Oxycodone Abuse & Addiction & Side Effects & Testing

Oxycodone is a prescription drug that acts as a depressant of the central nervous system. It is a narcotic, much like Vicodin and morphine and is used to treat moderate to severe pain like that caused by fractures, arthritis, childbirth and serious diseases like Cancer

Going by such brand names as Percocet, OxyContin, Tylox and Percodan, oxycodone is an opiate that is highly addictive and is being abused by many. When taken repeatedly, one can become tolerant to the drug, therefore requiring higher doses to experience the same effects. Oxycodone is often mistakenly referred to as oxycotton. While OxyContin is a brand name of the drug, oxycotton is just a misspelling of the name. This drug is also referred to as oxy and hillbilly heroin on the street.

Oxycodone Side Effects

Oxycodone is very addictive and is often abused by individuals who begin taking the drug as a part of a prescription but spiral out of control into actually abusing it. As their tolerance increases, they require a higher and higher oxycodone dosage to achieve the same effects, such as euphoria, pain relief and the prevention of withdrawal symptoms.

When taken as prescribed, oxycodone can cause several side effects including constipation, headache, nausea, excessive sweating and dry mouth. An oxycodone overdose can cause severe symptoms including seizures, coma, dizziness, clammy skin and slowed breathing.

Oxycodone Abuse

Abusers of oxycodone may either take it in its original pill form or crush it into a powder to be snorted. The drug can also be melted in water and injected. Because the drug is meant to act as a time-released pain reliever, when crushed or injected oxycodone causes an intense high that involves feelings of euphoria. This is how abusers experience an oxycodone overdose, due to the large amount of the substance being released into their system at once, rather than slowly released over time in the oxycodone pill form.

Signs of Oxycodone Addiction

If a person's use of oxycodone is radically different from their prescription or doctor's recommendations, or is taken without a prescription, they may be addicted to the drug. Oxycodone abuse can be seen in those who have developed a dependence on the drug and will continue to take it despite negative consequences. Their bodies go through withdrawal when the intake of the drug is ceased. Withdrawal symptoms are quite obvious and include anxiety, diarrhea, nausea, muscle cramping, especially in the legs, and restlessness.

How To Test For Oxycodone Abuse

There are many different types of drug tests available that detect oxycodone. When searching for one, look for those that test for opiate abuse. Also look for drug tests that test for another opiate, hydrocodone. This substance can be found in drugs such as Vicodin and produces much of the same affects as oxycodone. Drug testing kits come in several types including oxycodone urine tests, saliva tests and hair tests.

Employers, in particular, are often concerned with drug testing and how to go about administering it, yet don't know where to turn. Liability rests on the shoulders of the employer, making drug abuse of utmost concern. While abusing oxycodone can decrease a person's ability to make sound judgments and decisions, the abuse of any drug in the workplace can potentially lead to disastrous results. This is why employers often opt to start an employee drug testing program.

Parents, too are worried about drug use in their homes. Teenage drug abuse of substances such as oxycodone is a serious matter. Even the slightest suspicion of teen drug use, and a drug test should be administered.

Victim's Anger

During the past several days I have felt so much stress, anger and frustration because my 25 year old son is a bank teller who had a gun pointed inches from his face during a local bank robbery.

Needless to say, my son has been going through a lot of uncomfortable feelings.....one of which is anger. I believe it is victim's anger. I think he is starting to feel a little better and will heal in time. Everyone in town has been asking him questions. Hopefully that will die down soon. Small towns quickly find something new to buzz about.

During the robbery my son was told not to touch the alarm button or he would get his head blown off! He followed directions and kept everyone safe by doing so. I'm very thankful for that. I would have been shaking in fear but he was calm on the outside.

My son and another teller were able to give a perfect description of the robber (who was so dumb that he didn't cover his face or bring anything to put the money in. ) The robber was caught on Friday and is now behind bars....thank God!

I had a nightmare the night before the robber was apprehended. In it the robber came to our home to cause trouble for all of us. I woke my husband up twice wimpering in my sleep.

I wish I could visit that bank robber in jail and express my anger at him because of what he did to my son. I haven't felt so much stress for quite some time. Making my son a victim of a crime was a terrible thing, in my opinion. These things shouldn't happen to anyone, but it does, and I feel very angry about it. Feeling like a victim doesn't feel good at all. You feel helpless and then you feel angry, very angry.

