Blog Post #38: Addiction to Pain Medication

The epidemic that many talk about in terms of opioid addiction is real. Many states, in response to this problem, have created new guidelines and requirements for the prescription of these medications. Some physicians instantly stop prescribing them because they may not agree with the new guidelines. This has left some patients without a prescriber. A few months ago, I posted a blog about nonpharmaceutical interventions for the treatment of chronic pain. The response to that blog was, in general, positive, but I got a few angry responses from people who felt I was saying that pain medication should be replaced with these nonpharmaceutical interventions. That is not what I was saying. Unfortunately, people can become so dependent upon these medications that they firmly believe there is no way they could manage without them. And for some, that may be true.

Here's the challenge I would like for you to respond to. Your doctor has been pushing you to find methods of coping with chronic pain with less medication. She is concerned about the addictive quality of your medication. She's a general practitioner, and your specialist prescribes your pain medication. You are concerned about addiction as well, but you cannot imagine a quality life without your pain medication. Your primary care physician has decided to discharge you after you failed a number of appointments with her.

So what do you do? You are concerned about addiction, and you would like to learn other ways of managing your pain if you could, but you're not sure what your primary care physician or specialist who is treating you is referring to when they talk about nonpharmaceutical interventions.

As with most situations, connecting with and communicating with others is critical. Ask your primary care physician if she will see you again, and if you would like to understand more about what her concerns are and what the options are for dealing with the pain with less medication. Ask your specialist what these other methods are. Unfortunately, many physicians are not really aware of other options, like writing a script. But there are other options, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, which utilizes the power of your mind to manage and control pain. Physical therapy and exercise can also be helpful. Acupuncture and chiropractic have been used in the treatment of chronic pain, as well as massage. But ask questions. Get more information about these other methods.

And manage the fear that you may have about giving up your pain medication or taking less of it. Remember, your physician was only talking about you using less medication. Problem solved. Be flexible. If you find other ways of managing your pain, you have to be willing to try them out. Be willing to do something new and different. In general, people need to take more control over managing their health. They need to be an active partner in their care. Asking questions, getting more information, and finding other ways to exert control over the pain.

Providers also need to have a role in this. Those who provide nonpharmaceutical interventions, such as psychologists, physical therapists, and acupuncturists, need to inform and educate other healthcare providers about how these interventions can complement the use of pain medications and perhaps can allow physicians and patients to feel for comfortable prescribing less are using these options in the beginning to treat chronic pain.

Ron Breazeale PhD

Building resilience.com