Hi,
I think it's so important not to be judgemental and over react to the potential "addiction" of oxycontin or any other opiate. It is a long acting narcotic so I think it is a better choice when trying to treat chronic pain since the body gets a more even release of the drug throughout the day,versus the sudden onset and faster metabolism of shorter acting narcotics like hydrocodone that people take every 4-6 hours , which causes peaks and valleys. Oxycontin has gotten a bad rap due to the folks that abuse it. Like any drug, if you take it as directed, and don't chew or crush it (which is something that would NEVER occur to those of us who are not abusers) it is a good option. I was once on a significant dose of it and slowly decreased it then converted to codeine and then slowly decreased that until I was no longer needing any medication. "detox" is a term I think that should be used for drug abusers, not people who are PHYSIOLOGICALY dependent on the drug, just like people that take blood pressure or heart medication...they can't suddenly stop taking their meds either. Due to increased symptoms this last year, I have recently begun taking it again.
We all suffer so much already, we need to be supportive of treatment that may help someone else, even if it did not help you or me. I think being critical of oxycontin just because you did not do well with it invalidates those who the drug helps. People that use oxycontin or any other opiate for chronic pain are not "addicts"...addicts do not take the medication as prescribed and their need for the drug over rides making responsible choices in their life. In fact ,studies show their are very few chronic pain patients that fall into category of "addiction" and statisticaly ,they may have been folks with a predisposition to addictive behavior prior to being diagnosed with a chronic pain issue. As someone else stated in this discussion, there is some question as to how effective opiates truly are in the long term treatment of RSD....but in the meantime, until there is some other alternative, I have made the choice to use the medication because I desperately need something between the pain and my PERCEPTION of the pain, realizing the medication does not eliminate the pain, but just lessens my perception of the intensity of it. Without that bit of "dullness" for lack of a better word, I'm not sure how I could get up in the morning.
Best wishes and I hope it is working for you!
Terry