Pain Medications

[contentuser]

Overview

Pain medications are often the first course of treatment in pain management. Recently, there has been a rapid increase in the number and types of pain medications. There is a wide range of medicines available to treat the various types, intensities, and categories of pain.

Pain can be acute (e.g., sudden and intense pain from an injury or illness) or chronic (e.g., persistent pain that is long lasting, such as low back pain). Pain intensity can be described as mild, moderate, or ...Read the full article

[katinfl]

While the info in the above referenced article is generally informative, I must take exception to the statement that"..opoids drugs are addictive..thus many doctors are hesitant to prescribe".It is precisely this sort of mis-labeling that has caused the problems that people seeking pain relief encounter.While true that opoids can and do cause addiction, all reputable segments of the pain management community agree that there is a HUGE difference between "addiction" and "dependence". For the vast majority of patients who suffer from chronic pain, and I am one,addiction is not an issue. The author of this article needs to learn the difference.That particular buzzword has been over-and mis-used to the extent that not only are many physicians hesitant to prescribe,but also many of the the best are leaving the practice of pain mangement altogether.The end result of this is that those of us-and we number in the thousands,are unable to receive adequate pain relief,much less find a reputable doctor.The entry of the federal government via the DEA into the practice of medicine has used these words to their own ends-at the detriment of people seeking RELIEF from PAIN,NOT DRUG SEEKERS.Nomenclature is a powerful tool. Please attempt to use it correctly.

[contentuser]

Healthcommunities.com, Inc., (HC) Editors Note:

The above comment has been reviewed by HC and the following documentation was found:

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the NIH:

"Prescription medications such as pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives are very useful treatment tools, but sometimes people do not take them as directed and may become addicted. Patients, healthcare professionals, and pharmacists all have roles in preventing misuse and addiction to prescription medications. Opioids are commonly prescribed because of their effective analgesic, or pain relieving, properties. Studies have shown that properly managed medical use of opioid analgesic compounds is safe and rarely causes addiction. Long-term use also can lead to physical dependence—the body adapts to the presence of the substance and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly. This can also include tolerance, which means that higher doses of a medication must be taken to obtain the same initial effects. Note that physical dependence is not the same as addiction—physical dependence can occur even with appropriate long-term use of opioid and other medications. Addiction, as noted earlier, is defined as compulsive, often uncontrollable drug use in spite of negative consequences."

According to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library:

"Some people become dependent on opioids after starting their use for appropriate medically prescribed control of pain. Although many people who use opioids for pain relief for more than several days feel some symptoms of withdrawal when they stop, serious dependence and addiction rarely occur when opioid use is medically supervised."

According to the American Pain Society:

"Addiction: Misunderstanding of addiction and mislabeling of patients as addicts result in unnecessary withholding of opioid medications. Addiction is a compulsive disorder in which an individual becomes preoccupied with obtaining and using a substance, the continued use of which results in a decreased quality of life. Studies indicate that the de novo development of addiction when opioids are used for the relief of pain is low. Furthermore, experience has shown that known addicts can benefit from the carefully supervised, judicious use of opioids for the treatment of pain due to cancer, surgery, or recurrent painful illnesses such as sickle cell disease."