Prescription Opioid Effects in Abusers Versus Non-Abusers

Prescription opioid abuse is becoming an increasingly widespread and serious public health concern. The 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse report revealed that the number of first-time users of prescription opioid medications for non-medical reasons reached 2 million in the year 2000, a number that has quintupled since 1984. Despite this trend, little experimental research has been directed towards understanding who may be abusing these medications, and under what conditions. The study will examine the reinforcing, subjective, performance, and physiological effects of oxycodone. Because it is not clear who is abusing prescription opioids, the medication effects will be compared in drug abusers and non-drug abusers.