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Rating: 
Summary: Page-turner about a medical marvel gone horribly wrong
Review: "Pain Killer" is a compulsively readable page-turner about the supposed pain miracle drug, Oxycontin, and how it nearly overnight became misused as one of the most addictive substances ever known. The book follows the struggles of some of the first victims of the drug, living in Appalachia, but also has a couple of real-life heroes who see the problems developing and decide to take on the secretive medical giant that produced the drug -- and then turned a blind eye to the disaster unfolding in America's small towns. It's nonfiction reporting (by a NY Times reporter), but it reads like a fast-paced novel -- especially now, with Oxycontin's emergence as a drug of choice of celebrities, not just poor former coal-miners. Do yourself a favor and settle down with this great book -- you'll learn something and you absolutely won't be able to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful Book
Review: "Pain Killer" is a great read. It follows the downfall of a beautiful, affluent cheerleader who becomes totally consumed by OxyContin. Yet it's also an investigative book that shows how the company turns a blind eye to the devestating abuse. And it shows what's going on behind closed doors at the government agencies in charge. The book has it all: a muckraking probe as well as moving stories from doctors and counselors trying to do something about the drug that is ravaging their community. At the same time, I came away convinced of the importance of a drug like OxyContin--if it is properly controlled--for patients suffering from horrible chronic pain.
Rating: 
Summary: Must read for Victims of Cancer Pain
Review: Although a section concerning pre-90's events was slow going (why it's a 4 & not a 5 star), this was a do-not-put-down-until-finished book for me. I wish we had read this book last August. The very first question we asked the oncologist was "is Oxcontin addictive?" -- Response "no" -- WRONG - as Meier reports, even the medically-intended patient can become addicted. Meier also points out the danger of mixing anti-depressents and Oxcontin -- perhaps the oncologist should have read this book since an anti-depressent was prescribed to simulate chemo-affected appetite (fortunately we have moral objections to anti-depressents & it was never taken). Repeatedly throughout his sensitive handling of the need for pain relief by cancer patients, Meier reminds the reader that other non-narcotics should be used first -- and that does not mean going from Advil to Oxy! Unfortunately the oxcontin was no more effective than the over-the-counter asprin, perhaps not all patients can digest either the wax or the acrylic shield, yet Purdue seems to have ignored that possibility in their agressive marketing while so brainwashing cancer care doctors that only increased amounts of their money maker are offered. This is an excellent exposure of the marketing ploys used by drug companies, Purdue is not alone, with the resulting cost to all of us in both higher prescription bills, addition and the fight against it. Reading Pain Killer should make you think twice the next time you see a TV ad for a prescription drug.
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Summary: From Foxy to Oxy: The Perils of OxyContin
Review: As a recovered alcoholic and drug addict, and now a substance abuse counselor in a methadone clinic, I have seen the ravages of opiate abuse firsthand. The old days of methadone clinics being exclusively for down-and-out heroin junkies are long gone. Now, the majority of clientele in methadone clinics is for narcotic pain medication dependency and/or addiction. I have always been interested in finding out the true story behind the rise of the now notorious OxyContin, and after reading Painkiller, I was not disappointed. It has an interesting approach in that it simultaneously tells the origin of OxyContin in a chronological fashion while describing the devastating effects OxyContin had on a high-school age cheerleader. It is easy to take the side of the primary individual from whose perspective the author builds his indictment against the manufacturer's of OxyContin, Purdue-Frederick. The individual is a doctor who practices in the poor areas of West Virginia coal country. However, the addict population in general has always been very creative and innovative in their attempts to find out the ways any drug, whether illegal or prescription, can produce the best highs. And, even though Purdue-Frederick did indeed have a very aggressive incentive campaign to lure physicians into switching all their eligible patients away from lighter, and more traditional narcotic pain medications, they cannot, in my opinion, be seen as the scapegoats the author tries desperately to make them out to be in the OxyContin crisis that developed. Pain management has always been an inexact science at best, and in this author's educated opinion, why should those who will always do their best to end-run around the proper use of this, and other legitimate medications, hold those hostage who use them for their intended purposes. Painkiller, whatever the reader feels personally about the debate concerning OxyContin, is still an excellent read, and details the origin of OxyContin, and the history, both negative and positive, of opiods and their use for pain management in the United States.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical biased attitude...
Review: As one who lives in constant chronic pain, I can speak for how Oxycontin has SAVED my life. I agree with most of the reviews before me, but I do have to add a few things.
I absolutely find it completely UNFATHOMABLE that anyone will put a pill in their mouth and not question what it is. IF these folks are all so "ignerent" then the problem is with the educational system. Look, I went to high school back in 1976 and guess what? They TAUGHT me about drugs. I'm not sure what I was supposed to learn from this book, but it wasn't anything more than the rehash of big businebbss against the "ignerent" folk. I did have to ask myself,
Why isn't this book about "Paint Sniffing: How Dutch Boy refused to stop making paint to save our society" because basically the assumption here is that there was some kind of cover up... which is complete bull. There is no way that an educated person could EVER claim that ANY OPIOID wouldn't be addictive. It's preposterous for a doctor to claim otherwise... I'm only high school educated, and I knew it the day my doctor prescribed it. The fact that it takes a triplicate prescription to get it LEGALLY should be some indication!
Rating: 
Summary: Clearly a one-sided view replayed over and over and over....
