Dear President Bush,

I hope this letter finds you and yours well and healthy. I would like to talk to you about the drug called Oxycontin.  Although I find the rationale of delineating "legal" vs "illegal" Oxycontin victims
reprehensible, for purposes of this investigation, I present myself as a "legally" prescribed Oxycontin victim, whose life has forevermore been altered by that poison.  In January of 2001, I was a  55 yr. old, woman married 32 yrs., with 2 beautifully grown children, owner of 2 successful business', served an elected position of leadership in my community (4 years), actively employed since teen years, who was relatively happy and content, caring for my home and family, with a lower back problem.  I had been maintained on Tylenol # 3 for many years and was referred to a "pain clinic", when the pain in my back escalated.  Little did I know the deep abyss I was entering when I saw this new doctor.  My medical records from this  facility could serve as the "poster chart" for Purdue Pharma Advertising campaign.  I was told that I was "undermedicated",  I was told that there was a new "wonder" drug, I was told that my fears of addiction due to "family history" were not applicable with this drug. In the first few weeks, I raved about this drug to everyone.  It made me feel like superwoman and I had the energy of a 20 year old.  But then slowly I became sicker and sicker every day.  I had no idea what this illness was. 

It was a hurting pain that seemed to stab down into my bones and joints and made me want to shed my limbs at times.  At certain times, I thought I had the Cancer.  The worst it got, the more increases the doctor ordered until he had me on 14- 20mg. (280mgs. per day) of Oxycontin and 8 Norco for breakthrough. (an amount some cancer patients don't get)   He also wrote the directions for the prescription: "take 4 in morning, 4 in afternoon, and 5 at bedtime".  Although I didn't know it at the time, this is totally contradictory to the manufacturers "written" package insert, which called for 12 hour dosing.  At one visit, he titrated me to double the amount I was taking in one day, also contraindicated in the P.I.  To say the least, I did not know day from night, let alone morn., aft.,
bedtime.  This doctor, for all intents and purposes had concocted a"prescription for addiction".  However, I did not know at the time that the illness and sickness I felt every day, due to this formula and drug was causing me to have withdrawal.  I just thought I was very, very, sick.

I became a former shadow of myself.  I couldn't work, I couldn't garden, and I lost all interest in any thing else, I had always done.  I did things that were so uncharacteristic for myself, it makes me cringe to think of it today.  I lost all interest in daily hygiene.  I had to stop driving my car after I left it running in the street.  I couldn't clean my house.  I didn't go anywhere.  I started to pick at my scalp for some ungodly reason, and could not stop.  I fell out of my bed.  And then there
came the phase where I was totally preoccupied with the pills.  I had to count them out on a daily basis, because half way through the month I would realize that too many were missing to last for another 2 weeks.  I had no idea how they were missing.  I was always calling early for refills, which would engender a lecture about "no early refills", but I would be given the next script and go home for 30 days.  There came a day that I was screaming on the phone to the nurse, arguing that I was not early by one day and the doctor promptly put a letter in the mail with 2 scripts for 30 days, advising me he would no longer be my doctor, because
I did not cooperate with his scheduling nurse to have a 3rd procedure on my back and that I had early refill "incidents".  I thought, "OK by me.  I will just go to my neurologist, who should have been taking care of my back anyway".  when I called to make an appointment and to tell the nurse there that I needed these pills in that amount, she was incredulous, and almost laughed out loud.  I became scared then and got on the internet to find out what this Oxycontin was.  then panic set in.  Oh, Lord.  I'm addicted to a pill that is being discussed as possibly dangerous.  I called around and nobody seemed to know what this drug was, but I found a
doctor who was willing to admit me to the hospital if this so called pain specialist would call him and give him my history, and the regimen to come off of this drug.  To make a long story shorter by a bit, I called and called to no avail.  I even faxed him a letter begging him to help me get off this drug by calling this new doctor.  Totally ignored me.  I ended up in a detox center for alcoholics at 5 in morning after that admitting doctor called all night for instructions. with no response.  I was their
first ever patient on Oxycontin.  I was told in no uncertain terms that I would get no narcotics, but that they advised I stay there to be observed.

