Oxycodone

Oxycodone and Hydrocodone are both opioid pain relievers. Opioids are a class of chemically related drugs that interact with opioid receptors in the nervous system throughout the body. This drug class includes both legal substances, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, and fentanyl, and illegal substances, such as heroin. The interaction between opioids and their…

Neonatal abstinence syndrome is on the rise. Since 1999, its incidence has tripled in 28 states (from 1.5 to 6 cases per 1,000 live births per year), with the worst rates being in West Virginia, Vermont, and Maine (about 30 case per 1,000 live births). This syndrome begins in infants soon after they lose access…

Oxycodone is the active ingredient in a number of prescription opioid painkillers, including Oxycotin and Percocet, which are used to treat moderate-to-severe pain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is one of the most common opioids (along with methadone and hydrocodone) associated with overdose death. Every day, over 1000 people go…

Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States; 44 people die every day from prescription drug overdose. Recently, it came to light that a large portion of these drug-related deaths (6 out of every 10 cases) were caused by one family of drugs: opioids. Public health officials say that this…