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Oxycodone Addiction Treatment in Pennsylvania

Oxycodone: Medication for Pain

Oxycodone is an opioid pain medication used to treat moderate to severe pain. Like all opioids, oxycodone is highly addictive, and it’s a major player in the opioid epidemic, which currently claims around 115 lives every day due to overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Today, opioid overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and overdose deaths continue to rise.

Between 2016 and 2017, overdose deaths increased by 30% in 45 states, and they increased by 70% in some Midwest states.

Oxycodone is available in:

  • Tablets

  • Syrups

  • Capsules

  • Suppositories

Trade names include Percodan, Percocet, OxyContin, and Roxiprin.

Have questions about oxycodone addiction and treatment options in Pennsylvania? Contact Silvermist at (724) 268-4858.

Oxycodone Dependence

Oxycodone is commonly abused for the intense euphoria and keen sense of well-being it causes. Oxycodone abuse is defined as using the drug in any way other than exactly as prescribed.

Abuse can lead to addiction, which is characterized by compulsive oxycodone abuse despite the negative consequences it causes. Oxycodone addiction can lead to serious problems with your relationships, finances, legal status, and physical and mental health.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, around 23% of people who abuse opioids become addicted, compared to 15% of people who abuse alcohol and 9% of people who abuse marijuana.

Oxycodone dependence is different from addiction. It’s characterized by withdrawal symptoms that set in when you suddenly stop taking it. Treating oxycodone dependence is the first step in oxycodone addiction treatment. This takes place during medical detox through a high-quality treatment program.

How Dependence Develops

Oxycodone acts on the dopamine system in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, or brain chemical, that produces feelings of pleasure. In nature, dopamine is released when you do something enjoyable, like eating a tasty meal or engaging in sexual activity. But when you take oxycodone or another opioid, the dopamine release is up to 10 times greater than what you’ll find in nature.

Tolerance develops as the brain changes the way it functions in order to compensate for heavy oxycodone abuse. In response to the large dopamine rush caused by opioids, the brain reduces the amount of dopamine released and alters the dopamine receptors. As a result, you need increasingly larger doses to get the desired effects. This is known as tolerance. Oxycodone and other opioids produce tolerance very quickly.

Oxycodone Withdrawal

As opioid dosage is increased, the brain continues to reduce dopamine activity in an attempt to normalize. At some point, brain function will shift so that the brain starts operating more comfortably when opioids are present. When oxycodone use suddenly stops, normal chemical brain function rebounds.

This produces opioid withdrawal symptoms, which include:

  • Runny nose

  • Cold and hot chills

  • Muscle aches

  • Nausea and vomiting

  • Abdominal cramps and diarrhea

  • Agitation or anxiety

  • Intense cravings

Not everyone will experience all these withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and may last anywhere from a few days to several weeks.

Oxycodone Detox

Medical Detox

Medical detox is a medically supervised detoxification process that involves withholding opioids so that all traces can be removed from the body. A variety of medications are given as needed to reduce the intensity of symptoms and help brain function begin to return to normal.

High-quality medical detox programs provide a high level of physical and emotional support from peers and staff during withdrawal. Some detox programs offer complementary therapies like restorative yoga, massage therapy or acupuncture to help reduce stress, improve feelings of well-being, and promote retention in detox.

During detox, care providers administer a variety of assessments that help them create an individualized treatment program to address the addiction once detox is complete. These assessments evaluate your physical and mental health and identify serious problems in your life, such as housing emergencies, relationship problems, financial troubles, or legal issues. The resulting treatment plan is designed to address all your needs and issues so that you can focus on recovery for the long-haul.

Silvermist Recovery partners with licensed medical detox providers, helping to minimize discomfort throughout every stage of the detox process. Once patients complete the detox process, they can complete the next stage of their care through Silvermist Recovery.

Medication-Assisted Treatment

Medication-assisted treatment – or MAT – is the current gold standard for treating opioid addiction, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.​​​ Medication-assisted treatment involves taking medications that reduce cravings, block the effects of opioids, and help normalize brain function.

Research shows that MAT:

  • Improves retention in treatment

  • Increases social functioning

  • Reduces the risk of overdose and death

  • Reduces the risk of relapse

  • Reduces illicit opioid abuse and associated crimes

  • Reduces the risk of HIV and hepatitis infection

  • Improves the chances of finding and maintaining employment

  • Improves birth outcomes for women who are pregnant

Medication used with MAT makes it possible for people in recovery to focus on learning essential coping skills and strategies for handling cravings, negative emotions, stress, and other powerful relapse triggers.

