It all started with that accident at work. Suddenly, you had a back injury and had to endure surgery, too. It was so painful. The worst pain of your life. Your doctor counseled with you about the pain medication they prescribed to you and you took it as suggested because the pain was overwhelming without it. After a while, though, it didn’t work as well. Maybe you began taking it a little more frequently. Perhaps you started taking a higher dose.
Soon, you find yourself running out of medication, so you got another prescription from a new doctor. The pain started to seem like a secondary problem. Your priority became making sure you obtained enough medication to get you through the day. Somehow, you had gone from a simple prescription to having an opioid addiction. Does this sound familiar? Too often, people suffering injuries end up addicted to their prescriptions.
Prescription for Pain
There is a whole section of medicine dedicated to pain management. When the pain level is high, it prevents you from breathing properly. Muscles are tense and as a result, you cannot properly heal. This creates more pain and prolongs the experience, creating a vicious cycle. There are also diseases, injuries, and other conditions that cause chronic pain. Living with chronic pain limits your ability to function and becomes very mentally taxing, which can lead to depression. It is clear that there needs to be a treatment for pain, otherwise the pain itself causes further problems.
Medical doctors do their best to treat pain. Using compassion and also understanding the side effects of pain, they try to find the medications that lower the pain to tolerable levels without creating new side effects like nausea, vomiting, and more. One thing that isn’t always within their control, however, is their patient’s propensity for addiction.
The Nature of Pain Meds
Most doctors begin treating pain with acetaminophen and ibuprofen, which are also available over the counter. Medications like these result in fewer serious side effects when compared to alternative pain prescriptions. More specifically, acetaminophen and ibuprofen are not addictive. However, they also typically only relieve minor pain. For post-surgical pain or serious muscular pain from an injury, etc. something stronger is needed.
Beyond basic over the counter pain medications, doctors often jump to prescribing opioid-based prescription drugs. Unfortunately, there are not many options available in between. There is also a big jump in the number of side effects and, unfortunately, a tremendous jump in the probability of addiction. For someone recovering from a minor to moderate surgery, it is relatively safe to prescribe a week’s worth of the weakest pain medications. However, when there is major surgery with long-term recovery, finding a solution to the pain that is not going to be addictive can seem impossible. That is just the nature of pain medications
What Are Opioids?
Opioids are medications which are based on an opiate, either derived from opium or a synthetic opioid which mimics the same function in the brain and body. They are the most effective tools we have against pain relief for severe and chronic pain. However, they are also some of the most addictive medications we have. When a doctor prescribes them, it should always be under an individual risk/benefit evaluation and there should always be counseling regarding the risks of addiction.
Here is a partial list of generic opioid-based prescription pain medications with some of their name brands, too:
- Codeine
- Hydrocodone
- Hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Vicodin)
- Morphine (Kadian, MS Contin)
- Oxycodone (OxyContin)
- Oxycodone/acetaminophen (Percocet)
- Hydromorphone (Dilaudid)
- Fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic)
Why Opioids Are So Addictive
Opioids are so effective because they attach themselves to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, which sends the message that there is no pain, even if the cause of the pain is still there. Unfortunately, our bodies begin to tolerate the drug. In other words, the intensity and duration of the effect decrease with each use. Whether it is our craving for the euphoric feeling these drugs create or the pain that returns sooner after each dose, we often begin to take more than prescribed. It does not take very long for this to become an addiction that is out of our control.
When Enough Isn’t Enough
When we cannot get enough of the pain medication or we are addicted to the euphoria, sometimes we are driven to find more of an effect than pain medications can give us. This is how average people go in search of heroin, which is even more intense and addictive than prescription opioids. The story becomes more desperate until we wake up one morning and don’t even recognize ourselves, but we also don’t know how to stop.
The Pain of Addiction
What begins as medical treatment for serious or chronic pain turns into a kind of suffering that is deeper and darker than anything we’ve ever known. Being addicted to anything means that we have given up our lives to be controlled by a substance. The spiritual death and breaking down of morals that follow is enough to drive anyone into the depths of despair.
However, addiction is treatable. The process may be painful, but we can regain control of our lives. What started out as a prescription for our physical health care took a painful turn, but now we can correct that turn and become strong and healthy again.
If you have become addicted to pain medications, we can help you find your way on the path of recovery. At Rancho Milagro Recovery, we understand that no one plans to take the road of addiction, especially when it comes to pain medications. Call us today at (951) 526-4582 and let us help guide you as you navigate your way to a healthier and happier life.