My son is a smart and sensitive person who never in a million years deserved to be treated this way.....and yet he was. It makes me so mad! It definitely makes my son mad too. It has been difficult to contain my anger, which is why I thought writing about it might help. I've certainly talked about it with friends and relatives and so has my son.

Talking and writing are my two best therapies when it comes to dealing with negative feelings. I guess that's why my brother David encouraged my writing by having me to submit it here.

Healing the Hidden Self by Controlling You

Healing of the hidden self will better all aspects of our lives, both the professional aspects as well as the personal aspects. Self-control is one of the crucial lessons of self-development and healing the hidden self, since it will lead us to becoming had better people overall. If we are able to show self-control in many situations, we will be able to overcome them and avoid the associated stress. It is crucial that we adapt and grow in life and become individuals that are more self-controlled.

Self-control is developed through the processes of healing the hidden self. In dealing with receptivity, the need for self-control is of the utmost importance. It is vital that we are all able to control ourselves when faced with situations in life. Receptivity is one of the components that prepare us with the mental attitudes that are needed for the control of our concentration and the control of our will. We are able to exhibit self-control when faced with many problems in life. It works to aid in the directing of our attentions, the withholding of our judgements and many other aspects of our self-control. We learn to accept the things that we cannot change and change the things that are within our power. We learn to act in a controlled manner and change our behaviour to suit situations that we face.

We all have to be receptive to change. Life is dynamic and does not remain constant. If we are trapped in the mindset where we cannot adapt to change then we are directed along a path that leads to the lost of self-control. We all have to wake up to the reality that when we show self-control we avoid many problems in life. We are made better overall and are able to handle anything that the world throws at us. We are able to face all the issues that arise in living head on.

The fact is that we all have our own unique mannerisms that are used in the handling of situations. We are not able to be normal all the time and this is a factor that contributes to the need for self-control. There are times we will let our emotions get the best of us but when this occurs the end result can be worst than the previous situation. It is here that we all see the apparent need for self-control. We need to be able to face our problems head on and logically rather than emotionally. Logic can provide us with the best reaction to the situation. Yet to build logic, we must learn to analyze and continue to heal the hidden self.

When we are stressed and cannot see our way through a problem, it is often because the subliminal mind hinders us from seeing. Once you start to explore this mind you, can control you and work easily through the process of healing the hidden self. We can redirect our thoughts to the positive aspects of our lives and fulfil our lives. If we always focus on the stresses in our lives, we will be soon overburdened. In order to progress well we have to open up our minds and hearts and be in control of our emotions and physical reactions. It is quite possible at times to forget about the important things in life and to focus only on the negatives. This is not the best attitude and it we are in control of our thoughts then we will be able to redirect ourselves to action that is more positive.

Tricyclic Antidepressants Are Still A Good Choice For Treating Depression

Tricyclic antidepressants is one of the more popular drugs used to fight depression in people today. Known as the “first generation” antidepressants because Tricyclic antidepressants were the first medications to come into use in the 1950's to treat depression. They are still one of the better drugs to treat not only depression but have been found to treat chronic pain also. None of the Tricyclic antidepressants have been approved by the government to be used for chronic pain; they are one of the basic treatments for pain even when no depression is involved. These antidepressants seem to work effectively for the burning or searing pain common after nerve damage which may occur with shingles, diabetes, and strokes. This medication can only be prescribed by your doctor, only he or she knows your specific condition and would be able to tell you if using this drug is a good idea for you to use. There are some side effects that come with this drug however, most people claim it's a “slight nuisance.”

It is not fully understood why Tricyclic antidepressants work so well on killing pain. The theory is that these type of antidepressants increase neurotransmitters in the spinal cord that reduces pain signals. However, Tricyclic antidepressants do not work immediately and you may have to take them for several weeks before they start reducing pain. The good thing about using Tricyclic antidepressants is they are not addicting or cause people to become dependant on them but they do have the ability to make you drowsy at first. Your doctor will probably prescribe them for you to take at night before you go to bed. Side affects can be anything from causing dry mouth, sleepiness, constipation and weight gain, difficulty with urination, and changes in blood pressure. To reduce side effects, your doctor will probably start you on a low dose and increase dosage until the one that is right for you is achieved.

