Welcome to the topic, ‘The Dangers of Addiction with Pain Management’.

As chronic pain management includes long-term use of pain medicines, people become used to it. Therefore there are obvious dangers of addiction with pain management. Many patients with chronic pain are afraid of becoming addicted to the use of pain medications.

Some individuals become addicted, and the results are dangerous.

What Addiction Is and Isn’t?

Addiction is not just craving it is more than that. It is devastating as it can disturb the profession and daily life of the individual.

Tolerance and Dependence

Tolerance: It is common in individuals using opioids (such as morphine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone) for chronic pain. It means that the body of the individual becomes used to the pain medicine.

Dependence: It means that there are harsh withdrawal symptoms if a person shortly stops the use of a drug.

People who develop tolerance or dependence don’t mean that they have an addiction. And people with addiction don’t have dependence or tolerance.

Potential for Addiction

Opioid pain drugs are the most commonly abused prescription medications. However, the danger of addiction in well-screened people is much low as they take such medicines for chronic pain management.

Some of the drugs with the potential for addiction are benzodiazepines, particularly when they’re taken along with opioids. Some benzodiazepines include Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, and Ativan.

Watch for Early Signs of Trouble

Here are the signs that you may be abusing your prescription medication:

• The use of the drug is not as prescribed.
• Using the prescription medicine for a purpose other than the doctor’s prescription.
• Use of the drug has made you neglect your children, miss work or school, or suffer other destructive consequences.
• You haven’t been following the advice (from your doctor) about your use of the drug.

To avoid the risk of addiction your doctor should work with you. They should examine your daily routine, check for medication give you a urine test, and check your medication use at the same time so they can examine how many are given and for what prescriptions are allowed.

Ask for Help

If you find that you are losing control over the use of prescription medications, or if you think that you are becoming addicted to your drugs, you must consult a doctor who specializes in addiction management. They will listen to your problem and will suggest to you the best way out.

For instance, if your doctor thinks that you are addicted to a certain drug he will alter that with a drug having a lower potential of abuse. If your doctor is not comfortable in such a situation, he will recommend you to a psychiatrist or therapist.

Take Precautions

Pain medications can lead to problems other than addiction. Keep opioids in a locked cabin so teens, kids, and others in your family can’t take them.

And be extra careful using other prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications along with opiates. Some combinations could cause unconsciousness, difficulty in breathing, and even death.

Dangers of Addiction Pain management