The Food and Drug Administration has approved the Use of OxyContin in children ages 11 to 16 with severe pain. The child’s pain must be severe enough to require around-the-clock, long-term treatment and not managed well by other treatments. OxyContin is the brand name for a time-release formula of oxycodone, a narcotic painkiller.

            Not all doctors think this is a good idea, saying it opens the possibility for misuse in children that young. Dr. Stephen Thornton, a toxicologist and medical director of the Poison Control Center at The University of Kansas Hospital, explains why this move raises concerns for many doctors, and he outlines the potential problems and side effects.