Oxycodone and Pain Management

Oxycodone hydrochloride is an opiate agonist. Opiate agonists provide pain relief by acting on opioid receptors in the spinal cord and the brain, and provide the most effective pain relief available. Oxycodone has an extremely high abuse potential and is prescribed for severe pain associated with injuries, bursitis, dislocations, fractures, neuralgia, arthritis, lower back pain, and
cancer. It is also used postoperatively and for pain relief after childbirth. Individuals who take the drug repeatedly can develop a tolerance or resistance to its effects. Thus, a cancer patient who has developed a tolerance for the drug can take a dose of oxycodone on a regular basis that would be fatal to a person never exposed to oxycodone.

The prescription drug OxyContin contains the narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride and is available in controlled-release tablets of 10, 20, 40, and 80 milligrams. OxyContin is prescribed in the United States to treat moderate to severe pain and is abused for its heroin-like effects. The diversion and abuse of OxyContin have increased sharply since the drug became available in 1996, raising concerns among law enforcement and public health agencies.

Most OxyContin abused in the United States is diverted by illegally written or forged prescriptions, “doctor shopping”-when individuals, who may or may not have a legitimate ailment, visit numerous doctors to obtain drugs in excess of what should be prescribed legitimately, and theft. According to law enforcement reporting, the availability of diverted OxyContin may be stabilizing and has decreased in some areas. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), OxyContin abusers also steal or buy OxyContin from friends or family members with legitimate prescriptions who often are prescribed a 30-day supply of the drug.

Fraudulent OxyContin Prescriptions

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that an Indiana doctor was sentenced to serve 51 months’ imprisonment following his guilty pleas to unlawful trafficking in OxyContin and healthcare fraud. In a 5 month period, the doctor prescribed OxyContin to a woman in amounts that were not medically necessary. For example, in one 14-day period the doctor prescribed 860 80-mg tablets of OxyContin. In just one year, $130,000 was paid by the Indiana Medicaid program for OxyContin prescribed to this individual. After the prescriptions written by the doctor had been filled, the OxyContin was allegedly sold for cash. The woman pled guilty to unlawful trafficking in OxyContin and healthcare fraud and was sentenced in to 41 months’ imprisonment.