Addition to Pain Medication: Causes, Effects and Treatments

Addition to suffer medical specialty Causes, Effects and Treatments disorder Medication AddictionsAngelia HollandPeople argon handout to the touch when they are nonhing wrong with them to discombobulate a ethical dose for spite pills. People are getting more(prenominal) and more disposed to prescription drug do drugs drug(prenominal) pain pills. When doctors do not prescribe them a prescription be piddle they suspect that are abusing the pills, then they will buy them for some one and only(a). These pills will not stop when they drop an addiction sometime they horror it so drear that they eeryplacedose be consume they mix pills together and do not k like a shot the topic will be. However, pain pills misuse is a common thing now then it was in the past.No one decides to get inclined to prescription pain pills. Alienating family and friends, failing at work, and launching a sm exclusively-time criminal pull offer arent what anyone plans on when they sw on the whole ow their depression pain pill. nonpareil in five Ameri asss report misusing a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime, but the overwhelming majority lay the pills away with no lasting harm. So how does prescription analgesic abuse progress to wide-blown opioid addiction? It typically starts with a visit to the doctor for a backache or to dull pain after mental process, an accident or a sports injury. It ends with addiction.Misuse of prescription painkillers is on the rise, and experts say increasingly, its killing us (Shamus, 2013). Healthcare stick outrs read long wrestled with how best to treat patients who suffer from chronic pain, roughly 116 million in this country.No special training, skill, effort or techniques are required for pain deliver the goodsment when using narcotic painkillers. You hardly military issue a pill and soon afterward, the pain you were notioning is minify or eliminated. The fact that these painkillers work well with little effort ma kes them the commencement exercise choice for pain caution for many community. Rather than exploring different ship cigaretteal of managing pain, which take effort and whitethorn not eliminate pain to the aforesaid(prenominal) extent as the painkillers, community r individually for the pill bottle each time pain fireman is required. The ease of use and effectiveness it brings may lead some to reach for the drugs more often than is safe or necessary.While it may not be the first savvy that people take much(prenominal) painkillers, intimately notice that while they are chthonic the influence of these drugs, they are distanced from their activated pain.Painful emotions are a interrupt of ein righteousnessday life for all of us, but often we erect manage these feelings on our own or with professional function, such as counseling. However, people in carnal pain have often suffered emotional damage and are more vulnerable to the attractions of a pill that just makes it all go away. Over time, people stick to to depend on their prescription painkillers to manage their negative emotions.Painkillers thunder mug be pleasurable. Opioids, in particular, have a side effect of euphoria. This is similar to the pleasure felt when you have been prosperous or after intense tangible excitement, but it requires no such effort to attain. As people who are in pain have typically suffered an unpleasant experience that caused the pain, the pleasurable personal effects of these painkillers can have the appearance _or_ semblance like a delightful surprise. Seeking repeated experiences of pleasure with and through the addictive behavior or substance is one of the hallmarks of addiction.People with carnal pain are often very tense. Because many painkillers, such as Demerol, induce physical relaxation, they can provide welcome relief from tensity while under the influence. After a while, people can come to rely on painkillers that have this effect to provide relief from tenseness and the added pain that tension causes. Tolerance builds up quickly. Opioids can quickly cause tolerance to occur. As a result, people who regularly take these painkillers lift that they need to take higher and higher dosages of the drug they are on in order to get the same effect. In addition to physical tolerance, people develop psychological tolerance as they take desensitized to the effects of the drug. Tolerance is one of the key signs that addiction is developing.Often, people who are bonny addicted to narcotic painkillers believe they need more of the drug because their pain is getting worse. but the worsening is often a result of the painkiller use itself. The ups and downs of a developing addiction because physical behaviors such as overuse of an injured part of the body, poor posture resulting from a leave out of sensation when in positions that would otherwise be un satisfied, and