective when used by patients as prescribed, it can be extremely risky and dangerous for non-patients to take.

The drug’s manufacturers have proposed a few theories about the increasing prevalence of Oxycontin abuse. Besides the drug’s labeling, the makers also theorize that over-prescription or improper prescription of the drug by physicians accounts for the widespread availability of the medication. Patients who are prescribed the drug should not share their medication.