Roxanol is a prescription medication used to treat the symptoms of moderate to severe pain. Primarily a doctor will prescribe Roxanol to treat both acute and chronic pain. In a hospital setting Roxanol is given to patients to treat pain for all different types of needs. It can be used to help relieve a woman having labor pains or a patient suffering from cancer. This medication may also be prescribed for sudden breakthrough pain but only as needed. Patients treated with Roxanol have been known to develop dependence and tolerance to this drug therefore it has the high potential for abuse.

Roxanol comes in two forms, a pill or tablet taken orally and as a liquid injected intravenously. It works in the brain to change how your body feels and responds to pain. Roxanol has been known to have high abuse and addiction potential.

The possibility for these dangers to occur is higher if a person abuses the drug and takes the wrong dose or strength. It can be very easy to develop a tolerance to the analgesic effects of Roxanol.

Roxanol is not only prescribed by doctors for patients who need it but is often sold illegally on the streets. The most common street name for Roxanol is “Roxy’s”. People abuse this drug because it has the same physiological effects of injected heroin. It can be injected intravenously in the liquid form or a person may crush up the tablets and snort them like cocaine. Some individuals just take large amount of Roxanol in its original pill form. These abusers take Roxanol to get high from its euphoric effects. Roxanol will also induce:

• Feelings of Happiness or Well-Being
• Relaxation
• Drowsiness and Sleepiness

In patients who were once legitimately prescribed Roxanol by their medical physician, abuse tends to occur in those who have developed a physical dependence or tolerance to this drug. This happens when a person takes Roxanol in large doses over a long period of time. A patient like this will take Roxanol and enjoy the euphoric feelings it induces thus becoming addicted to this drug in a short period of time. The abuser will become tolerant to the drug and will often start to take more and more of this drug to produce the effect it had when they first started taking it. Often times the doctor will no longer provide the patient with a prescription for this drug and they will then start to “doctor shop” faking the symptoms they originally had to get another prescription for this drug.

The use of Roxanol may cause many different side effects; these side effects may include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Sweating

These effects are not serious and may go away with time. More serious side effects include:

• Fainting
• Seizure
• Unusual Drowsiness
• Slow Shallow Breathing
• Difficulty Waking Up

If this occurs a person should seek medical attention immediately.

An addiction to Roxanol is serious and should not be taken lightly. The best way to treat an addiction to Roxanol is by going to a Rehabilitation center .The withdrawal symptoms of this drug can be severe and uncomfortable. It may also cause a person to get sick.

A medically-supervised detoxification from this drug is highly recommended. This detox can be done safely at an inpatient rehab. Doctors at a rehabilitation facility may even prescribe medication to help wean a patient off of this drug and lessen the severity of the withdrawal. Also behavioral health therapy is highly recommended to provide the psychological counseling and therapy needed for a successful recovery.