OxyContin

[ ahk-see-kahn-tn, ahk-see-kahn-tn ]

Pharmacology, Trademark.

1. a brand of oxycodone.

OxyContin

/ ˌɒksɪˈkɒntɪn /

noun

1. an opiate drug, oxycodone hydrochloride, used as a painkiller and, illegally, as an alternative to heroin

Word History and Origins

Origin of OxyContin¹

First recorded in 1990–95; oxy- ²( def ) + contin(uous) ( def ), perhaps after the controlled-release nature of the drug

Example Sentences

Over the summer, the Supreme Court upset a massive settlement related to Purdue Pharma company, makers of prescription painkiller OxyContin.

From Los Angeles Times

Many people know it began with the overprescription of opioids like Oxycontin, which resulted in a DEA crackdown that shifted many users to street heroin.

From Salon

Unlike, say, heroin or OxyContin.

From Los Angeles Times

The Sacklers and their company, Purdue Pharma, aggressively marketed highly addictive opioids such as OxyContin, reframing the painkillers as not just for terminal cancer patients, but for a range of milder and chronic complaints.

From Science Magazine

For years, pharmaceutical companies steered expensive prescription pain medications, such as the opioid Oxycontin, as well as the most effective medications for opioid-use disorder, to white Americans with good access to healthcare, she said.

From Los Angeles Times