According to statistics there are around 15 million Americans regularly taking prescribed pain-killers, and a lot of them have a dependency to the pills they take, and whether they will admit it to themselves, or not.

To put things firmly into perspective, that outnumbers the totals for heroin, cocaine and meth users combined.

Top of the pile regarding abused prescription medication has to be OxyContin.

OxyContin contains oxycodone, a very strong narcotic pain reliever similar to morphine.

OxyContin is designed so that the oxycodone is slowly released over time, allowing it to be used twice daily.

You should never break, chew, or crush the OxyContin tablet.

This causes a large amount of oxycodone to be released from the tablet all at once, potentially resulting in a dangerous or fatal drug overdose.

Whilst we talk about American facts and figures there’s no doubting this pill epidemic is going to hit the UK, and hit it hard, and we need to be ready to deal with it.

If you are unfamiliar with OxyContin, here are the answers to some of the more pertinent questions.

1. Question #1 of 10 – What Kind of Medicine Is OxyContin?
2. Question #2 of 10 – What Kind of Pain Is Appropriate To Treat With OxyContin?
3. Question #3 of 10 – How Do I Know If My Pain Is The Right Kind For OxyContin?
4. Question #4 of 10 – What Activities Should Not Be Performed If Using OxyContin?
5. Question #5 of 10 – Can I Take Other Medicines While I Am Using OxyContin?
6. Question #6 of 10 – Can I Drink Alcoholic Beverages While I Am Using OxyContin?
7. Question #7 of 10 – Will I Become Addicted To OxyContin If I Take It Every Day?
8. Question #8 of 10 – What Should I Do When I No Longer Need OxyContin?
9. Question #9 of 10 – Haven’t There Been Reports About The Misuse of OxyContin?
10. Question #10 of 10 – Are There Special Precautions I Should Take With OxyContin?

OxyContin Q&A courtesy of http://arthritis.about.com

Concerned with your own, or a loved ones prescription painkiller intake?

Check this out and read the signs.

http://www.provigil-RX.Info

“They’ll pretty much take anything from a medicine cabinet without knowing side affects or what they’ll do,” Heartland Coalition Director Kellie Rubbel-Henrichs said. “The ones we hear more about are going to be the real strong pain killers.”

Painkillers like Vicodin and Hydrocodone; these drugs can are considered controlled substances and if misused can lead to addictions and even death.

“Some people will find the first time they use a prescription drug they might be addicted where others find it takes a little bit longer so there’s a risk of never knowing which person you’re going to be,” Rubbel-Henrichs said.

Local police departments, Leadership McLean County and the Heartland Coalition are taking action. Instead of throwing away or flushing your old controlled substances, you can take them to secure drop boxes. Those drop off locations include Bloomington and Normal’s police stations and Illinois State University’s pharmacy.

“We feel as though we’re one of the only agencies in town who can handle those types of substances,” Assistant Bloomington Police Chief Robert Wall said. “We obviously don’t want them getting in the wrong hands and on top of that we don’t want them in our drinking water.”

“We thought it was a good idea to jump on board and join a host of locations and police departments across the country to give the public a place to dispose of them.” Normal Police Chief Kent Crutcher said.

This way, the drugs will not find their ways into our drinking water or into the wrong hands.

“The drug of choice sometimes is exactly what’s in the medicine cabinet at home, so it’s very important that people are aware in the community and that we all engage in this proper disposal and get these drugs secured,” Leadership McLean County member Sue Necessary said.

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