Oxycontin Abuse Long term problems

Congrats! I feel u on this! I've been sober for 2 years now after Being addicted to OC for 5 years. How are u holding up now?

So, I was addicted for about a year, I smoked oxy off of aluminum foil.  When I quit, the first side effects of quitting of course was bad withdrawls... dont worry, youre not gonna die from them. showers and baths helped a lot.  for about 6 months, I had cravings that you wouldnt believe... its all I thought about.... the easiest way to quit, and keep from doing it that ive found is to just simply do it. put it in your head that you WILL NOT touch the stuff. after a while, the cravings go away.  for me, i found new things to focus my mind on. I set personal life goals, and now im trying to achieve them and going at it with a vigor that I used to go at to get up the money to get my fix lol.  thats a hell of a vigor if any of you dont know (and if yall have been broke as hell and addicted to the sh*t then you know).  Oxy is ADDICTING as all hell. its hard to get away, but it wont ruin your life as fast as coke or meth addiction.  you can still come out of it okay no matter how the addiction is.

Just some info on oxycodone for those who are looking for symptoms of addiction in loved ones: 
If they are using
:theyll lose weight, because it offsets hunger, and the user throws up a lot while using.
-red eyes
-croaky voice
-increased tiredness, nodding off, unable to focus vision, crossed eyes etc. (users call it "the nods")
_itchiness, lots of almost uncontrollable scratching

So, from the horses mouth, I can say that as an ex-addict, you can quit, youll survive, itll be a b***h, but you can turn your life around.

Quitting is worth it.  You can do it.

its not as bad sa crack or meth. what he needs is support. he needs rehab, or if he can do it himself, then he needs full support and love. bc if you abandon him, hell only keep doing it. its comforting to have oxy. so be more comforting and help him get off it. if worst comes to worst, send him to rehab. again, if you just leave im to it and dont try to support him, then itll only get worse. good luck, and remember, hes your son, and he has potential.

Hi there. I've recently found myself in the same boat as you once were. My husband has blown thousands if dollars on this drug, up until 3 weeks ago I didn't even know what oxys were. He has drained "his" bank account, stolen money fom me, has gone through all the withdrawals but last night he had a melt down when I confronted him with his phone records. He threw his phone at me and left, came back with alcohol and went o bed. He's been sleeping for 10 hours straight. He's still on oxy, isn't he? We have two children, they mean more to me. Is it time for me to kick him out? I didn't sign up for this. I'm a good person with good morals but this is not me! I'm told to stay strong for him?? But who's staying strong for me!?

Oxycontin (OC) has been compared to synthetic heroin. It is a highly addictive drug and the long term side effects are not good. Memory loss (short and long term), flat affect with long term use, gradual increase to get the required good feeling and numbing of one's feelings.

To compare cocaine to marijuana is off the mark. Cocaine does really serious damage to the heart and respiratory system. Marijuana doesn't do that kind of devastation on the body.

As far as no current health problems linked to OC, this is not true.
The liver works hard to process opiates and the brain switches off its natural opiates and to turn them on again becomes a war. This is one of the reasons people cannot get off OC because when withdrawal sets in, the brain fights to regain its homeostasis. In turn, the body will do what it has to do to get the brain back in balance. And this is when the missiles fire and havoc reigns.

You can get off of this s..t man. I feel your pain. I was on oxycodone ir for yrs. for fibromyalgia. Went to rehab, & detoxed & it sucked. I was so sick!!! It gets better over time! Hang in there man. Please!
Kelli

