Drug InfoNet - Oxycontin

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Doctors' Answers to "Frequently Asked Questions" - Oxycontin

These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.

Oxycontin Side Effects [posted 7/30/98]
Question: What are oxycontin's side effects?

Answer: Oxycontin is a long acting oxycodone. This is a time release narcotic - released over 8-12 hours. The side effects would be the same as any narcotic: drowsiness, constipation, blurred vision, decreased mentation, urinary retention, occasionally urticaria.

Long Term Use of Oxycontin [posted 7/17/98]
Question: I am currently taking effexor, buspar and ativan. Several years ago I had a serious car accident, and I also suffer from excruciating long-term (three week duration) headaches. Are there any physically dangerous side effects to its long term use? Is there any chance of liver damage from a lifetime of antidepressant medication? I researched oxycontin on the web, and it says that it does not build up a tolerance, where one has to keep increasing the dose.

Answer: We have no current evidence of any liver toxicity in the long term with this combination of drugs. However, any narcotic will eventually develop some tolerance as the bodies metabolic machine gets more efficient at destroying it. Necessitating higher doses to achieve the same effect. Ativan and oxycodone are both addicting drugs and should not be stopped "cold turkey".

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