Huge increase in users of the addictive analgesic oxycodone

Oxycodone is actually intended for patients with severe pain, such as cancer. Nevertheless, the drug is more and more prescribed for small aches and pains such as bone fractures and joint pain. In 2007, 75,000 patients were prescribed analgesic, in 2017 it increased to 490,000. It's a tripled in six years.

Laura is addicted to "the new heroine":

Laura has received oxycodone for a broken arm and no longer has it.

In the Volkskrant, doctor Jos van Bemmel explains that doctors have long lists of prescriptions. A signature has been defined. In addition, hospital doctors want to limit pain as much as possible, because care facilities are currently being evaluated by the Inspectorate and the Dutch Hospital Association on "pain scores": the less pain is important, the better the quality of the hospital. That would be one of the reasons they give heavy pain medications

Sweating, tremors and stomach cramps

The heavy painkiller oxycodone is dangerous. It is comparable in chemical composition to morphine and heroin. This creates a feeling of euphoria, but you need more and more to have the same feeling. Drug addicts say that withdrawal and withdrawal symptoms resemble heroin withdrawal: sweating, tremor, nausea, stomach cramps, and panic attacks.

Different doctors recognize the problems and worry, because with the long-term use,

Pain addiction is not registered

In the United States, 14,000 People die each year from an overdose of pain relievers similar to oxycodone. The Drug Enforcement Administration talks about an "epidemic" and an "opioid crisis" since 2015.

In the Netherlands, there are no figures on the number of drug addicts oxycodones, but people with addictions are rarely registered. Often, they do not show up at a rehabilitation or addiction clinic. They stay with the GP or a specialist. And so the size of the problem remains unknown.

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