Side Effects of Oxycontin, Other Opioids Linked to Fractures, Death: Study
Older adults taking OxyContin and codeine may face a higher risk of bone fractures and death, according to the findings of a new study by U.S. researchers.
The study was published on Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, comparing the risks of a number of drugs designed to alleviate pain.
Researchers found that mortality was particularly elevated among older adults when given codeine and OxyContin, but they also found that patients suffered a higher number of cardiovascular events when given codeine. Patients prescribed all opioids were more likely to suffer bone fractures and some increased risk of death.
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Learn MoreThe researchers, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, looked at Medicare medical records for nearly 13,000 patients treated in Pennsylvania and New Jersey from January 1999 through December 2005 and compared a wide variety of painkillers, including opioids like OxyContin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like Advil and Motrin. They found that older adults given opioids faced a 68% increase in overall health risks, and an 87% increased risk of death when compared to those given NSAIDs.
OxyContin and codeine were the standouts among the opioids, with both drugs being associated with double the risk of death within 30 days of being prescribed when compared to other opioids, like hydrocodone.
The study did not find a causal link between the increased rates of death and bone fractures, however researchers concluded that the results of their study should “prompt caution and further study.”
OxyContin (0xycodone) is a form of the narcotic oxycodone that is designed to release the painkilling medication into the bloodstream gradually over a 12-hour period. Approved by the FDA in 1996, drug abusers quickly discovered that the pill could be crushed and snorted or inhaled for an instant high. Often referred to on the street as “Hillbilly Heroin” or “Killers,” the drug has been linked to hundreds of drug overdoses and deaths.
The pill is the best-selling prescription pain medication in the United States, with more than $2 billion in annual sales.
In 2007, Purdue Pharma executives plead guilty to criminal charges that they made false and misleading statements downplaying the addiction side effects of Oxycontin to doctors.
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3 Comments
NancyMarch 14, 2012 at 6:20 pm
I was on a therapeutic dose (prescribed by my GP) for over 3 years. My pain was adequately controlled, but I had absolutely no quality of life. Having never suffered from depression before, to be actually hoping for death was quite a shock. Even with medical supervision, discontinuin the Oxycontin was impossible, so I was switched to a matching dose of Morphine. It then took one year of titrat[Show More]I was on a therapeutic dose (prescribed by my GP) for over 3 years. My pain was adequately controlled, but I had absolutely no quality of life. Having never suffered from depression before, to be actually hoping for death was quite a shock. Even with medical supervision, discontinuin the Oxycontin was impossible, so I was switched to a matching dose of Morphine. It then took one year of titrating down to finally be off narcotic medication. So, I now am off narcotic meds, still have the same pain, and basically lost 4 years of my life. Something needs to be done!
WillieDecember 19, 2010 at 3:26 am
The article loses all credibility as soon as it leaves the safety of a study (that ends with, "Further Studies are needed in this area" which means, we want more money for research) when they add the non sense about drug abusers and a deal cut with the government to stop the harassment. As well as the additional question from this website to have an attorney contact you to see if you have a case a[Show More]The article loses all credibility as soon as it leaves the safety of a study (that ends with, "Further Studies are needed in this area" which means, we want more money for research) when they add the non sense about drug abusers and a deal cut with the government to stop the harassment. As well as the additional question from this website to have an attorney contact you to see if you have a case against the named company. Lawyers get a real job.
VinnieDecember 15, 2010 at 4:49 pm
What a bunch of crap!! It's called "quality of life" If you have constant pain when you get up in the morning and a coupleof Vicodin takes the edge off so you can function and enjoy your day .... go for it!! If you have an issue with your heart, then work out!! Get off your lazy butt and get to the gym. It keeps your heart and bones strong so you won't have to worry about these "side effects" And [Show More]What a bunch of crap!! It's called "quality of life" If you have constant pain when you get up in the morning and a coupleof Vicodin takes the edge off so you can function and enjoy your day .... go for it!! If you have an issue with your heart, then work out!! Get off your lazy butt and get to the gym. It keeps your heart and bones strong so you won't have to worry about these "side effects" And of course, yo have the the lawyers (vultures) circling trying to get a lawsuit against the drup makers ... Do something worthwhile with your lives. Get a teaching job!!