a lack of run exercise that would otherwise strengthen the weak ened area (Hartney, 2011). Instead of correcting these stinking habits, the person will often just take more painkillers, creating a vicious cycle of physical go be concealed by the effects of the drugs.As people become addicted to painkillers, they experience breakup when the drug wears off. Withdrawal is very unpleasant, and it often feels like an intensifying of the very symptoms the person was trying to escape through victorious the painkillers.Pain, digestive problems and feelings of being generally unwell are common. As soon as the drug is taken, the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms disappear, and the person feels relieved of pain, relaxed, and free of tension and emotional distress. Over time, the person will choose to manage withdrawal symptoms through regularly taking more painkillers, sometimes without even realizing the withdrawal symptoms are caused by the drug itself (Hartney, 2011).The physical signs of addiction. Many times, painkiller addicts do not recognize the signs of their addiction until their behavior is pointed out to them. Painkillers can cause stocky speech and depression that they often attribute to other causes. Other physical symptoms of painkiller addiction include the inability to concentrate, lack of coordination and dizziness. Health care providers often recognize the symptoms because of declining blood pressure levels and slow, labored breathing. Narcotic painkillers overly produce constipation.In addition to the obvious physical signs that result in unusual behavior, people who are addicted to painkillers begin to exhibit other behaviors inconsistent with their usual habits. Students often begin to find more reasons to outride home from school and start to receive falling grades. Lethargy and reduced faculty levels are very common to painkiller addicts and are especially worthy when they were previously considered active and enjoyed physical activities. Appearance becomes less important to addicts, and they may begin to have money troubles that lead them to ask for loans and get undersur aspect in their bills.As a painkiller addict withdraws from the drugs, the signs of addiction become more apparent. The National Institutes of Health reports that withdrawal from opioid painkillers brings on bone aches, chills, insomnia, dissolution and vomiting. Involuntary leg movements, restlessness and muscle pain alike may be present. People withdrawing from painkillers should be medically supervised during the first a few(prenominal) days of treatment because the symptoms can be life threatening. Withdrawal from sedatives and tranquilizers can cause convulsions.Before taking pain medications, do your research Miotto of WebMD explains contract Your Risk FactorsA register of addiction to prescription medicine or illicit drugs.Addiction to alcohol or tobacco.Family history of addiction.A history of mood disorders (such as depression or bipolar disorder), anxiety disorders (including PTSD), eyeshot disor ders (such as schizophrenia), and personality disorders (such as borderline personality disorder).Look at Other OptionsPhysical therapy.Working with a psychologist to learn how to change your pain-related thoughts and behaviors. resource approaches such as acupuncture and tai chi.Those methods arent just for people who are at high risk for addiction. Theyre part of an overall pain management strategy that may include, but is not limited to, medications.Use the Medication for Its Proper PurposeIf your doctor writes you a prescription that makes your pain more tolerable, and youre using it as directed, thats OK. But if youre using it for some other reason that your doctor doesnt populate about, thats a red flag. For example, if you hate your job and youre taking the drug because you find it takes the edge off, thats a sign that you could develop a problem, says Karen Miotto, MD, an addiction psychiatrist at UCLA.Here are four model signs that you may be misusing your prescription pa inkillerYoure not taking the drug as positive(p).Youre taking the medicine for reasons other than why the doctor prescribed it.Your use of the drug has made you miss work or school, neglect your children, or suffer other harmful consequences.You havent been honest (with your doctor, loved ones, or yourself) about your use of the drug.Your doctor should work with you to limit addiction risk. She may ask you about how youre doing, give you a urine test to square up for medication, and ask you to bring in all your medications so she can cave in how many are left and where the prescriptions came from.If you feel like youre losing control over your pain medicine use, or if you have questions about whether youre becoming addicted to it, you may want to consult a doctor who specializes in pain medicine. He or she should listen to your concerns