I had syntocin induction only (was 3cm dilated when went in, but waters had broken early, hence being induced) and it was fine - 9.5 hours all in, pretty quick and only 1 hour where I thought I couldn't bear it (was in transition then). Was lucky as my body was ready for it, though.
Everyone says the pain is unbearable when induced and I've got nothing to compare it with, but it was OK. Kind of what I expected - just had gas & air and then a shot of pethidine later on.
I really didn't want to be induced, had a huge panic about it beforehand, and what helped me was to do as much research as possible - to think about ALL the possible outcomes, what could go wrong and what, in that case, I wanted to happen, ie. what kind of intervention and when, whether DH could come into the room if I had to have a c-section etc. Facing up to my fears and working through them really helped me relax.
I also found out the hospital's policies on everything so that a) nothing was a surprise on the day and b) I was ready prepared to fight my corner if need be. I annoyed the c**p out of the staff with all my Q's but, honestly, they never tell you ANYTHING unless you badger them!
I also found out policy on moving around while induced, as some hospitals try and confine you to bed. Luckily mine was very happy for me to move around (in fact, I spent no time in bed at all due to pain and gave birth standing up!!!). The midwives were great as they helped me move the drip and held the monitor onto my tummy when I was on all fours on the floor.
If you don't fancy being stuck on your back in bed, I'd recommend you talk to the hospital about this beforehand, just in case - it made a real difference to pain management for me, and also helped me make the birth feel less 'medicalised' and more like the one I wanted to have.
They also turned the drip up a bit when I was pushing (as contractions slowed at this point) - was a fab idea as it got things moving again.
Good luck xxx