Three medications have been approved by the FDA for use with medication-assisted treatment.

Methadone

Methadone has been used for many decades to treat opioid addiction. A synthetic opioid, methadone is an opioid agonist, which means that it engages the same brain receptors that heroin and painkillers act on.

However, the effects of methadone are weaker and more gradual than those produced by other opioids. Because methadone has a high potential for abuse, people on methadone maintenance must visit a clinic or doctor’s office for their daily dose.

Buprenorphine

Buprenorphine has been used with MAT since 2002. A partial opioid agonist, buprenorphine produces the same effects as full agonists, but the effects are much weaker.

It also has a ceiling effect, which means that taking more buprenorphine won’t increase the effects. For this reason, buprenorphine can be prescribed and taken at home.

Naltrexone

Naltrexone was approved in 2010 for use with MAT. It’s an opioid antagonist, which means it blocks the effects of opioids.

While methadone and buprenorphine can be taken right away upon entering detox, all traces of opioids must be out of the body before beginning naltrexone. Therefore, medical detox will be necessary before starting this medication.

Treating Opiate Use Disorder

Whether you choose medical detox or medication-assisted treatment, detox and medication alone aren’t enough to address the addiction, which is far more complex than dependence.

According to a study published in the Irish Medical Journal, 91% of clients in an opioid detox program relapsed after detox – 59% of them within the first week of release. By contrast, those who participated in a treatment program after detox either experienced a significantly delayed relapse or didn’t relapse at all.

Aspects of Successful Treatments

Successfully treating an addiction requires a multi-pronged approach that addresses all aspects of the addiction, including:

  • The underlying causes of the addiction, which could be chronic stress, mental illnesses like anxiety or depression, or a history of trauma

  • The dysfunctional thought and behavior patterns that develop as a result of addiction

  • The unhealthy lifestyle choices that help keep you mired in addiction

  • The problems in life that stem from the addiction

  • A lack of purpose or meaning in life

  • Missing life or coping skills that are required for successful long-term recovery

Just like it takes time to develop an addiction, it also takes time to develop healthy thought and behavior patterns and lifestyle changes that long-term recovery depends on. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, staying in treatment for an adequate period of time is central to long-term recovery. Anything less than 90 days, according to NIDA, is of limited effectiveness.

Holistic Oxycodone Treatment

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration stresses that a holistic approach to treatment offers the best chances for a successful recovery. Holistic treatment involves both traditional “talk” therapies and complementary “experiential” therapies.

Traditional Therapies

Traditional therapies include cognitive-behavioral therapy, which is the cornerstone of high-quality addiction treatment programs. Other traditional therapies include family therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. These and other traditional therapies delve into the underlying causes of the addiction and address a wide range of issues.

Complementary Therapies

Complementary therapies commonly used in high-quality treatment programs include art therapy, yoga, and mindfulness meditation. These therapies help reduce stress, improve retention in treatment, and create a sense of well-being and safety while addressing various issues of body, mind, and spirit.

Treatment Goals

Through both traditional and complementary therapies, people in treatment:

  • Address the causes of the addiction

  • Repair damaged relationships and restore function to the household

  • Develop skills to prevent relapse

  • Learn about how addiction develops, how relapse happens, and how recovery works

  • Re-learn healthy ways of thinking and behaving

  • Develop a healthy lifestyle that supports recovery

In addition to therapy, treatment involves a variety of interventions that help individuals restore their lives and move forward in recovery.

These interventions are provided as needed and include:

  • Educational assistance

  • Legal assistance

  • Help finding safe housing

  • Mental health treatment

  • Medical care

  • Parenting classes

  • Financial literacy help

  • Life skills classes

  • Vocational rehab

Once treatment is complete, an individualized aftercare plan is developed to help you through the early weeks and months of solo recovery. The aftercare plan will typically include ongoing therapy, continued care and support for mental or medical illnesses, participation in a support group, and other components based on your unique needs.

Through a holistic treatment program, even a severe addiction can be sent into remission for the long-haul.

Treatment Works

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, treatment works for most people who stay in rehab for its duration and engage fully with their treatment plan.

If you have an addiction to oxycodone or another opioid, medical detox or MAT will help you get off the drug safely and comfortably, and treatment will help you stay off for the long-haul.

Through oxycodone addiction treatment in Pennsylvania, you’ll work to restore your life on all fronts, repair damaged relationships, and find purpose and meaning in a life without oxycodone.

Resources:

  1. https://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment/treatment
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20669601
  3. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/frequently-asked-questions/how-long-does-drug-addiction-treatment
  4. https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/recovery