Other side effects you will want to watch out for are dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting may occur, especially when getting up from a sitting or lying position, it's recommended to rise slowly when getting up. Tricyclic antidepressants may cause your skin to be more sensitive to sunlight than normal. Be aware of how long you are out in strong sunlight when you first start this medication until you know if it will have an adverse affect on your skin. Getting to much exposure from the sun may cause a skin rash, itching, redness or other discoloration; even server sunburn may be an adverse affect from this medication. It is suggested that one stay out of the sunlight during the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. if possible. Be sure to apply a good sun block to exposed areas of skin when taking Tricyclic antidepressants , with at least a SPF of 15, and for fair skin a sun block with a higher SPF rating. Be sure to discuss these types of topics and any others you may have a concern about with your doctor before you start taking any medication. You want your medication to work for you so it will help you get well.

General Depression Information: Understanding Depression Symptoms and Treatments

The first thing to know about depression is that it is not just in your head. Depression is, in fact, a whole body disease that affects multiple systems.

In addition to feeling sad, hopeless, or helpless, a person may suffer from extreme fatigue, decreased motor (muscle) coordination, changes in appetite and weight, and a loss of interest in activities that are usually pleasurable--just to name a few of the more common symptoms.

Anxiety, which is commonly understood to consist of fear without any direct cause, is highly correlated with depression. Anxiety is an imbalance not just of brain chemicals, but of the entire nervous system, which is over-responding throughout the body as if a physical threat is impending. This can often cause the depressed person to feel very jittery, and some people experience extra clumsiness as they go about their day.

Only a doctor can diagnose depression, and if you are suffering from what you believe to be depression, you should make an appointment immediately. (If you need help sooner, please dial 9-1-1.) When you speak to a doctor during a formal assessment, he/she will ask you questions like the following, which are adapted from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV:

1. Are you experiencing a depressed mood?

2. Have you lost interest in most or all of your normal activities, including normally pleasurable ones?

3. Have you experienced a dramatic change in your appetite, leading to noticeable weight gain or weight loss in the last month?

4. Have your sleep habits changed? Do you sleep much more or much less than normal, or do you have trouble getting to sleep or waking up?

5. Do you feel agitated or jumpy, or have others noticed that you are more irritable than normal?

6. Have you had trouble concentrating or thinking clearly?

7. Do you feel abnormally tired throughout the day?

8. Do you have overwhelming feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or hopelessness that things won’t improve?

9. Have you been thinking about death or suicide more than usual, or have you tried to commit suicide?

If you answered “yes” to questions 1 and/or 2, plus any four of the other questions, and these symptoms have persisted for at least two weeks with little change, you may be suffering from clinical depression.

Your doctor will also want to make sure that these symptoms are not due to what would be considered a normal reaction to a life situation, like a death in the family. It is completely normal to feel those things after a traumatic life event, unless those feelings persist for longer than two months without seeming to become easier to handle.

Additionally, the doctor will want to know whether these symptoms are causing you great difficulty in completing your normal daily activities. Depression is serious enough that it can cause a person to miss work and be unable to fulfill family obligations.

Risk Factors

People who suffer from depression are much more likely to suffer from other life threatening diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Much focus has been put on discovering why depressed patients are about four times as likely as their peers to suffer a heart attack within 14 years of their first depressive episode.

Underscoring the whole body effect of depression is the research finding that depressed patients have lower heart rate variability (HRV) than normal. HRV is lowered when the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system is not fully functioning, and people with low HRH are at high risk for suffering heart attacks.

The malfunctioning of the parasympathetic branch may be a key in understanding how mental perception of events that lead to depression affect the entire body.

Causes of Depression

Depression can be caused by any number of circumstances. For some, genetics may play a role (this is especially true for bipolar disorder, or manic depression, which is not covered in this article). For others, it could be the result of their life situation, such as an overly stressful stretch of time or a disease.

Many times, depression can be caused by “uncontrollable stress”. In this case, a person is going through a negative event in which they perceive their efforts will not affect the outcome. Caregivers are especially prone to this. With the advent of disease such as Alzheimer’s, a patient may need constant attention from a family member for years, causing great disruption in the caregiver’s life.

