The United States is smack dab in the middle of an opioid crisis – and Roxicodone is at center stage. Millions of people across the country are battling what seems like a hopeless addiction to this powerful narcotic. It’s taking out unsuspecting Americans one by one. If you’re abusing Roxies, you could be next.
Better known by its generic name, Oxycodone, Roxicodone is an opioid painkiller prescribed by doctors for extreme pain. However; many opioid addicts turn to the streets to score this prescription medication illegally. What’s worse is that many people start using heroin when they are unable to obtain it.
If you’re taking Roxicodone – also known “Blues,” “Thirties,” or “Roxies” – we don’t deny the stuff makes you feel fantastic. But, make no mistake about it. Blues are like wolves in sheep’s clothing. While they may feel warm and fuzzy inside, they are ravenous beasts that seek to kill you and have you for dinner.
We’re not joking.
What Are These Little Blue Pills, Anyway? What Do They Do?
Roxicodone may come to you as a seemingly innocent little blue pill, but they pack a mean, powerful punch – a deadly one.
Roxies got the street name “Blues” because they are blue tablets. They are called “Thirties” because they are 30 milligram pills. They are referred to as “Roxy” because it’s easier to say than “Roxicodone.” What do they do? They make you feel sooooooooo good. There. That was easy.
What’s not so easy is explaining what Thirties do and how they work. But, of course, we’re going to do our best to uncomplicate a rather complicated chemical process.
Roxicodone are Classified as Semi-Synthetic Opioid Drugs
Blues are opioids. Opioids work by attaching to opioid receptor sites in the brain to block pain. This creates a euphoric feel-good sensation in the body known as the opioid high or the opioid buzz. It is this buzz that keeps Roxy users returning for more.
To be more specific, Roxies are semi-synthetic opioids, which are a classification of a certain kind of pain-killing drug.
What makes Roxicodone semi-synthetic is that it is partially derived from the opium poppy plant, making it sorta-kinda natural. The rest of it is chemically manufactured, making it sorta-kinda synthetic. Roxies contain basically the same chemical makeup as street heroin – minus all the junk dealers add as “the cut.”
For all intents and purposes, Roxies are actually a purer form of heroin. The only real difference between heroin and Blues is that Blues are legal and heroin is not. They both give you the same effect.
Side Effects of Roxicodone – What to Expect if You Take This Medication
Although doctors are notorious for overprescribing this stuff to people with minor aches and pains, it should really only be given to someone who has extreme, chronic pain. Many medical professionals argue that because the medication is so powerful, it should only be given to people who are in the advanced stages of a life-threatening illness.
If you take this medication as prescribed, you should expect certain side effects. Here are the common side effects of Roxicodone:
- If you are allergic to Roxy, you will get a skin rash, hives, or blistered, peeling skin; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing or talking; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.
- Extreme dizziness (or loss of consciousness in extreme cases)
- Extreme drowsiness
- Mental confusion
- Constipation
- Abdominal pain
- Fatigue or a feeling of weakness
- Difficulty breathing, slow breathing, or shallow breathing
- Difficulty urinating
- Rapid heartbeat
- Seizures (in extreme cases)
- Shakiness or tremors
- Change in vision
- Chest pains
- Hallucinations (in extreme cases)
- Mood swings
- Memory loss
- Trouble walking steadily
- Difficulty finding your words
- Slurred speech
- Swelling in the arms or legs
- Serotonin Syndrome – this is a very dangerous and often life-threatening condition that can develop if you mix Roxicodone with medications for depression or other mental health conditions.
These side effects alone are pretty frightening – but we haven’t even told you about the scariest side effect of Roxicodone yet. Thirties are extremely addictive and can trap you into a vicious cycle of tolerance, withdrawal, and addiction. This is the terrifying and deadly truth about Blues.
Let’s go there.
Roxicodone Addiction – It’s Guaranteed to Happen if You Abuse the Stuff
One thing you absolutely need to know about Thirties is that they are highly (severely, seriously, incredibly, absolutely!) addictive. Only the strong survive. If you have been popping Blues for any length of time, chances are you are already hooked on the stuff – and you may not even know it.
The thing about Roxies is they create a thing in the brain called tolerance. This means whatever dosage you have been taking will stop working – and rather quickly. Before long, you will need more of drug to get the same effect that you used to get with a lower dose. So, you will take more. And more. And more. (And more and more and more!) Without realizing it, your body will become physically dependent on the drug to function.
As this happens, and tolerance develops, your body will crave more of the stuff. If you don’t feed your cravings, and you attempt to lower the dosage your body has become accustomed to, your body will go through withdrawal.
Blues Will Give You The Blues – It’s Called Withdrawal
When you abuse Blues, you will most assuredly get the blues. This is known as withdrawal. Withdrawal is what happens when you don’t give your body the Roxy dosage it requires to function at its “normal level.” This is the painful process of removing the toxins from your body – and believe us when we tell you that withdrawal (no matter what the drug) is a very unpleasant experience.
Opioid withdrawal in particular is especially gruesome. People who have tried to detox from Roxicodone without undergoing a professional medical detoxification have said they felt like they were being attacked by demons, or that they were in the fiery flames of hell, or that they wished they were dead.