without judgment and take a well-grounded approach. For instance, if she thinks you need to get off a certain drug, she might check into switch ing you to another drug with less potential for misuse. If your doctor isnt comfortable handling your situation, consider getting a second opinion from a psychiatrist or addiction specialist, Miotto says.Pain-relieving drugs can lead to problems other than addiction. hap opiates locked away so kids, teens, and others in your home cant take them. And be extra-cautious using other prescription and over-the-counter drugs along with opiates. Certain combinations could cause you to become unconscious, stop breathing, and even die (Miotto, 2012).Thousands of Americans rely on prescription painkillers for the relief of pain and discomfort from ailments such as headaches, menstrual cramps, surgery recovery or lingering pain from an injury. Unfortunately however, for many, this reliance on medication can easily and unknowingly turn into physical dependence.The alarming fact is that the most commonly prescribed drugs including OxyContin, Vicodin, Methadone, Darvocet, Lortab, Lorcet and Per cocet, while offering relief from pain, can also cause individuals bodies to start needing the drugs in order to feel normal, and the result is the new, even more challenging situation of chemical dependency Prescriptions to pain medication can be safe when taken jibe to the doctors instructions and are carefully monitored. However, it is important to recognize that they can also be very dangerous. Remember that dependency is a disease that can exhibit itself to even the most cautious individual. Therefore, anyone who is prescribed pain medications should take extra precautions to avoid the debilitating effects a dependency can have and watch for the warning signs (Bernstein, 2013)Celeste Vaughan states it correctly when she describes addiction, When addiction takes control, Satan has a wide-open gate to enter and set up residence in your brain. He is the great justifier of all actions. He will provide you with excuses for the actions above to make you deny your addiction. The tho ughts that you used to control now have a new pilot behind the wheel. And a sneaky one at that. If you do consider getting help, he will get inside your head and tell you all kinds of horrible things. Thinks likeNo one will understand. Everyone will thing youre weak. Friends will ever trust you again. Your husband will want a divorce. Your kids will be ashamed of you. And the worst one of allIf God truly loves you, he wouldnt have let you get into this mess in the first place.. You are on a journey possibly the most difficult of your life. Dont let anyone tell you that addiction is unsufferable to overcome. Im proof its completely possible. After all, with God, all things are possible.The disease of addiction affects over 23 million Americans. It is a disease that has no cure, and that, as a society, we have just begun to understand. do fight the stigma that an addict faces by learning all you can about this disease and its affects. The physical aspects of opioid dependency impro ve after detox. But psychological addiction, temptation, and craving can last for years, even a lifetime. The truth is, most people will relapse on their way to full recovery from prescription drug addiction (Johnson, 2012).Staying on the path to health takes patience, loving relationships, and emotional resilience. People in drug abuse recovery need all the help they can get. Fortunately, tools and resources are available to help someone stay straight, and to pick them up if they stumble.Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance sack its work so that you may be mature and complete, not wanting anything. (James 12-4 NIV)ReferencesClifford M.D., of The Waismann Institute. 10/6/2003. Retrieved from http//www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=24572Hartney, Elizabeth PhD. February 20, 2011. Retrieved from http//addictions.about.com/od/subst ancedependence/tp/painkillers.htmJohnson, Kimball, MD. supercilious 02, 2012. Maintaining Hope and Health during Drug Abuse Recovery. Retrieved from http//www.webmd.com/mental-health/drug-abuse-recovery-maintaining-hope-and-health?page=2Miotto, Karen, MD, prof of psychiatry and bio behavioral sciences, UCLA.. 2012. Pain Medication Are You Addicted? What to know about becoming addicted to pain medications. Retrieved from http//www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/pain-medication-addiction?page=2Shamus, Kristen Jordan. October 20, 2013. Pain pills can be prescriptions for addiction, death. Retrieved from http//www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/20/painkiller-overdoses-addiction/3107879/Vaughan, Celeste. November 5, 2012. Biblical Christian help for drug addiction. Retrieved from http//drug.addictionblog.org/biblical-christian-help-for-drug-addiction/