Drug Warning: OxyContin Side Effects and Risks
OxyContin, a pain medication containing the highly addictive narcotic Oxycodone, has been a massive best-seller for its manufacturer Purdue Pharma. OxyContin was intended for use with terminally ill patients to treat severe pain. It has frequently been prescribed for patients with chronic or long-lasting pain who are not terminally ill, with the result that some patients have suffered from narcotics addiction. Large amounts of the drug have also been diverted to the illegal narcotics market.
Between the time when the drug was first approved in 1995 and 2000, there was evidence that the drug was being abused. Overdose deaths and emergency room visits linked to Oxycontin were reported, and OxyContin was discussed as an abused drug in the FDA Consumer Magazine in 2001. In December 2000 the manufacturer, Purdue Pharma filed a supplementary application to the FDA with new warnings about the abuse. The new warning was approved by the FDA (Federal Food and Drug Administration) in July 2001.
On January 1, 2006 the FDA required an even stronger warning and more education of health care professionals in an effort to stop drug abuse. The FDA stated that it had received reports of OxyContin drug diversion, sometimes resulting in death. This enforcement activity by the FDA occurred after the FDA temporarily lost control of the drug to the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency). According to an article in The Washington Post, in November, 2005, control was returned to the FDA by Congress in 2005.
Health Canada issued a warning in 2005 about the potentially deadly combination of time-released opoids like OxyContin and any amount of alcohol.
Check out the following articles for more information about OxyContin, filing a OxyContin lawsuit and finding a OxyContin attorney:
Suffered harm from OxyContin? You may have a lawsuit. Click here, for a top rated law firm to evaluate your legal rights.
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