Oxycodone

Oxycodone is a powerful pain relieving pill that is widely prescribed for intense pain such as after surgery or for chronic pains such as cancer. The pill is white, and comes in a flat-topped bottle with easily identifiable markings. Oxycodone is a prescription only drug, however people are getting a hold of it and it is being misused widely (it seems to be a favorite among high schoolers though). It is extremely dangerous due to its addictiveness, and can be fatal depending on how it is taken.   

Properties
Oxycodone gives the user almost 24 hours of pain relief from each tablet. It is considered one of the most effective pain-relievers on the market. However, this effectiveness comes at a potential price. Because it is an opioid such as heroin, it is highly addictive, and once hooked, the addiction is nearly impossible to overcome without professional help. Use of Oxycodone can produce mood swings, and gives the user euphoric experiences. When the drug is correctly taken, it begins to take effect within an hour or so. However, when taken incorrectly, too much of the drug can begin it's work right away and prove to be fatal.

Occurrences
Oxycodone is a synthetic copy of medical morphine consisting of thebaine, morphine, and codeine. While morphine occurs naturally, oxycodone does not, but it has advantages over morphine such as not lasting as long, nor setting in as quickly.

Uses
Oxycodone is used as a prescription painkiller for intense pain. For instance, dulling or lessening the pain after having surgery (especially oral surgery),bursitis, dislocations, fractures, neuralgia, arthritis, for lower back pain, or for numbing the pain of cancer. Oxycodone doesn't actually take the pain away, so much as raise the body's tolerance for pain. For instance, if the patient is feeling pain as a "seven" on a one-to-ten scale, Oxycodone makes the patient feel as if it is a "seven" on a one-to-twenty scale.

Abuses
The Federal Government considers Oxycodone to be one of the most widely abused drugs by teenagers in the United States. Because it is an opioid, it is like heroin in that it is HIGHLY addictive. Oxycodone is a time-release tablet, and when crushed(as is often done by abusers) too much of the drug can take effect on the body and be fatal. It is estimated that an astonishing population of highschoolers have tried Oxycodone at least once; as many as 1 in 20 seniors at every high school! It is so dangerous that in one year alone, there were over 1300 Oxycodone abuse related deaths.