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Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Boston University of Medicine just released their findings of a study done on the widely used painkiller, OxyCotin.
The study concluded that when the manufacturer made changes to how the drug is created, it had a significant impact on a couple of key findings. First of all, it reduced the overall overdoses of the drug by a full 20 percent. In addition, once the changes were made, the drug was prescribed 19 percent less that it had been previously.
To sum it up, the researchers noted that the estimated decrease in the opioid prescriptions at two years would be enough to supply 5 mg of Oxycodone each day of the fourth quarter of 2012 to 5 percent of the population. The drug manufacturer created an abuse-deterrent formulation when it came to light that the drug was being used illicitly when users crushed it in order to get a better high.
OxyCotin is an extended release drug and users can get consistent relief from pain when it’s used correctly. But people with addictions soon learned that when the drug is crushed, it can give them a quicker high. The new formulation doesn’t allow that same high, and this is what’s attributed to the reduction of prescriptions and overdoses.
This change comes on the heels of the withdrawal of Propoxyphene, another painkiller that was removed from the US market a few years ago when it was learned that it led to cardiac side effects.
A spokesman from Sober Gateway Treatment and Therapy Center told us that the drug abuse rehab treatment industry has seen a rapid increase in the illegal use of painkillers. “The sad truth is that when an addict wants to get high, he or she will find some way to do it. This is great step, but unless an addict gets help with their addiction, they will simply find another substance to get their high.” And it seems that he’s right. The authors of the above quoted study warn that the withdrawal of one drug and the change in manufacturing of another drug does not actually cure the present demand for Opioids, although it may decrease the onset of new addictions in the future. In fact, heroin, another highly addictive opioid has seen a rise in use since the changes, and the authors note that there was a 23 percent increase in heroin overdoses in the study period.
About Sober Gate Way Treatment & Therapy Center: Sober Gateway offers numerous resources to help people permanently overcome the suffering and misery brought upon by drug addiction or alcohol addiction. The company believes in the right to start a new life and reclaim a person’s health, sanity and sobriety. They offer free, confidential assistance to help locate the assistance that those who are affected by addiction and substance abuse issue may need.
Release ID: 80649