One of the things that amazed both my wife Lisa and me when we first set off to learn about Oxycontin, was the volume of warnings and contraindications that come with the drug. I mean not just the dangers that are inherent in it, although that too is incredible. I mean the warnings that are literally are handed to the patient over the counter with the meds. Lisa came out of the pharmacy with a fat booklet filled with print so tiny that we could hardly read it without a magnifying glass.
When we receive a prescription from a doctor, how many of us actually read the pamphlet? Don’t we trust our physicians and the FDA who approved the drugs— even if we don’t entirely trust that large pharm companies don’t have profit in mind? How bad can it be, if it’s been through the federal government’s red tape.
I was surprised. In our interview with Jeffrey Callison, Brandon mentioned when he was first turned on to what narcotics could do for him: He was prescribed Vicodin in elementary school for a broken arm. I don’t want my kid in pain, right? Neither do you want yours in pain. But I wonder if he could have done fine with something less potent, with fewer dangerous side effects. I didn’t know.
When the Federal Drug Administration talks about education for the public and prescribing professionals, what do they intend to do? Will they produce and then require patients and physicians to watch a three minute video of the dangers of narcotic painkillers, specifically the one they’re being prescribed? Would big pharm allow this?
And while this might deal with some of the problems of overprescription, and perhaps families with a history of addiction could opt out of that first script, it wouldn’t help keep our friends and families from intentionally abusing them. That has to be dealt with another way. Like, for instance LOCKING UP YOUR MEDS!
PATIENT INFORMATION
OxyContin® CII (Oxycodone HCl Controlled-Release) Tablets OxyContin® Tablets, 10 mg OxyContin® Tablets, 15 mg OxyContin® Tablets, 20 mg OxyContin® Tablets, 30 mg OxyContin® Tablets, 40 mg OxyContin® Tablets, 60 mg OxyContin® Tablets, 80 mg OxyContin® Tablets, 160 mg
Read this information carefully before you take OxyContin® (ox-e-CON-tin) tablets. Also read the information you get with your refills. There may be something new. This information does not take the place of talking with your doctor about your medical condition or your treatment. Only you and your doctor can decide if OxyContin is right for you. Share the important information in this leaflet with members of your household.
What Is The Most Important Information I Should Know About OxyContin®?
Use OxyContin the way your doctor tells you to.
Use OxyContin only for the condition for which it was prescribed.
OxyContin is not for occasional (“as needed”) use.
Swallow the tablets whole. Do not cut, break, crush, dissolve, or chew them before swallowing. OxyContin® works properly over 12 hours only when swallowed whole. If a tablet is cut, broken, crushed, dissolved, or chewed, the entire 12 hour dose will be absorbed into your body all at once. This can be dangerous, causing an overdose, and possibly death.
Keep OxyContin® out of the reach of children. Accidental overdose by a child is dangerous and may result in death.
Prevent theft and misuse. OxyContin contains a narcotic painkiller that can be a target for people who abuse prescription medicines. Therefore, keep your tablets in a secure place, to protect them from theft. Never give them to anyone else. Selling or giving away this medicine is dangerous and against the law.
(source: http://www.drugs.com/pro/oxycontin.html#s14. May 4, 2011)
