OxyContin® is the brand name of a time-release formula of the analgesic chemical oxycodone. OxyContin, which is produced by the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, is prescribed as a pain medication. Instances of abuse of this drug have increased in recent years.

Street terms for OxyContin: Hillbilly heroin, Oxy, Oxycotton

• OxyContin comes in tablet form.

• Chewing the tablets
• Snorting crushed tablets
• Dissolving tablets in water and injecting
• These methods cause a faster, highly dangerous release of medication.

• Abuse of OxyContinin rural Maine, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia brought national attention to this problem.
• The areas most currently affected by OxyContin abuse are eastern Kentucky, New Orleans, Louisiana, southern Maine, Philadelphia and southwestern Pennsylvania, southwestern Virginia, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Phoenix, Arizona.
• An increase in illegal use has been especially apparent on the East Coast.
• 9% or 19.9 million Americans have used pain relievers illegally in their lifetime.

• Because it is a legal drug, OxyContin is supplied across the country for legitimate medical purposes.
• Word of mouth has allowed users to devise illicit usage techniques.
• Pharmacy robberies, health care fraud, and international trafficking constitute illicit distribution ability.

• When legally sold, a 10-mg tablet of OxyContin will cost $1.25 and an 80-mg tablet will cost $6.
• When illegally sold, a 10-mg tablet of OxyContin can cost between $5 and $10. An 80-mg tablet can cost between $65 and $80.

• Long-term usage can lead to physical dependence.
• A large dosage can cause severe respiratory depression that can lead to death.
• Withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, and involuntary leg movements.