Telling the Difference Between Oxycodone Use and Abuse

Prescription oxycodone is a very useful drug when taken correctly. It resolves pain issues and allows those with chronic pain disorders to function normally. Unfortunately, it is also a very addictive drug and it is very easy to both become dependent and to become addicted. It is important to know the difference between oxycodone use, oxycodone addiction, and where to seek treatment for either.

What is Oxycodone Use?

Oxycodone use is normally defined as using the drug to treat a condition. Those that are simply using it as a pain killer still:

• experience withdrawal symptoms
• cannot stop taking the drug without weaning off it
• build a tolerance to the drug and require higher doses to produce the same result
• may be dependent on the drug

It is important to understand that people who use the drug for its intended purposes need the drug. They cannot function normally without it and spend a lot of time in pain when they do not have it.

Even if you are simply using oxycodone to stop the pain, you might want to quit at some point. In which case, you might want to stop using it under controlled conditions. If you are using it and want to seek treatment, call 888-810-2643. We can help you find a treatment center that is right for you.

What is Oxycodone Abuse?

Oxycodone abuse can lead to family and relationship problems.

Oxycodone abuse is a serious problem in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, overdose, prescription painkiller abuse, and addiction are rapidly becoming an epidemic. Abuse is very different from using the drug. Someone who abuses oxycodone:

• has poor judgment while on the drug
• has legal and financial problems because of the drug
• experience problems with friends and family because of the drug
• uses the drug recreationally or uses more of the drug than they have to
• the drug interferes with their life, job, and family

People who are abusing oxycodone almost always need treatment. Once you are addicted to it, oxycodone is extremely difficult to stop using on your own.

What is the Difference?

Oxycodone is very similar to morphine in the way that it acts on the brain. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one of the major differences between just using oxycodone (dependence) and abusing it is the portion of the brain that it acts on.

• Use and dependence – acts on the thalamus and brain stem
• Abuse or Addiction – acts on the reward pathway

People who abuse oxycodone will do anything to get the drug once they run out. People who are simply using it for its intended purpose will only use it when they absolutely need it.

While both might be dependent on the drug and both will go through withdrawal without the drug, people who use the drug feel more of its pain killing and sedation effects while those who are abusing it feel more euphoria.

In both cases some form of drug treatment is necessary to stop using it. In the case of use, detox and treatment is not always necessary with a regiment of slowly replacing the drug with a less addictive one. Those who are already abusing the drug most likely need inpatient or intensive outpatient treatment.

Whether you are Dependent or Abusing, Where to Find Treatment

You can find treatment for both using and abusing oxycodone by simply calling 888-810-2643. We can help you end your dependence on this highly addictive drug.

Long Term Effects of Oxycodone on Your Health