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Oxycontin Essay

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Oxycontin: A Painkiller, or a Pill that Kills?

To most people, pain is a nuisance. But to others, pain controls their life. The feeling discomforts us in ways that can sometimes seem almost imaginable. These feelings can lead to many different side effects if not dealt with or diagnosed. These effects can include depression, anxiety, and incredible amounts of stress. The truth about pain is that it is vital to our existence. Without the nervous system responding to pain, we would have no idea if we were touching a hot stove, being stuck by a porcupine's needles, or something else that could leave a lasting effect upon our bodies without us even knowing anything about it. This warning system helps to alert us when there is …show more content…

Purdue Pharma is a pharmaceutical company founded by physicians with its headquarters located in Stanford, Connecticut. The drug is currently manufactured in two locations: one in Totowa, New Jersey and the other in Wilson, North Carolina. Oxycontin is now the 18th most prescribed drug in the United States, and had sells of over $1.2 billion in just one year. Since the 1980's, Purdue has focused its research and development efforts mainly on medications for the use of pain relief. It was not until 1995, that Oxycontin was developed, and the first release of the drug did not occur until January 1996 (Oxycontin 38). The company has made sure that no other drug in the United States has been more rigorously tested and regulated than Oxycontin. This is primarily because it comes from an opioid called Oxycodone, which has been known to be very dangerous in other currently prescribed drugs. Oxycodone was first developed in 1916, and has been sold in various forms in the United States for over sixty years (Oxycontin 39). The pain that it was intended to help alleviate is very serious because the intense pain is usually caused by cancer, osteoarthritis, post-herpetic neuralgia, major surgery, and even degenerative spine disease (Oxycontin 46). Issues have recently started developing around the drug since just a few years after it was put onto the market. Hundreds of people have died from taking the drug for the

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