Oxycontin, a strong painkiller that has been on the market since 1997, is still seeing an increase in abuse today. The medication was originally designed and marketed by Purdue Pharma as “a savior for seriously ill patients dealing with intense pain”. This would obviously suggest a great deal of control and limited usage to only those with the most intense, chronic pain, correct? Wrong. The opiate based painkiller continues to be abused and there is no end in site. In fact, NIDA (The National Institue on Drug Addiction) has recently released some figures about the abuse of prescription drugs and stated that 48 million people have misused prescription drugs at some point for non-medical reasons. That number is equal to 20% of our population and while prescription abuse is on the rise, what is being done about it?
In response to the growing problem, Purdue Pharma has just introduced what it feels is an effort to help curb the illegal use of Oxycontin, putting a better coating on the pills. Many users that abuse Oxycontin will take the pills and crush them up to either snort or to break them down and liquefy to use intravenously. In a statement from Purdue on their “efforts”, the feel that “the new plastic-like coating will make it a little more difficult to crush the pills” and they feel like this will discourage new users from trying the pills. This is, at best, a half-hearted attempt to even make it look like the pill manufacturer is trying to help with the growing problems facing this country with addiction. The coating doesn’t make it impossible, or even that much harder, to crush the pills up and doesn’t seem to be a significant change in any way.
This doesn’t come as a surprise and actually follows suit with the companies practices for years. Rather than trying to educate public on the dangerous effects of Oxycontin, helping to fund drug rehab for those addicted, or trying to curb production, Purdue makes an effort to do little but save some face. This coming after years of penalties and a long standing history of false marketing, hiding the addictive nature of this drug, and mass marketing it and making it available at levels where it is all too easy for almost anyone to get the drug, isn’t that big of a surprise.
The problem of prescription drug addiction is not a new one, but obviously deserves a new look. So many people have been down the road of addiction and the statistics keep getting worse. Its evident that the drug companies aren’t going to help, so it is up to us as people to get the word out on the dangers of prescription medicine, addiction, detox and rehab programs, and just general information. Unfortunately, the companies making millions of dollars off of these drugs, aren’t on the same page. Meanwhile, if you know someone struggling with Oxycontin or any other type of drug abuse, we can help.