Then hell on earth began.  I understand why even seasoned Heroin users warn against taking this drug.  It was the most humiliating painful thing
I have ever experienced, and I've had two spine operations.  It is an indescribable torture that takes you to the bowels of hell and thensome.  My body screamed for relief.  The vomiting and diarrhea were inconsequential to how the body flails uncontrollably.  I had small scabs all over me from writhing in bed.  And when you think it is subsiding, another wave is right there to wring you out and start all over again. 

Stupidly, thinking the worst was over, I left after 5 days.  It wasn't over for 7 more weeks of waves of lessening degrees.  My leg kicks did not stop for 8 months.  It took a year to get a stable health back.  I have never fully recuperated.  To add insult to injury, when my normal back pain surfaced, I had to go to another pain specialist, who, after I told her what happened, told me "there was nothing WRONG with Oxycontin".  She put me on a drug called Kadian.  I have since been prescribed things such
as duragesic, Ms Contin, and Avinza, with MSIR.  None, not one of those drugs ever effected me the way Oxycontin did.  It has taken me a long time
to understand what has happened to me.  I have done a lot of research on Oxycontin and the Pain Management industry as a whole.  I don't take 1/4
of what all the doctors said I needed because I took charge of my life and am starting to get it back again.  I will always need something for my
back pain, and I have learned a great lesson in not just taking the word of the doctor and being responsible for my own health.  But I want you to
know; this is not a drug that should be given to any one other than the hopelessly most severe pain patients or terminally ill people.  It is not a drug for normal human consumption.  it has a power and danger to it that goes beyond the human will or capacity.  If the question is why didn't I stop taking the pills, it means you don't have an understanding of what addiction is nor the appreciation of the awesome power of this drug.  I
could no more stop my consumption, while I had the pills than wake up from anesthesia, because you told me I could, if I really wanted to.  It can't be done without intervention of some kind.  Why I didn't die during the time I ingested it or during withdrawal, will remain God's secret.  I know I came very close.  Many people are gone due to an accidental double dosing, which I'm sure I did , however unaware.  I only thank God that I did not end up in the street like so many people have due to it's overwhelming hold it has on you.  I'd love to take credit and claim that I had the will power the street abuser is lacking, but that would be a lie. 
I am not more powerful than that drug.  I was in the right place at the right time, God spared me an accidental overdose and my family supported me.  This drug needs to be taken off the general market and be put in a class of its own.  Lastly, I believe it's more important that I tell my story, because I know it to be beyond a doubt, true.  However, after doing the research, and informing myself on the company who made this product poison, and how they got it to the market, it would be tantamount to
murder to allow it to stream through our medical system to the streets, by allowing this company to continue to produce and market this chemical. 
Many, many people paid with their lives to get us to the point of investigation into this fiasco.  I hope the right thing is done here.  At best this is a faulty product,which does not do what the company claims, at worst this is a dangerous product, which the company knew of all along and must be regulated.  thank you for all your hard work, and I look forward to the end of this nightmare.  

Betts

P.S.  If any one should question why the numbers of people, who have been hurt by this drug in a legally prescribed way, are not shouting from the roof tops, if this product is so bad, tell them this:  Would any decent hardworking, self respecting person like to go through what I describe above and then announce these distasteful, embarrassing, events to the world?  And as for the doctors, watch for all the finger pointing to begin between the medical community and the Manufacturer, now that the
manufacturer is sticking to it's 12 hour claims, after thousands of doctors apparently thought they could manipulate the dosing instruction, when they realized the product did not give 8 hours pain relief, let alone 12.  Nevertheless, they should be ashamed of contributing to such a disgraceful tragedy.  Too many untrained, ill prepared doctors are out there, who now think they have free license to issue narcotic drugs for everything.  It's no wonder we have ridiculous statistics of people hooked on prescription drugs.  That doesn't happen in a vacuum!