Review: I have read and heard so many negative things about Oxycontin that I can't keep silent about this any longer! I am a chronic pain patient who was on Oxycontin for many years. I also participated in one of their early drug trials for chronic pain, so I have personally contributed input to Purdue about how this medicine affected my body and mind. It was truly a lifesaver for me at the time, as it allowed me to return to work on a full-time basis. (When I say full-time, I REALLY mean FULL-TIME! I had two full-time 40 hr./week jobs plus I designed a bi-monthly magazine on a free-lance basis. I have several inoperable conditions which cause me to suffer constant, intractable pain on a daily basis.
I tried all natural alternatives such as chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, meditation, herbal diets and others for several years before finally applying to Purdue's clinical trial for chronic back pain, in which Oxycontin was being used for pain relief. By the time I started the trial I could hardly sit in my office chair for more than 15 minutes. I had tried other medications new to the market at the time including Trazadone, which put my heart into severe arrhythmia for days after taking only one dose. Other drugs had intolerable side effects; Oxycontin did not. Instead, I received a steady dosage of pain relief medication which did not make me 'high', sleepy nor nauseated. I was overjoyed to have my quality of life returned to me!
After being in the 3-year clinical trial for a year and a half, I was told that the trial was being suddenly halted due to the bad press that Oxycontin was receiving. The company which handled the clinical trial for Purdue did not want to be involved so they just dropped all participants, leaving us with only a few pills on hand and no referral to a pain management doctor, as they had initially promised. I was fortunate to find a doctor at the 11th hour who would accept me as a pain patient.
Without getting into all the details of 'life afterwards', it should suffice for me to mention that Oxycontin can be a worthwhile and helpful drug in the hands of a chronic pain patient. A person in pain does NOT get 'high' from opiates. Instead, the medicine is used up by the pain receptors in the brain and never reaches the 'pleasure centers'. Pain patients feel ONLY RELIEF FROM PAIN.
I sincerely wish this bad press would stop as it is doing a great injustice to the chronic pain patient. If a person wants to get 'high', they can take Oxycontin or they can take a slew of other drugs OR they can simply turn to alcohol, which is not only legal but is also widely available! I can guarantee that more young people are killed by the effects of alcohol than by Oxycontin. And yes, they can still sniff glue or smoke pot or take any number of synthetic substances such as Ecstasy and get their buzz that way. Oxycontin and Purdue are not the villains here; instead, we need to look to ourselves for responsibility and sometimes to the parents for their lack of responsibility. And ultimately, the person taking the drug is the one who has the REAL responsibility -- not only to themselves, but to everyone around them who might be affected one day by their bad decisions.
Let's put the blame where it belongs and STOP punishing the chronic pain patients, who are only trying to have some quality of life. Thank you for listening - now won't you please help us by spreading the word that we deserve to have our dignity restored and the quality of life returned to us - even if that means we have to take Oxycontin in order to be able to live?
Thank you.......KO
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Summary: My son My heart & OXYCONTIN murder
Review: I have recently finished this book & I believe every word.
Purdue are murderers & they know it!!!
www.oxyabusekills.ca my web site in memory of my son Chad Gregory Gardiner
Rating: 
Summary: An additional Review from resident of Lee Co.
Review: It's a shame that an author with Mr. Meier's credentials chose to write such a one-sided sensationalized account of the OxyContin issue. This book tosses aside the plight of chronic pain sufferers who need drugs such as OxyContin in order to function on a daily basis and focuses on the drama of teen-age drug addiction. A balanced discussion presenting both the need of chronic pain sufferers to have access to narcotics and the problems created when such drugs are diverted to illegal markets would certainly have been more productive. The "heros and villains"
approach of this book reads more like a third-rate Hollywood script as opposed to intelligent journalism.
Rating:
Summary: One-sided, at best...
Review: Pain Killer is an interesting book in that it describes the circumstances surrounding the rise in Oxycontin abuse, particularly among America's rural poor, but it tends to be a bit one-sided and heavy handed in casting Purdue and its employees as heartless villians in this story. There can be no doubt that Oxy abuse has led to heartbreak for addicts and their families all across this country. And Purdue probably did emphasize too much its use for the treatment of moderate pain that would be just as well treated by other drugs with less potential for abuse. But at the same time, this book practically ignores the countless numbers of patients whose intractable suffering has been eased by proper use of Oxycontin. Their stories are not told, their voices are silent, their suffering is unacknowledged. As much sympathy as I have for the addicts in this book, I would venture to say that the large majority of them never had to get involved with snorting or shooting up Oxy. But chronic pain suffers and those in the end stages of terminal diseases don't have the option of saying no to pain. I'd bet if you talked to them, Purdue and its employees are heroes, not villians. I would have liked to have heard some of their stories. My other dissatisfaction with this book is that basically it is little better than an Atlantic or Harper's magazine article padded out to book length (with a larger font and lots of white space to increase the page count). There is a lot of repetitive info in here, and many times, the chronology of events gets a bit confusing. Sometimes, I had the feeling I was just re-reading the same 40 or so pages over and over. At some points, I just skimmed. The story of Oxycontin and its abuse is definitely a cautionary tale, but I would have liked to have had both sides of the story.
Rating:
Summary: fabulous book
Review: Terrific piece of investigative journalism. I could not put the book down. It's also a thoughtful and important statement about the increasingly blurred line between legal and illegal drugs.
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