Am I addicted to Oxycontin?

[befreekarma]

I have been taking 20mg of Oxycontin in the AM and 40mg at night for about 6 months. I have noticed if I don't take a dose the pain that I have intensifies to the point where I can't move out of bed and experience nausea. I do not ever take more than the prescribed dose. I suffer from very severe muscle spasms and pain which is caused by 2 back surgeries a few years ago and scar tissue on my spinal cord. They did initially think that all my symptoms were MS but they have not clinically defined me as so for the past three years. I don't know if I am experiencing just the pain I would have without the medication (and the pain is causing me to be nauseous) or withdrawal. I have not taken a dose here or there to see where I am at with my pain level (non-medicated). If there is any chance that I am addicted, I want to stop taking it now. If I have break through pain I try Advil/Aleve first and sometimes that works, if it is really unbearable, I have Percocet for breakthrough which I hardly ever take. A bottle of 20 Percocets has lasted me 2 months. Any thoughts?

 

[resolution09]

I'll be interested in reading what others think. I do not have addiction issues myself, just read here. As a person with no personal experience, it does not sound to me like addiction. I think there is a difference between withdrawal and addiction.

You do not go over prescribed dose and are not rushing to supplement your oxycontin with other prescription pills. That tells me that you are using the oxycontin as intended to manage your very real pain.

Now, that does not mean that if you decided to cut the oxycontin you would not have some withdrawl issues. It is a physically addictive drug. But from what I understand addiction is about the mental part as much as the physical. And it does not sound to me like you are abusing the drug.

Just my take on it from the outside.