Worried About Pain Killer Addiction? Why You Shouldn’t Be!
Do you worry about becoming addicted to pain meds? I do. And I’ve heard enough stories to know I’m not alone. People around us frequently worry about it as well, some of them even making accusations of addiction and distancing themselves from someone who’s really just trying to manage extreme pain.
The DEA has been plenty worried about it in recent years, which makes doctors nervous about prescribing opioids. Even some doctors, nurses and pharmacists look at us suspiciously when we get refills. I get my refills through the mail, in part because I don’t want to pick them up with my young children in tow. And then, I worry that some criminal will steal it en route, and I won’t be able to get another refill for a month or so.
All this worry, all this suspicion, all the guilt we feel over taking medications we need - all of it should be erased by evidence that we’re actually quite unlikely to become addicts.
That does need some qualification: according to a report out of Johns Hopkins, which was presented at the American Pain Society’s annual meeting, less than THREE PERCENT of all chronic-pain patients without a history of drug abuse eventually show signs of dependence or abuse.
That’s right - less than 3%. So why do we hear so much about abuse of drugs like Vicodin and Percocet? According to the report, it’s because of things like theft, prescription forgery and unregulated online pharmacies, not legitimate prescriptions for legitimate reasons.
The man we have to thank for this information is Srinivasa Raja, MD, who’s a professor of anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins. He’s calling on the healthcare community, law enforcement and the pharmaceutical industry to ensure that those of us who need these drugs will still be able to get them, saying that the benefit usually far exceeds the risk of dependency.
Thank you, Dr. Raja. I hope a lot of people hear your message.
Posted by Adrienne Dellwo
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I sure can relate to the “guilt” feeling. I have wondered if I could learn to live in pain easier than living with the guilt. Most people, including family, don’t understand the intensity of chronic pain, and look down their nose at those that use pain medication. I have learned not to discuss my medication with anyone for that reason.
Hello Dear Friend, the author of this article and also thanks to Dale Gilliam for having the !# guts to stick his head out their and support our author here as he is prolifically correct…
As I myself go through the constant staring, glares, sometimes rudeness and such and on and on, due to the fact I myself have had to rely on them for a few months now and at a high dose at times! It’s a lot like judging a book by it’s cover, and even it goes further, as they being others refuse or at least care not even what the/this patient is experiencing, what type of person, and I reiiterate the fact here stated in the article, that less than 3% become addicts and what if that is even wrong amongst our legitimate users… Again I like to mention legitimate users, who have fat disease(s), cancer, aids perhaps, loss of a portion of our insides, and please do think about the infinite number of things that go on and do happen… If you ask me, it is Hollywood’s fault, after hearing about Danny Bonaduce, Lindsey Lohan and on and on for years and years abusing pain drugs when they need them not and all the million/billions perhaps of these young kids or criminals that get into our pain drugs, which in the end are demonized and then when we, LEGITIMATE USERS WITH NON RECREATIONAL REASONS TO TAKE OUR TRULY LEGITIMATE MEDICINE for official and proper reasons to use which we do not anounce to friends, don’t glorify or any of the such: we still (again) get treated as we are the bad guy(s) and gal(s)!!! I’ve got a fatal disease, which without these wonderful pain drugs, used correctly and by people like us here we would be up the creek with the paddle if you will… I once had a friend who actually and very bravely stopped taking pain meds for !# Cancer, due to the stigma and it really, really bothered me and nobody could persuade him to keep using them as they were helping, keeping him/his appetite up and even giving him hope and when he went off the traditional and truly prescribed drugs, for prescribed reasons he died about a month and a half later as he quit eating and even his spirits went incredibly down due to this (I want to kno why like many, many and again many of us like this out there)… Because some little jerk kid steals medicine out of his parents cancer filled body’s medicine cabinet, because they are obtained illegally, sold illegally and on and on and on; we are only simply asking legitimately to never include us with this trash and Hollyweird of course; we (many and myself) will be dead all to soon without these drugs we take responsibly… Take care all in this boat, all the best, especially to truly healing and getting healed and to a place we no longer need these drugs…
Much Peace,
Rich