Addiction to any matter, whether it be a drug, alcohol and other vices, is a serious condition and if left untreated can spiral beyond control. Cases of drug abuse in particular are on the rise. But this isn’t surprising considering how easy it is to get hold of intoxicating substances. Among the many types of drugs, those issued through prescriptions can be especially deadly. They may not be as fast acting as hard drugs like heroin or cocaine but the effects are more or less the same.

One drug that has become a source of great concern of oxycodone, marketed by Purdue Pharma as OxyContin. A pain reliever, OxyContin can be highly addictive to people who rely on them for medical reasons. It is said that legitimate users can suffer from severe withdrawals when the drug is discontinued abruptly. You can well imagine the condition it leaves addicts in.

When a patient is subjected to high dependence on OxyContin, they’re very likely to develop an addiction as their body learns to tolerate it. This in turn makes them react adversely when they need to stop consuming it, turning them into potential addicts.

Purdue Pharma will soon discontinue the manufacture and sale of OxyContin and that would be good news if it weren’t for the fact that the company will be marketing the same drug under a different brand name: OxyNEO. Suffice it to say, the effects and dangers will be the same.

OxyNEO information states that the drug will have virtually the same composition as OxyContin, making it equally addictive. This means that we will see the same number of people seeking out OxyNEO addiction treatment. Since the number of people abusing oxycodone as a whole is so high, there is huge cause for worry.

OxyNEO addiction treatment will have to follow the same principles as that of OxyContin where addicts are weaned off the drug by replacing it with another that blocks the brain’s opiate receptors. The sad fact is that while Purdue Pharma continues to rake in new shareholders, innocent users of oxycodone will fall prey to the drug which is currently wreaking havoc across the United States.