|
OxyContin: Questions and Answers
Questions and Answers about OxyContin
- What kind of medicine is OxyContin?
- What kind of pain is appropriate to treat with OxyContin?
- How do I know if I have the right kind of pain to use OxyContin?
- Are there any activities that I should not perform while using
OxyContin for pain relief?
- What should I do if I still have pain after I take the OxyContin?
- Can I take other medicines while I am using OxyContin for pain
relief?
- Can I drink an alcoholic beverage while I am using OxyContin for pain
relief?
- Will I become addicted to OxyContin if I take it every day?
- What should I do when I no longer need the OxyContin for pain relief?
- Haven't there been press reports about the misuse of OxyContin?
- Can I take OxyContin if I am pregnant, planning to become pregnant,
or planning to nurse my baby?
- Are there any other special precautions I should take with my
OxyContin?
1. What kind of medicine is OxyContin?
OxyContin contains oxycodone, a very strong narcotic pain reliever similar to morphine.
OxyContin is designed so that the oxycodone is slowly released over time, allowing it to
be used twice daily. You should never break, chew, or crush the OxyContin tablet since
this causes a large amount of oxycodone to be released from the tablet all at once,
potentially resulting in a dangerous or fatal drug overdose.
2. What kind of pain is appropriate to treat with
OxyContin?
OxyContin is intended to help relieve pain that is moderate to severe in intensity, when
that pain is present all the time, and expected to continue for a long time. This level of
pain severity may be caused by a variety of different medical conditions.
Back to Top
3. How do I know if I have the right kind of pain to use
OxyContin?
Only a physician can determine if OxyContin is a good choice to manage a your pain. If you
have pain every day that lasts for a large part of the day, and the pain is moderate or
severe in intensity, depending upon other factors in your medical history, OxyContin may
be a good choice for you. Speak with your physician.
If you feel you only need to take a pain reliever occasionally and this adequately treats
your pain, OxyContin is NOT the right drug for you. If you only need a pain reliever for a
few days, for example following a dental or surgical procedure, OxyContin is not the right
drug for you.
4. Are there any activities that I should not perform
while using OxyContin for pain relief?
OxyContin may interfere with your ability to do certain things that require your full
attention. You should not drive a car, operate heavy machinery, or do other possibly
dangerous activities while taking OxyContin.
Back to Top
5. What should I do if I still have pain after I take the
OxyContin?
Because OxyContin is a very strong medication, you should not adjust the dose without
first speaking with your physician.
6. Can I take other medicines while I am using OxyContin
for pain relief?
Combining OxyContin with some other types of medication such as sleeping pills,
tranquilizers, and other pain medications may be dangerous due to the risk of interactions
of these medications that can result in injury or death. You should speak with your
physician before taking any other medicines with OxyContin. You should also tell your
physician about all prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and dietary
supplements/herbal remedies that you are taking before starting OxyContin.
Back to Top
7. Can I drink an alcoholic beverage while I am using
OxyContin for pain relief?
You should not drink any beverage that contains alcohol while you are taking OxyContin.
This includes beer, wine, and all distilled liquors. OxyContin and alcoholic beverages may
have dangerous interactions that can result in serious injury or death.
8. Will I become addicted to OxyContin if I take it every
day?
OxyContin is only intended for moderate to severe pain that is present on a daily basis
and that requires a very strong pain reliever. Patients with this type of severe pain
condition require daily pain treatment. Taking OxyContin daily can result in physical
dependence, a condition in which the body shows signs of narcotic withdrawal if the
OxyContin is stopped suddenly. This is not the same thing as addiction, which represents a
situation in which people obtain and take narcotics because of a psychological need, and
not just to treat a legitimate painful condition. Physical dependence can be treated by
slowly under the advice of a physician by slowing decreasing the OxyContin dose when it is
no longer needed for the treatment of pain. Concerns of addiction should not prevent
patients with appropriate pain conditions from using OxyContin or other narcotics for pain
relief.
Back to Top
9. What should I do when I no longer need the OxyContin for
pain relief?
When you no longer need OxyContin, the dose should be gradually reduced so that you do not
feel sick with withdrawal symptoms. You should ask your physician for a plan on how to
gradually decrease the dose and when to stop the OxyContin.
10. Haven't there been press reports about the misuse of
OxyContin?
OxyContin is a safe and effective pain medication when properly prescribed and used as
directed. OxyContin has also been used as a drug of abuse. You should protect your
prescription and your medication from theft and never give OxyContin to anyone else. You
should destroy any left over OxyContin tablets that you may have once your physician
instructs you to stop taking the medication.
Back to Top
11. Can I take OxyContin if I am pregnant, planning to
become pregnant, or planning to nurse my baby?
Your should speak to your physician about the effects of drugs like OxyContin on an unborn
or newborn child.
12. Are there any other special precautions I should
take with my OxyContin?
Because there is a large dose of medication in each OxyContin tablet, you must be very
careful to keep OxyContin stored in a secure location, out of the reach of children. When
you no longer need OxyContin for pain relief, you should flush the unused tablets down the
toilet.
Back
to Top
Back to OxyContin
Information Page
PDF requires the free Adobe
Acrobat Reader
Date created: 8/02/2001 |
|