In cases of stress, it should be repeated that the effects will be on the whole body, not just the mind. Stress can cause the secretion of excess cortisol, which in turn can damage tissues in the brain and body. Stress hormones can also cause the nervous system to become overworked in trying to maintain balance, eventually causing it to shut down due to exhaustion.

Depression Treatment Options

Anti-Depressants

One of the great advances in pharmaceutical medicine was the advent of the SSRI class of anti-depressants. Depression can cause an imbalance in the brain chemical called serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps us feel calm and relaxed with a sense of wellbeing.

In people who are depressed, serotonin production may be lowered, or it may not be utilized most effectively in the brain.

Neurotransmitters are secreted into the spaces between the brain cells. SSRIs, or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, prevent the serotonin from being absorbed back into brain cells as quickly, and brain researchers believe that leaving more of the serotonin in between the cells has a mood-enhancing effect.

Examples of SSRI class anti-depressant drugs include Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil. They have been shown to be highly effective for alleviating depression and anxiety in a wide range of people, though their safety in children has recently been questioned.

Counseling

In addition to medication, patients are usually also referred to a counselor for what is often referred to as “talk therapy”, or more formally as cognitive behavior therapy. With this type of counseling, the depressed person learns to notice their negative thinking patterns and challenge them. Over time, patients are able to prevent negative moods by intervening in their own to reflect a more positive outlook.

Exercise

Research has shown that consistent aerobic exercise in a specific heart rate zone has very beneficial effects in fighting depression in both the short- and long-term.

While it may be difficult for someone experiencing a major depressive episode to rally the energy necessary to exercise, most people who do experience at least some relief from depression within just 10 minutes of starting.

Though not widely publicized, the effects of exercise have been repeatedly shown to result in decreases in depression that are on par with both drug and counseling therapies. For more information on an exercise program that may help alleviate depression symptoms, please go to http://www.hrh-for-depression.com.

Herbal Therapies

Interest in herbal therapies for depression has always been high, and in some countries, such as Germany, herbal therapies are preferred over medicinal therapies, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Many people prefer herbal therapies in general, because they believe the side effects of anti-depressants may affect them negatively.

Herbs such as ginseng and gingko biloba have been used to treat depression, but the only herb to be tested in a large scale study is St. John’s wort. Patients who were followed for 26 weeks of St. John’s Wort use did experience a reduction in depression that was nearly comparable to sertraline, an SSRI.

Researchers warned, however, that St. John’s wort may utilize the same metabolic pathways as other drugs for depression, heart disease, seizures, and some cancers. As a result, patients need to be certain to consult their doctors on the use of St. John’s wort with other medications.

Getting Help

Nearly 10% of Americans will experience a depressive illness in any given year. If you feel you are in the throes of depression, please understand that there are very effective treatments available to you. Modern SSRI medications, which are the most commonly prescribed anti-depressants, can start working within 2 weeks of taking the first dose. By engaging in some moderate exercise, you might even feel somewhat better by the end of today.

Though doing anything while suffering from depression is difficult, please do make it a priority to seek some sort of help. If you need others to intervene on your behalf, please communicate that to them.

If you are feeling depressed, chances are that people around you have noticed, but they may not want to say anything about it to you. With a small overture on your part, they will likely jump at the opportunity to help you seek treatment.

If you would like more information on depression, you can go to the National Institute of Mental Health web site at [http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depression.cfm]. There you can download information about depression and search for topics related to depression and depression treatment.

Craig D. Wilcox is the author of The Heart Rate Health Program, which could help people suffering from depression ease their symptoms. Information about the Heart Rate Health Program for depression can be found at http://www.hrh-for-depression.com He also maintains the sites http://www.heartratehealth.com and http://www.hrhprogram.com.

Depression - Reasons, Symptoms - What Can You Do?

Depression is a state of mind in which a person goes into extreme sadness for longer time and becomes very unstable. The person suffering from depression may feel really low and depressed all the time. There are many reasons due to which a person develops such a state of mind. Anyone suffering from depression need to have very warm any loving atmosphere around. It is a serious illness that can have affects for a longer time. Such an illness can affect the daily life of the sufferer. Depression is a common illness found in our country. The number of women suffering from depression is more than the number of men suffering from this disease. Depression can affect people of any age, including children. It is also considered as hereditary illness. It is very important to cope up with this illness. The family and friends of the sufferer has to provide with good and loving atmosphere around so that the patient is free to express his feeling with others. Psychiatrist should be consulted and proper medication should be given to the patient so that he/she can cope up with depression.

