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Essay On Oxycontin

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There is an immense amount of news regarding illegal drug use and overdoses. While there are plenty of crimes in regards to illegal substances, the abuse of prescription painkillers is on the rise as well. Even in instances where abusers receive the painkillers legally by doctors’ prescriptions, there is still the possibility for harmful use of these drugs. A widely known narcotic that is often abused when prescribed is oxycontin, an opioid most commonly prescribed for pain patients (Butterworth, 2012). Although the drug was intended to ease moderate to high levels of pain, it has become a source of addiction for most users and has led prescribers to question how and when to safely administer the drug. Even when prescribed, oxycontin can …show more content…

For example, Butterworth (2012) mentions the dilemma doctors face when prescribing the powerful narcotic to patients where they consider the circumstances surrounding the painful injury and the patients’ life before determining if oxycontin is the right form of treatment. Butterworth (2012) explains this contemplation by comparing an elderly cancer patient with high school football star suffering a broken leg and suggests a doctor may conclude that the elderly patient is less likely to become addicted as compared to the football player. Even with this consideration, though, it is clear that oxycontin addiction is an issue that cannot be avoided even when prescribers heavily contemplate on their patients’ circumstance because of the powerful nature of the drug. When the drug was first created and addiction resulted, medical developers changed the formula so that it could not be crushed into a powder for addicts to easily consume (Narconon International, 2016). Despite the attempt at alleviating the ability of abusers to become addicted, Butterworth (2012) explains the idea that there will always be a presence of patients needing painkillers, which leads to the prescribing of oxycontin. Medical professionals are aware of the highly addictive nature of oxycontin but unsuccessful in attempts at

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