Oxy And Roxi Research Paper

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Oxy and Roxi: Satan’s Daughters America’s struggle with Prescription Drug Abuse The use of opiates as a treatment for pain dates to ancient societies. Over centuries the products of the poppy flower have been socially accepted and embraced by healers and patients alike. As technological advances paved the way for the production of numerous drugs from opioid isolates modern has seen a rise in the use of the “poppy”. Today opium, derivatives of opium, and semi-synthetic opiates are classified as Narcotics by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The term Narcotic paints a dark picture of opiate use, one this paper will attempt to convey as well as, the physical addiction and psychological dependence associated with narcotic abuse. According…show more content…
Opioid medications also affect regions of the brain that mediate what one perceives as pleasure giving the person a false sense of pleasure. The euphoria and negation of pain that accompany opiate use lures those who take them into the repeated abuse that can lead to addiction. Opiate a chronic and relapsing disease involving compulsive drug seeking and serious adverse health effects. In fact, the crime consequences of prescription drug abuse are relatively insignificant when compared to withdrawal and overdose. The symptoms of narcotic withdrawal are legendary since they can be the most dramatic of any and include vomiting, uncontrollable shaking, hot and cold flashes and diarrhea. When taken in large doses, like those contained in OxyContin, opiates can cause severe respiratory depression that can lead to death. The latest report from, the Drug Enforcement Agency states that OxyContin tablets "have played a role in over 282 deaths since the beginning of 2002". OxyContin is at the forefront of America's addiction problem and cases like radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh's addiction has forced Perdue Pharma into the limelight. Purdue Pharma funded a recent study in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology that examined 1,243 deaths from Aug. 27, 1999, through Jan. 17, 2002, in which medical examiners determined oxycodone, the narcotic in OxyContin, was involved. Almost 97 percent of the deaths resulted from multiple drugs. Three percent involved oxycodone alone. The pharmaceutical company claims to be committed to finding solutions and has invested millions of dollars into research, prevention, and treatment of narcotic

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