Replies

My father had an accident and walked around for a week unaware that he had damaged a disc. He had surgery, and was on his back for three months. He is able to walk with a cane now.

Throughout the whole ordeal, he refused to take the Vicodin that was prescribed him. He had heard the horror stories, and didn't want any part of the stuff. If he had listened to me, he would have taken it, because I remember the tearful agony he was in when I drove him to a back specialist. Now, I know he made the wise choice.

Well, that I can agree on...and the fact that it sounds like you had an ignorant doctor. While both Vicodin and Oxycontin are pain killers, the combination of taking Hydrocodone (Vicodin) and Oxycodone at the same time is stupid. One is a long acting opioid that would generally cancel out the effectivenss of the other if taken within close intervals. It sounds like your doctor is incompetent...and dangerous.

There are too many doctors who prescribe Oxycontin for minor pain because some think that Oxycontin is nothing more than low-dose Percocet. Oxycontin is intended for long term severe chronic pain. We've had MS CONTIN and other Morphine derivatives on the market for years and we've never seen the kinds of stories about abuse and even death as we do with Oxy. One of the reasons why is because most doctors realize the potency and danger of these (Morphine derivative) drugs and are more descriminate about prescribing them. The other problem is that users intentionally break the time-release barrier (Oxy) and release the narcotic all it once, increasing the potency and chance for abuse/addiction.

I have no problem with doctors being more descriminat in their prescribing, but at the same time, all these stories and fear about this drug are preventing legitmate patients from acquiring it. I must live in the wrong part of town because when I was first injured I couldn't get the lower-potency Hydrocodne combinations prescribed, let alone Oxycodone. I finally found a pain-clinic to aggressively treat pain, but before I could even take the medication I had to jump through a battery of other therapies which I had already done for years. This not only adds frustation for the patient, it cost thousands of dollars.

From your following post:

"If you recall when the initial story came out he was linked to Oxycodene as well as Oxycontin. Both are always hot drugs on the market."

Both are the same drugs. Oxycodone is the active narcotic (generic) ingredient in Oxycontin. Oxycontin is just the Oxycodone without any additional ingredients...vs. say Percocet, which is Oxycodone plus Acetiminophen. I saw another report that said Rush was taking 3 different drugs: Hydrocodone, Lorcet and Oxycontin. Hydorcodone and Lorcet are the same drug in the same manner that Oxycontin and Oxycodone are.