A.,
I feel for you. This was one of the hardest parts of parenting for me.
I think that terminology might prevent you from getting many responses. In this geographic region they are usually referred to as pacifiers, binkies, nuks, or soothies.... My 24 year old son called his a Babong and my 15 year old called his a Bobby. Both of my boys loved their pacifiers. I had no trouble having them gie up their bottles at 12 months because they had their pacifiers to suck on. They were those toddlers that walked around with them in their mouths all the time. They would even talk around the pacifier, unless they were told to take it out if they were going to tell us something. I know about attachment. They both had several placed around the crib so if one fell out, they just had to feel around to get another.
They both changed the name from pacifier when I said it was time that they threw them in the trash because they were too big for them. This was at about age 2 for both of them. At 2 and a half, with my older son, I just took them and had my son watch me throw them all away. He was okay until bedtime, then he screamed for hours until he fell asleep. This went on for a week. Then about 2 weeks later, he saw a child at the store with one, and the crying began again. With my second child, I took his away at 3 and a half. First, we started limiting it's use to the bedroom. Then we limited it's use to the bed. Then, we put it on the calendar when HE was going to throw them away. We talked about it everyday until that day. Then on that day, he threw them all in the trash. He had several he kept in his crib and later in his bed. Sadly, I couldn't get him to nap after that because he needed his Bobby to take a nap. He also hid his special blanket because when he rubbed the satin binding I guess it reminded him of his Bobby that he no longer had. My second son didn't have as tramatic experience as my first son because he was part of the giving it up, and he understood what was going to happen because we worked our way to him giving it up.
Maybe your son isn't ready to give it up. There is a children's book called Pacifiers are not forever. That might be a good way to start the process of giving up the pacifier that he is so attached to. You might also start limiting the time and location he is allowed to have it.
Best of luck.
D.