hi i understand how u feel so alone - even betrayed might b a suitable word - but unfortunately, when u exchanged vows, u kinda did sign up for this ("for better or worse" and more appropriately" in sickness and in health") - u just didnt expect it and so it took u by surprise - the truth is, and most non-addicts have a very very hard time believing and accepting this, is it is not just something the addict can just stop doing: it is actually a disease and aside from the ill effects from the use and subseqent withdrawal, sadly, there has always been a disease lying in wait...and mental disorders can be very difficult to diagnose and treat because some individuals have lived with the problem so long that they can mask it and or think that everyone feels the same and so it must be normal to feel or think the way they do. Plus, if there has been a history of addiction in the family andor abandonment, they are that much more susceptible - not too much unlike cancer! As far as leaving or kicking him out, and as i just elluded to, please be aware that many studies suggest that addictions, particular to opiates, has a correlation to abandonment and rejection issues. While many people say you have to give him that ultimatum, i feel almost to the contrary for a couple of reasons: a) abandonment and rejection are a very strong part of opiate abuse and addiction, and b) from my own experience, it honestly only made it worse - without those in my life that i at least felt guilty about hurting and while paralized to "smarten up/straighten out" - they were at least still something to remind me of where i needed to get back to and why i needed help. When my loved ones turned their backs on me i went from bad to a complete disaster - my mind kept saying "screw it all, no one cares anyways, so you would probably be better off dead". The best approach is an intervention - you must prove that you and his family and friends still love him, will do whatever it takes to help him through what is likely the most difficult thing he has ever faced, and that you believe he is stronger than he thinks he is. One thing i noticed while reading other posts that was not mentioned is that for opiate addicts, there is an incredibly strong fear of the sickness that is part and parcel of the intense withdrawal process. Think of your biggest fear and then you will have somewhat of an idea of the fear the addict is contending with when facing detox. Its a horrible process - again, to give you an idea of what its like: take the worst stomach flu, add in a touch of food poisoning, sprinkle in the saddest you have ever felt (ie. A close bereavement), and top it off with the deepest yearning and desire you've ever known - and finally, if you've ever been sooooo uncomfortable you couldnt sit or lie down in any one position for any length of time, and had aches and pains in your joints and bones so bad you thought amputation might be the best solution - now spread that over 3-4 days, you'll now at least be able to empathize. Once thats over, theres about 2-4 weeks of intense feelings of anxiety resulting in shortness of breath, irritability, insomnia, indecisiveness, and restlessness. Fun hey? This is why most opiate addicts are so scared to quit and why its sooo important that they have a strong support system and the love and encouragement of those most important to them. I unfortunately speak from experience and while scary, i hope my insights will be of some assistance to you and your hubby.

ribbon wrote:

zachary101 wrote:

My name is Zach I'm 21 years old, and Ive struggling with the addiction from Oxycontin for about 3 years now and once you get started your pretty much screwed for the long run. OK... Their is some serious issues with using Oxycontin like withdraws, theft issues, court problems... The list goes on. In Washington state people are smoking Oxycontin off tin foil and its a very big problem up here. Me and all my old friends have all gone to many rehab centers trying to get our sh*t back together but its really hard. Because of this sh*t I lost pretty much everything, many jobs, friends, And most of all my family and it sucks. This thanksgiving I sat in my apartment all by my self because my family didn't want me around and it really sucked because my two roommates when home... Well that's enough of my sad story but seriously keep an eye on your son this sh*t really gets out of hand really quick... Good luck


Zach

Hi Zach, is there any hope for my son!

There is always hope, I was taking upwards off 200 mg a day, I know this may sound crazy, but I have quite the tolerance for drugs. I quit this all by myself and still to this day struggle, frequently. But when you begin to see what you are truly doing to the ones you love and yourself there is hope. I say when he is ready give him somewhere to be alone(IE: bedroom, cottage, somewhere away from his usual surroundings) provide lots of food, many different types of beverages, A whole bunch of movies, and the clincher for me, which may sound just like a substitution yet was what made it all possible, was some pot. That was what let me be able to have straight, somewhat clear thought processes. But that was me, I cannot say it will work for anyone else, and they have to be FULLY ready for it. It will be 2 weeks of EVIL, but it will pass. I have moved towns numerous times due to this addiction.

Oxy has huge negative side effects and poses huge health risk over long term. Maryann you should get your son off this drug immediately.

