OxyContin Compared to Alternatives

For Pain: Ahhhh, the dreaded drug...no matter what you call it, by whatever media-scare tactic out there, what isn't trumpeted are the success stories....why is that? Does something have to be "Negative" to garner press? And if so, why is that? My story: Two brain surgeries. Manmouth amounts of pain. I tried everything -- nothing lasted like this drug. It has allowed me to go back to work, to live my life, to be a father to my children. Screw the strange looks @the pharmacy...I'm alive!

For Pain: I'm a chronic back pain sufferer who's endured extensize physical therapy, endless pain medicines, muscle relaxers, antiepileptic/antispasmodics, etc., before reluctantly undergoing surgery - Anterior lumbar fusion with posterior stabilization. Unfortunately surgery failed to relieve the pain. OxyContin's been a life-saver for me (80 mg 2/daily Percocet 10/325 for breakthrough pain)- Nothing short of miraculous in it's ability to allow me to perform daily tasks I was unable to perform previously.

For Pain: While getting an entire back tattoo, the artist in Thailand have me some tramadol to reduce the pain. As I had to visit him every day to get the tattoo done, so my dosage increased. After a month straight I was taking 500mg per day. Long story short, it was very hard to stop. This was years ago when the drug first came out and there wasn't any info on the Internet about it other than that the manufacturer said..... It's not addictive. Yeah, right!

For Pain: Worked good for pain but caused lots of nausea and blurry vision.

For Pain: Norco worked pretty well for me at the right dose and when rx'd with muscle relaxers. However, I was originally rx'd long acting opioids because I had liver damage due to Halothane toxicity and taking a single ingredient opioid was safer. With the new "guidelines" I can't even find a doctor who's okay with rxing Norco so I'm back to taking high doses of acetaminophen. The govt has really screwed chronic pain patients.

For Pain: I found hydrocodone to be more effective then tramadol, gabapentin then they changed the drug over the years due to drug addicts abuse. Once the gold standard until people learned how to abuse it. Taken as prescribed it is effective with little or no side effects. However, it has deadly side effects when abused or mixed with other drugs. It was made with 660mg of acetaminophen which is dangerous if taking 10 pills to get high, you could do irreparable damage to your liver. So the amount of acetaminophen was limited to 325 in each pill. Some drug addicts figured out how to crush it up, prompting even more changes in the medication to prevent that abuse. Then some unethical doctors started over prescribing it to people who didn't need it, prompting more tighter restrictions by the government. Government has moved it from schedule III to schedule II drug further limiting its use, while states make Marijuana which is listed as a schedule I drug, legal for recreational use. stop abuse.