Doctors originally prescribed OxyContin in 1998 to deal with the back pain that arose from an old injury. "They told me that they got this new drug for back pain," he said. "They said it was for cancer patients. They said, try it, you'll like it." He did at first, but now wishes he never heard of the substance. He wants help, but can't afford a rehab center. His wife is ill as well. She recently suffered a stroke. Finke is the only one to care for her. "If I go into rehab for 30 days, who will take care of her?" he wondered. "My outlook is not very good," he added. "I am stuck with and it [Oxy] and it is stuck with me. I am well aware I am addicted. The most precious thing in my life is my Oxy bottle."

Troubling personality changes appear during OxyContin treatment

Mike Finke's addiction to OxyContin fueled a wild rage that crippled his business and later landed him in jail for spousal abuse.

By 2000, he'd been on the painkiller for two years. "I was getting verbally abusive with everyone and nasty to our customers," he recalled of several bizarre episodes in 2000.

"That's not my normal style Then I looked at my wife and said 'this [work] is stupid and I'm going to fix this problem.'" Moments later, Finke crafted a sign and hung it outside his interior design business. "Business Closed. %#@! You All," it read.

Finke said Oxy was responsible for this bizarre outburst. After two years on the painkiller, he abruptly stopped taking the medication. His body and mind didn't appreciate the switch. Soon he decided to run his business into the ground and hung the profanity-laced placard.

Wife realized it was OxyContin withdrawal

"My wife took down the sign immediately," he said. "She asked if I was taking my medicine. When I said no, she locked me in the office, went to the pharmacist and filled my prescription."

"She could see that I was in withdrawal. She got the pills and said, 'take this or I'll kill you.'" An hour later, Finke's brain chemistry and personality were on an even keel. He had no idea he had created an insulting sign. His wife retrieved it from the trash to show him what he had done.

As his body became tolerant to the drug, doctors increased the dosage

Despite his desires, Finke remains on Oxy. His intake has risen from 20mg twice a day in 1998 to his present prescription of 40mg three times a day. His body is already used to the dosage. Finke expects to get bumped up to 80mg in the near future but he dreads the withdrawal symptoms and pain that accompanies it more.

Terrifying withdrawal symptoms when he stops taking OxyContin

"I take it, because I am afraid to come off it," he said, recalling several nasty outbursts that have occurred when his supply ran low. "As long as it works in my system, I act like a human."

He's a beast when the Oxy is not at hand. "I start withdrawal," he said. "I can almost feel it (the craving) coming on. It starts with hot flashes, like women's menopause. Even through the air conditioning is on. I get hot flashes and headaches. That is when the withdrawal starts and I can become nasty."

One nasty episode caused him to shove his wife. She called the cops and he went to jail for a night. "We had an argument about money," he said of the October 2000 incident.

"One thing led to another and I shoved her and started getting loud. She got frightened and called the police." The cops gave him two options: leave the house or go to jail. He refused to leave, so off he went.

One night in jail turned dangerous after Finke realized his precious OxyContin was not allowed inside his cell. He got mouthy with a jailer and another inmate. Luckily, only words — not blows — were exchanged.

"The jail nurse said I could not have any OxyContin because it is a controlled substance," Finke said. "I freaked and told them not to take away my Oxy."

By 6 a.m. he was in full withdrawal. "Things were spinning. I was hallucinating," he said. He entered a not guilty plea the next morning and got released on his own recognizance. His wife told the cops that his Oxy addiction caused the rage. She refused to press charges and the case was dropped.

"My wife knows it was the demon inside that caused all this," he said of the painkiller's bad side effects. "She was not scared of me."

Problems began when he sought doctor's help for back pain

Doctors originally prescribed OxyContin in 1998 to deal with the back pain that arose from an old injury. Finke severely damaged his back while lifting weights in his 20s. Age and the toils of life ignited the dormant wounds in the late 1990s.

"They told me that they got this new drug for back pain," he said. "They said it was for cancer patients. They said, try it, you'll like it."

Unable to afford a rehab center, he is still addicted today

Now he wishes he had never heard of OxyContin. He wants help, but can't afford a rehab center. His wife is ill as well. She recently suffered a stroke. Finke is the only one to care for her. "If I go into rehab for 30 days, who will take care of her?" he wondered.

"My outlook is not very good," he added. "I am stuck with and it (Oxy) and it is stuck with me. I am well aware I am addicted. The most precious thing in my life is my Oxy bottle."