Oxycontin Addiction

Oxycontin is a powerful prescription drug, that when used properly, certainly can help with chronic pain issues.  The problem the staff at Turning Point Centers is seeing more and more is that people are being prescribed this very powerful opioid and the chances of addiction tend to be high.  When our younger clients are coming in addicted to opiates/heroin, recently, almost all are saying they started with Oxycontin and then couldn’t afford it so they switched to heroin.  It can be hard to see if someone is abusing Oxy but if they tell you they are, you almost certainly should ask a very difficult question…”are you using heroin?” ESPECIALLY if money is tight.  Heroin is easy to get and much less expensive on the street than Oxycontin.  Be attentive to your loved one, look for changes in friends, behaviors, sleeping patterns, missing items from your home (including money from your bank), pens with no inside and tin foil…these are some of the big tell tales!  Once you realize he/she is abusing Oxy and/or heroin immediately start calling treatment centers to find help!