”Interviews with patients who abused both formulations of OxyContin indicated a unanimous preference for the older version. Although 24% found a way to defeat the tamper-resistant properties of the abuse deterrent formulation, 66% indicated a switch to another opioid, with “heroin” the most common response. These changes appear to be causally linked, as typified by one response: “Most people that I know don’t use OxyContin to get high anymore. They have moved on to heroin [because] it is easier to use, much cheaper, and easily available.” It is important to note that there was no evidence that OxyContin abusers ceased their drug abuse as a result of the abuse-deterrent formulation. Rather, it appears that they simply shifted their drug of choice.”
Cicero, Theodore J., Matthew S. Ellis, and Hilary L. Surratt. “Effect of Abuse-Deterrent Formulation of OxyContin.” New England Journal of Medicine 367.2 (2012): 187-189.
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