Re: Risk of addiction to pain meds

[Guest guest]

HI Rob I Put this message in long ago and I thought with your

current message it might bear repeating. I too worried about being

addicted to pain meds long ago when I kept going up and up on them.

BUT I also learnd over time that my body gets used to them and then

I have no choice but to have to increase them IF I want any pain

relief. Like Dave I too worry because I have been on them for so

long. IF I have to continue to live on them for the rest of my life,

I have no idea what I will be taking in 10 yrs because I already

take a very high dose. BUT there have been times like before my

first surgeries on my neck and back I was on a VERY HIGH dose of

pain meds just to even get a LITTLE TEENY bit of relief. And after I

had my surgeries I was able to go right back down on them when the

pain was better. Anyway I hope this article helps you. Know you are

not alone in your worries but we all go thru it I think. How can we

not with the way the media and people can make us feel. I used to go

to one pharmacy for my pain meds and after several times of getting

bad looks from the people working there who filled my script I had

ENOUGH and complained to the manager and never went back there. They

were trying to make me feel like I was an addict for taking the pain

meds I really needed and I decided I didn't need that crap from

anyone, especially people who work in a pharmacy who should know

better. Sharon Group Owner

>

> I know several people have mentioned being afraid of pain meds

> because of the risk of being addicted to them. I found this and I

> think it may clear that up for some people I hope this helps.

>

> RISK OF ADDICTION

> TO PAIN RELIEF IS SMALL

>

> SAN ANTONIO, TX -- February 21, 2000 -- Most pain experts say the

> public's concern about inadvertently becoming addicted to

narcotics

> while being treated for pain is unfounded. Unfortunately, some

> physicians share that concern, and some patients are not getting

the

> pain relief they need.

>

> " You will not make any patient an addict if you give them drugs to

> treat their pain, " says Henry Farkas, MD, MPH, Medical Director of

> the Northern Chesapeake Hospice and a staff physician at Union

> Hospital, in Elkton, MD. He pointed to the results of a very large

> study done in the 1980s, which found that only four patients

became

> addicted out of 12,000 treated with opiates for pain. " It's just

not

> a problem for more than 99 percent of people, " he said.

>

> Dr. Farkas discussed the topic at the 6th annual scientific

assembly

> of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM), held over

the

> weekend (Feb. 19-20) in San , TX.

>

> Even patients with a history of drug abuse who legitimately need

> pain treatment can be given opioids, he said, if they genuinely

want

> to stay off drugs.

>

> " Assuming they are motivated to stay clean, most times their pain

> can be treated safely, " Dr. Farkas said. " I've seen patients in

the

> Emergency Department who I knew were drug addicts because I

treated

> them before, but now they came in with a broken arm or dislocated

> shoulder and were in pain. You treat their pain and get them

better,

> and they don't go back to drug abuse. "

>

> Then there are patients who need pain medication but are so afraid

> of becoming addicted that they refuse drugs. " I tell them I know

how

> to treat pain without opiates but it will not be as effective, " he

> said. " Then I treat them as best I can with adjunctive therapies.

>

> " But I also assure them that, at any time, if they want to try the

> stronger medication, it will not make them an addict, it will only

> make them feel better. Many eventually come around and agree to

try

> a low dose of an opioid. Then they feel better, and we take it

from

> there. "

>

> Pseudo addiction is a case in which the patient complains that the

> pain has returned and wants another dose of narcotics in less than

> four hours.

>

> " That person may look like a drug addict, " Dr. Farkas said, " but

> their dose may actually be too low. The peak drug level gets into

> the therapeutic range, but drops below the therapeutic range in

less

> than four hours. "

>

> Here is the difference: If the dose is increased and the patient's

> functionality improves, that's a good indication; If the increased

> dose makes them drowsy and sleepy, that's an indication it should

be

> cut back.

>

> " But that doesn't mean you should stop pain treatment completely, "

> Dr. Farkas said. " You might try something in addition to the

normal

> opioid therapy, another medication for the particular kind of pain

> they are having. " He said there are several time-release opioids

> available which keep the drug level at a steady state in the

> therapeutic range.

>

[Guest guest]

> >

> > I know several people have mentioned being afraid of pain meds

> > because of the risk of being addicted to them. I found this and

I

> > think it may clear that up for some people I thought it was

worth repeating this article for everyone, I hope this helps. Sharon

Group Owner

> >

> > RISK OF ADDICTION

> > TO PAIN RELIEF IS SMALL

> >

> > SAN ANTONIO, TX -- February 21, 2000 -- Most pain experts say

the

> > public's concern about inadvertently becoming addicted to

> narcotics

> > while being treated for pain is unfounded. Unfortunately, some

> > physicians share that concern, and some patients are not getting

> the

> > pain relief they need.

> >

> > " You will not make any patient an addict if you give them drugs

to

> > treat their pain, " says Henry Farkas, MD, MPH, Medical Director

of

> > the Northern Chesapeake Hospice and a staff physician at Union

> > Hospital, in Elkton, MD. He pointed to the results of a very

large

> > study done in the 1980s, which found that only four patients

> became

> > addicted out of 12,000 treated with opiates for pain. " It's just

> not

> > a problem for more than 99 percent of people, " he said.

> >

> > Dr. Farkas discussed the topic at the 6th annual scientific

> assembly

> > of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM), held over

> the

> > weekend (Feb. 19-20) in San , TX.

> >

> > Even patients with a history of drug abuse who legitimately need

> > pain treatment can be given opioids, he said, if they genuinely

> want

> > to stay off drugs.

> >

> > " Assuming they are motivated to stay clean, most times their

pain

> > can be treated safely, " Dr. Farkas said. " I've seen patients in

> the

> > Emergency Department who I knew were drug addicts because I

> treated

> > them before, but now they came in with a broken arm or

dislocated

> > shoulder and were in pain. You treat their pain and get them

> better,

> > and they don't go back to drug abuse. "

> >

> > Then there are patients who need pain medication but are so

afraid

> > of becoming addicted that they refuse drugs. " I tell them I know

> how

> > to treat pain without opiates but it will not be as effective, "

he

> > said. " Then I treat them as best I can with adjunctive

therapies.

> >

> > " But I also assure them that, at any time, if they want to try

the

> > stronger medication, it will not make them an addict, it will

only

> > make them feel better. Many eventually come around and agree to

> try

> > a low dose of an opioid. Then they feel better, and we take it

> from

> > there. "

> >

> > Pseudo addiction is a case in which the patient complains that

the

> > pain has returned and wants another dose of narcotics in less

than

> > four hours.

> >

> > " That person may look like a drug addict, " Dr. Farkas said, " but

> > their dose may actually be too low. The peak drug level gets

into

> > the therapeutic range, but drops below the therapeutic range in

> less

> > than four hours. "

> >

> > Here is the difference: If the dose is increased and the

patient's

> > functionality improves, that's a good indication; If the

increased

> > dose makes them drowsy and sleepy, that's an indication it

should

> be

> > cut back.

> >

> > " But that doesn't mean you should stop pain treatment

completely, "

> > Dr. Farkas said. " You might try something in addition to the

> normal

> > opioid therapy, another medication for the particular kind of

pain

> > they are having. " He said there are several time-release opioids

> > available which keep the drug level at a steady state in the

> > therapeutic range.

> >

>