There are different stages of depression such as mild depression, moderate depression and severe depression. It is good to cure the illness at early stage. Mild depression is a stage in which the sufferer can cure himself without any outside help by reading good book. In the second stage i.e moderate depression one can talk about it with friends and family and can be cured. Severe depression is the worst kind of all, as it takes longer to get cured. Special effort are made to get a patient out of severe depression. At times the patient tries to commit suicide in this stage. The person suffering from severe depression should consult a psychiatrist as soon as possible. When the number of symptoms are more it means that a person is suffering from severe depression.

DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS-The symptoms of depression are when a person feel tiredness, loss of appetite, depressed, lack of energy, etc. A person suffering from depression lose interest in the things that he used to enjoy. Through these symptoms depression can be diagnosed. The patient should consult a psychiatrist should be consulted. There are no tests that can diagnose depression but questionnaire are used for diagnose. The signs of depression are when a person starts feeling helpless, low self-esteem, feeling of guilt. In women when changes to the menstrual cycle starts taking place, it also symbolizes illness.

Depression is a kind of illness that can be cured. Person suffering from should share his/her feelings with others. Consulting a psychiatrist is the best way to deal with depression. There are various therapy treatment through which one can overcome his/her depression counseling can also help the patient. There are certain medicines, which can be consumed by the patients under the guidance of the doctor, through which one can overcome depression. Some of the medicines are cipramil, cipralex, anafranil, etc. There are some side affects of these medicines that can overcome with passage of time.

There are different kinds of depression such as bipolar depression, manic depression, etc. Bipolar depression is a condition that affects one's mood and results in swinging of mood. If one is suffering from bipolar depression than he/she can have episodes of feeling very high and very low.

Manic depression is a kind of depression whish is quite similar to bipolar depression. In this kind of illness the patient feels very high at times and gets very excited or the patients becomes really low and sad.

Therefore depression is an illness in which a person goes in extreme sadness and its curable.

Source: http://www.disease-articles.com

A Look At Different Depression Treatment Regimens And Programs

One of the most prevalent health problem in many countries around the world is depression. Indeed, researchers have concluded that a majority of people will experiencing clinical depression at some point during their lifetimes. As a result, all people should at least have a basic awareness of what different depression treatment regimens are available in the 21st. Indeed, when it comes to depression treatment, there are a number of different options available to people afflicted with this possibly debilitating disease.

If a person is suffering from a mild, isolated case of depression, an effective depression treatment program may include more sleep, an improved diet and increased exercise. In some instances, a combination of these recourses does result in an effective depression treatment regimen.

Many people find themselves suffering through a more serious bout of depression. In such instances, a depression treatment program must include professional assistance. When consulting with a qualified health care professional, a depression treatment program that includes therapy and medication or medications is likely to be recommended.

When it comes to a depression treatment program, medications are helpful to aid in the reduction of the symptoms that commonly are associated with a depressive illness. With that said, in most cases, it is important that a depression treatment program include therapy. Therapy is an important element of a depression treatment program in many cases to assist the afflicted patient with discovering the root causes of the depressive illness with which he or she is afflicted.

In some instances, a depressive illness is so serious that a depression treatment program includes inpatient hospitalization. In most instances, a person who is hospitalized for a depressive illness will only be confined for a short period of time -- for a matter of days. The goal of hospitalization as a depression treatment regimen in the 21st century is patient stabilization. The long term treatment will be conducted on an outpatient basis. Long gone are the days (in most cases) in which stabilization and intensive treatment occurs while a patient is involved in an inpatient depression treatment program.

In recent years, many mental health care professionals have again begun to advocate the use of EST (electro-shock therapy) for patients who have a more profound depressive illness. For some period of time in the 1970s and 1980s, EST as a depression treatment option was frowned upon by a wide sector of the mental health care professional community. However, in recent years, the techniques associated with EST have been refined and many doctors have come to see beneficial results in their patients who are subjected to a depression treatment regimen that includes EST. But, again, EST is utilized as a depression treatment option in only a limited number of cases in which the depression of a particular patient is severe and unabated over an extended period of time. As with depression treatment programs that include medication, patients who receive EST also participate in a course of therapy to try and discover the root causes of the depressive illness.