Gretchen

Pain will delay and hinder both recovery and healing. The problem is not usually over prescription but misplaced fear of addiction. Patches are wonderful, but the are so strong that your boyfriend will have had to have been on the oxycodone pills for while to build up tolerance even to the lowest dose fentanyl patch. The earlier he starts on pain pills, the better he will be. Unfortunately the mouthwashes made me vomit but they have worked very well for others.
Here is a link to a FDA page on fentanyl patches that has some "horror stories" . I stress that it is highly unlikely that your boyfriend will experience any problems with the patch and offer it only so well meaning but ill informed "friends" do not dissuade your boyfriend from getting the necessary pain relief. I LOVED my patches for the exact reason you noted: no swallowing.
Proper Use of Fentanyl Pain Patches