I have been a ocycotin addict for 15 years so far. It has not effected any of my internal organs. When you go thourgh withdraws you do get stomach cramps,headaches,fatigue and other detox symptoms. It takes 3 to 12 months for your brain to recover and start producing dopamines and other pain relieving and dopamine chemicals. So your brain has to reprogram itself and learn to produce the feel good chemicals that make you happy. After a month of everyday use your brain quits producing chemicals that keep you happy and relieve pain. So it has to learn to start producing those chemicals again, because your brains senses your taking medicine and it does not need to produce those kind of chemicals. Thats why most people relapse. Suboxone is a good medicine to help him through the first 3 months of recovery. Then get off the suboxone. It can a addiction also.

thank you so much for sharing your story!! i found out last monday that my brother is addicted to oxy. i do not know the details and have so many questions. i feel like i'm on a rollercoaster...one minute i'm sad for him and the next i'm angry.

i am thankful you were able to get clean and stay clean. keep up the good work - you can do it!!

Just thought I would post this after reading many posts. Thought this forum was missing a point of view. 

I started smoking weed around 14yrs old, within a few years i tried most soft drugs and a few scripts. Never dong anything hard like cocaine, heroine, pcp, meth, crack, acid, blah bah. After "experimenting" with many types of drugs I have found that I feel the best from opiates, and really enjoy them. Well that was about 10 years ago. every once in a while I will buy a few pills varying from vicodin, percs, oxycontin, morphine ( favorite! ), dilauded, or the rare opana. When I was younger I would snort them to get the quick high , but as I got older I just like the cool relaxed feeling. way better than smoking weed. I have never had any withdrawal symptoms and I am not an addict. Last month a friend gave me 3 oxycontins only 10mg. I waited a few days till the weekend and ate half of one and studied for my upcoming test. Ate the other half a few days later after work and helped put me into a great sleep. Then my friend wanted one so i gave him one. Now, a few weeks later, I just ate half and so far feel wonderful, and about to hit the books and study some more then i'll prolly pass out. I would like to think of myself as a strong minded individual since I have never been addicted to any of the drugs I have tried. Instead of being an abuser, I am more of a recreational user. as previously stated, I may get high twice a month or not high for several months. but I LOVE my opiates. ^_^ haha. 

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  At the end of the day, it is just like everything else, proper rations are fine. If you over use or abuse the stuff you could die. But if you drink too much water you can die too.

 

* thought of this after, I don't do any other drugs and do not mix alcohol with oxy's as it ruins the opiate feeling I love so much. Weed is overrated! 

 

My heart out to you. Same here, we have been robbed, lied to, tricked, you name it and now we raise a lil boy from our daughter. We were pillars in the community and now alone and watching her going through the criminal system and broke. This destructive addiction not only hurts the person, it can make the ones that love them the most suffer. A child should never watch thier parent get arrested or nodding off! Last night before getting arrested she was hallucinating and we thought she might make it through the night. She did and is in jail too. Sad thing... she is so out of it she asked for her pill bottle for ativan and it had oxy's in it. More charges to come. Our grandson may never see his mom again or be so old that he will not have that important bond. No father in the picture, nor mother. Just two grandparents who certainly did not plan on being parents again. This can happen to any family do not think that you are alone or you are a bad parent. My other two children are fantastic parents, spouses, positive loving social people and we are very proud of them.

I have constant pain starting from neck injuries in my C4-C6 vertebrates. I was in constant pain from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep. I was a computer programmer and my neck was unbearable to work with. I went to dr's and had steroid injections that helped some but not near enough. The pain got so bad that I could not think well enough to program anymore.I started on pain medication and it helped, but as soon as my family found out they told my children I was a drug addict and they all believed them. They have hurt me so bad, I have planned suicide many times, and cannot have any contact with my children or family as they put me into PTSD. After 12 years of taking pain medication, I decided to get off of them. I got a new doctor and asked if he would help me. I told him each month how much I wanted to lower them. In 5 months I went from taking 195 mg a day to 60, and now I am at 40. I continue to lower them as I feel that I can. I did all of this without any withdrawals. The pain my family put me through has damaged me far more than the pain meds, ever have or ever could.

Hello,
I'm going through the same thing with my 17 years old brother. I noticed it's been a year. I was just wondering ho are things? Is there hope? I hope your son is alright but I'm trying to see if I should have hope....