Here are just a few of the symptoms of Roxicodone withdrawal, which is very much like withdrawing from heroin:
- Fever
- Sweats
- Chills
- Extreme head-to-toe body aches
- Insomnia
- Tremors
- Nightmares
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Inability to eat
- Flu-like symptoms
- Seizures
- Death
Here is one person’s experience withdrawing from heroin, which is what you can expect if you try and withdraw from Roxies on your own.
How You Can Stop the Cycle of Addiction and Get Help For Your Roxy Habit
The first 90 days of recovery from Roxicodone are critical. We do not recommend that you try and stop using Blues without professional help. Stopping the use of Roxies can be deadly. You can have a seizure, you can go into a coma, or your heart can stop beating.
If you want to quit Thirties, we suggest that you go through a professional medical detox. This happens at a medical facility or an in-patient treatment center.
With a detox program, you will be given medication so that you can safely and comfortably remove Roxicodone from your system without having to go through the hellacious experience of withdrawal.
You will be monitored and evaluated around-the-clock to make sure that your detox from Blues is safe and effective. The detoxification process usually lasts from three to seven days. A stay at an in-patient treatment facility for one month is typically recommended after a short-term detox.
Long-term Opioid Replacement Therapy (ORT) is another option. With ORT, you take an opioid replacement drug like Suboxone to avoid withdrawal and help with cravings. You can get Suboxone from a certified Suboxone doctor who will supervise the slow removal of the drug over a period of six months to a year.
How to Tell if Someone is Abusing Roxicodone
Maybe you’re not addicted to Roxicodone, but you’re reading this article to research the topic because you believe someone you love has a problem with Thirties.
People who abuse Blues think they are highly skilled at hiding their addiction, but the fact is – you can’t hide the high from Roxies. Once you know what to look for, you can spot someone who’s on the Blues from a mile away.
- People who are high on Roxicodone have a certain look about them. Their eyes glaze over and their eyelids become very heavy. They also roll their eyes upward into the backs of their heads.
- Roxy users “nod out.” Their heads will slowly fall forward as if they are falling asleep. Once they realize they are having this experience, they will quickly snap their head back and open their eyes very quickly. When they do this, they think no one noticed the nod – although it is very obvious. Sometimes, Roxy users will nod all the way forward until their head is touching a table or other surface before they realize what they are doing.
- People on Blues have slurred speech. They will speak very slowly and mumble a lot. You might confuse someone who is on Roxicodone for being drunk. However; the opioid high and the alcoholic buzz are very different and you can tell the difference between the two.
- Someone buzzing on Blues will have a loss of balance. They will not be able to walk a straight line and they will stumble around aimlessly. They will have a loss of direction and seem disoriented.
These are all tell-tale signs of someone who is under the influence of Roxies.
Some Surprising Statistics About the U.S. Opioid Crisis
We mentioned the opioid crisis at the beginning of this article. We want to talk a little bit more about it.
Because opioids are ravaging the nation and causing death and devastation to our people, in September 2017, President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency. The government is supposed to be taking swift action to correct the situation. Already, the Center for Disease Control has awarded $28.6 billion to help fight the opioid overdose.
You’ll be hearing a lot more about this crisis – also called America’s opioid epidemic – in the coming months. It’s important for you to understand the scope of the situation because if you are addicted to Roxicodone or some other type of opioid, you have been affected by the opioid epidemic.
Here are some statistics that put the problem into perspective:
- The U.S. government estimates that approximately 124 people die in this country every day from an opioid overdose.
- Although the U.S. only accounts for approximately 5 percent of the world’s population, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that 81 percent of the world’s supply of Roxicodone is consumed in the United States.
- Opioids killed more than 33,000 people in 2015 – more than any other year on record.
- The number of opioid prescriptions in 1991 was approximately 76 million. In 2013, it was over 207 million.
- Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in America. Six out of ten of these deaths involves opioids.
- The number of opioid related deaths more than quadrupled from 1999 to 2015.
- There were more than 33,000 lethal opioid overdoses in 2015 – more than any year on record.
- It is estimated that in 2015, 12.1 million Americans over the age of 12 abused legal prescription opioids like Roxicodone.
- 56 percent of all Americans say they have been touched by the opioid epidemic in some way.
- Four in five new heroin users started out using prescription opioids like Roxy.
- Opioids cost the United States $78 billion in 2015 alone in healthcare costs and other expenses.
- Projections indicate prescription opioids will kill as many as a half a million people in the next decade.
These statistics are staggering and they ought to help you understand just how dangerous Roxicodone is.
Become a Success Story – With Help, Recovery from Roxicodone is Possible
If you are abusing Blues, we want you to ask yourself if you want to be a statistic or if you want to be a success story. We don’t want you to become a statistic. We want you to be a success story.
Keep in mind that the tens of thousands of people who die from opioid addiction every year thought they could handle it. They never thought their use of Thirties would put them in an early grave. But, one day they didn’t wake up.
We want you to choose life and stop the madness of the cycle of addiction. No matter hopeless things may seem, as long as you have breath in your body, there is hope. Help is available.