Ever since Oxycontin changed its formula, addicts in rural America have sought new ways to get high. And now they may have zeroed in on a new drug of choice: Opana.
Opana is a potent prescription pain reliever made from oxymorphone, an opioid-based drug. Abuse of this prescription medication has been rising, and it has overtaken the previously favored drugs of meth, Oxycontin, heroin and cocaine to become the drug of choice in rural America.
The ease with which those who suffer from pain killer addiction can obtain the drug may be the leading reason for the rise in abuse. Opana is an expensive drug, and many people prescribed the drug for legitimate pain have begun to sell their prescription drugs to addicts – for as much as $90 per pill on the streets. Additionally, “dirty” doctors may prescribe Opana for simple pain rather than for the intended usage for cancer, chronic back pain and osteoarthritis, which makes it much easier to obtain.
Opana’s formula may also be partially to blame for the rise in pain pill addiction. It is easy to crush and reformulate into a drug that can be snorted or injected. While Opana’s manufacturers have realized the mistake in formulation and plan to make changes similar to Oxycontin’s reformulation – which made it impossible to reconstitute the pill – the pill is still available in a crushable form as of right now and remains a drug of choice.
Unfortunately, this leaves rural counties dealing with the effects of citizen pain pill addiction. Poverty, increased crime rates, and decreased property values top the ill effects of pain pill addiction, but the increased death rate in those under the age of 25 years old due to accidental overdose may be the most disheartening effect.
Pain pill addiction can be conquered, though. If you or a loved one need assistance with pain killer addiction, call a treatment center that can carefully see you through prescription drug detox. Vista Taos Renewal Center of New Mexico can do just that and more.
