"i&#039;m  66 yrs and have had back pain for 46 yrs. my doctor had me on percodan for about 15 yrs then he switched me over to oxycontin when the percodan didn&#039;t help. i&#039;m on 10mg twice a day. i have degenerative disk disease from l1 to l5 plus a fractured tail bone (from a fall). my doctor does not want me on them but i cannot function with the pain. doctor is so scared that i will die if i take too many even though i would never abuse them. i have tried acupuncture, cortisone shots and most of anything that would ease the pain but oxycontin does the job. but they take a long time to kick in."