Sorry to hear about your experience. OxyContin should never be cut - I thought every doctor knew that. The deaths from OxyContin have really been associated with people intentionally tampering with it (crushing it and injecting it, etc.) When used as intended it is safe and effective.

OxyContin is simply the brand-name for a 12 hour delayed-release version of oxycodone. Oxycodone is an opiate that normally lasts about 4-6 hours. It is the active ingredient (sometimes combined with another pain reliever) in Oxycontin, Oxydose, OxyFast, OxyIR, and Roxicodone; sort of like how Tylenol (acetaminophen) is found in lots of combinations with over the counter cold remedies.

For bad chronic pain, OxyContin and a similar 12hr delayed-release MS Contin (active ingredient morphine) are quite revolutionary medicines. By only having to take a pill every 12 hrs instead of 4hrs, patients avoid the rollercoaster pain coverage of the immediate release morphine and oxycodone. Because there aren't as many "dips" in medication blood concentration during the day, patients avoid some of the mini-withdrawal induced as each dose wears off and the new dose begins to take effect. MS Contin and OxyContin for this reason are thought of as wonder-drugs by some pain specialists. Just recently I have seen advertisments for "Palladone" which is a 24hr version of Dilaudid. I haven't prescribed this yet since I am a psychiatrist who only uses pain meds when my patient's regular doctor dosen't understand/care about these principles. Normally, because the extended release takes a while longer to kick in, it dosen't rise to the high peak levels in the blood as immediate release meds do and therefore delayed-release pain meds are associated with fewer side effects. Remember too that it can take 6-12 hours before the dose of OxyContin you took starts to work; you need to factor that in to your dosing schedule.

Save yourself the trouble of writing the AMA, they will only refer you to your state medical board where these complaints are handled (Google your state's name and 'medical board'). Many doctors don't understand addiction and use pain medicines improperly and then blame the patient. The fact you were asking for *less* medicine than he gave you clearly shows you aren't addicted to it. Pain specialists are much more likely to get this right. Good luck.