A SOLUTION TO OXYCONTIN

I would like to offer a partial solution to the OxyContin problem. The
dosage of oxycodone, the active ingredient in OxyContin, could be
reformulated with the addition of 1 milligram of the opioid antagonist
naloxone (Narcan). This technique was used more than 20 years ago to
discourage Talwin abuse.

The oxycodone/naloxone combination will curb the so-called euphoria sought
by intravenous drug users of OxyContin because the opioid antagonistic
actions of naloxone are still potent after intravenous injection.

In contrast, the drug combination retains its pain-killing properties after
oral administration (the prescribed way to take the drug) because the
naloxone will be immediately deactivated by liver enzymes. This
oxycodone/naloxone combination would also decrease the number of OxyContin
deaths after intravenous injection because naloxone antagonizes oxycodone
toxicity.

A word of warning: Individuals who are chemically dependent on OxyContin,
or any other morphine-like drug, should not administer this
oxycontin/naloxone formulation because a brief but intense opioid
withdrawal syndrome (a non-life-threatening bout of nausea, vomiting and
diarrhea) will result.

Finally, for those individuals seeking to "come clean," the procedure of
drug detoxification is the method of choice. In this procedure, gradually
decreasing doses of methadone are administered over a period of days until
the final dose of methadone is zero. In the end, the individual will be
completely off both methadone and the OxyContin.

Edgar Iwamoto
Department of Pharmacology
University of Kentucky
Lexington