A New Form of Relief
This new form of pain relief is Canada’s solution to an addiction epidemic found with OxyContin abusers. Within the last decade, it was observed that OxyContin and Oxycodone, prescribed as opiate pain relief for those suffering from some operation or injury, have been on the increase and have attracted the attention of Health Canada.
The level of abuse showed up as a major concern with over 200,000 Canadians addicted to the drug by 2010.
OxyNEO Introduction
OxyNeo was introduced to the Canadian market in 2012 and the reason for this was to present a solution to the abuse with the former drug OxyContin. It was seen as a solution because with Oxy’s and similar prescription drugs any addict was able to abuse such by either crushing it into a powder and sniffing it through the nasal cavity, heating it up with other solutions to inject it through IV, or smoke it or finally just consuming it above the prescribed dosage. The abusive nature causes an instant reaction and gives the person a high. The new replacement drug, OxyNEO was formulated so it could not be crushed, heated, or softened for IV use as it turns into a gel form. But Oxy abusers have in fact found several ways to tamper with the new OxyNeo safeguards and separate OxyNEO from Oxycontin.
A Solution to Drug Abuse?
Also, the people who were abusing this drug (that has been altered to be tamper-proof) will simply turn to other sources of drugs like Heroin, Fentanyl, Hydro morphine, etc. Though Health Canada has approved the new form of the painkiller under this name; OxyNeo, Oxy’s, and other opiates are still being sold on the black market, heroin and morphine are still available from coast to coast and since then an increase in Fentanyl abuse has been reported in Canada.
The point here is that simply changing the composition of a prescription drug does not resolve a person’s addiction to prescription painkillers. It is understood that the reason for the change was to stop people who would otherwise abuse this type of drug. So did this action actually benefit society when it comes to prescription drug abuse? Or did it only stir the attention of the prescription drug abuser towards other drugs to abuse?
In fact, having the same analgesic properties as OxyContin, OxyNEO can easily be abused by simply taking heavy doses at a time rather than finding and following complicated steps to extract the oxycodone from the new pill for the purpose of injection or snorting as stated above.
Suffering from Drug Addiction
People abuse drugs, prescription or illicit because they are in pain, they suffer from trauma, emotional pain, failures, physical pain, and as many other reasons as there are people struggling with addiction. If you or someone you know is struggling with some form of addiction to drugs or alcohol you should seek out professional counseling.
There are those who have experience in dealing with such conditions, this is not a disease, it is an addiction.
By definition, addiction is an obsessive habit that one cannot easily overcome. The withdrawal effects from drugs and alcohol are such that the person cannot do it on their own, this is why professional drug rehab counselors exist, to help yourself or a loved one regain a drug-free life. Call for immediate assistance, and speak with a referral counselor.
