A change in the formula of the highly abused painkiller OxyContin has led to an unexpected – and dangerous – shift to heroin among drug abusers, according to new research. In the past, OxyContin was designed to be released into the body’s system slowly, over the course of many hours, meaning each pill contained a large reservoir of oxycodone. Drug users soon discovered by crushing the pills and inhaling them, or dissolving the pills in water and injecting them, they could bypass the slow-release mechanism and get an immediate ‘high.’
