Chronic Pain Support Group
Physicians and professionalsdefine pain as chronic if it lasts longer than three to six months and is persistent. It's distinct from acute pain that is a direct result of injury or trauma. This support group is dedicated to those suffering from chronic pain. Discuss treatments that have worked for you, find advice for your specific experience, and find support. You're not...
Addiction vs. Dependence on Pain Medications
Pain expert Dr. Scott Fishman answers questions about pain medication:
Q: What is the difference between being addicted and being dependent?
A: Fear of addiction has prevented many physicians from prescribing needed pain relief and many patients from controlling their pain and reclaiming their lives.
Pain doctors have known for years that taking opioids over long periods of time for medical reasons does not have to lead to addiction. More than a decade ago, neurologist Russell Portenoy, who was most recently President of the American Pain Society, reviewed studies of almost 25,000 cancer patients. Most of those patients had been on opioid therapy for many years. Of the whole group, very few showed any signs of drug abuse, drug craving, or drug-seeking behavior.
Every one of these cancer patients was dependent on their medication. However, their physical needs were worlds away from addiction. Addiction is a biological and psychological condition that compels a person to satisfy their need for a particular stimulus and to keep satisfying it, no matter what.
It is a compulsive behavior that demands more and more drugs, regardless of the consequences that lead to dysfunction. A person who is addicted to opioids has a disease that undermines optimal function and drives one to compulsively use a drug, despite the negative consequences.
The pain patient who is effectively treated with opioids finds life restored-even if he is dependent on them. With the pain muted by stable and steady controlled use of long-acting opioids, a patient can reclaim his life, go back to work, return to family life, and pursue favorite pastimes. Dependence is a physical state that occurs when the lack of a drug causes the body to have a reaction. Physical dependence is solely a physical state indicating that the body has grown so adapted to having the drug present that sudden removal of it will lead to negative consequences such as a withdrawal reaction. This can occur with almost any kind of drug.
A good example of dependence is a heavy coffee drinker's use of caffeine. If you are used to drinking several cups of coffee each day, you soon learn about physical dependence when you miss a day or two. This does not mean you are addicted to the caffeine; it only means your body is surprised not to see what it has come to expect.
In the case of opioids, a certain amount taken every day fills the glass, and no more may be needed or desired. If the medication is removed, the consequences are physical (sweating, running nose, diarrhea, racing heart, or nausea), not psychological.
As any diabetic will testify about insulin, or any heart patient will testify about blood pressure medication, dependence is not necessarily indicative of addiction or drug abuse. In fact, regular use of these medications may be essential for good health.
The difference between a patient with opioid addiction and a patient who is dependent on opioids for chronic pain is simple. The opioid-dependent patient with chronic pain has improved function with his use of the drugs and the patient with opioid addiction does not.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/addiction-v-dependence-on-pain-medications.htm
Pain expert Dr. Scott Fishman answers questions about pain medication:
Q: What is the difference between being addicted and being dependent?
A: Fear of addiction has prevented many physicians from prescribing needed pain relief and many patients from controlling their pain and reclaiming their lives.
Pain doctors have known for years that taking opioids over long periods of time for medical reasons does not have to lead to addiction. More than a decade ago, neurologist Russell Portenoy, who was most recently President of the American Pain Society, reviewed studies of almost 25,000 cancer patients. Most of those patients had been on opioid therapy for many years. Of the whole group, very few showed any signs of drug abuse, drug craving, or drug-seeking behavior.
Every one of these cancer patients was dependent on their medication. However, their physical needs were worlds away from addiction. Addiction is a biological and psychological condition that compels a person to satisfy their need for a particular stimulus and to keep satisfying it, no matter what.
It is a compulsive behavior that demands more and more drugs, regardless of the consequences that lead to dysfunction. A person who is addicted to opioids has a disease that undermines optimal function and drives one to compulsively use a drug, despite the negative consequences.
The pain patient who is effectively treated with opioids finds life restored-even if he is dependent on them. With the pain muted by stable and steady controlled use of long-acting opioids, a patient can reclaim his life, go back to work, return to family life, and pursue favorite pastimes. Dependence is a physical state that occurs when the lack of a drug causes the body to have a reaction. Physical dependence is solely a physical state indicating that the body has grown so adapted to having the drug present that sudden removal of it will lead to negative consequences such as a withdrawal reaction. This can occur with almost any kind of drug.
A good example of dependence is a heavy coffee drinker's use of caffeine. If you are used to drinking several cups of coffee each day, you soon learn about physical dependence when you miss a day or two. This does not mean you are addicted to the caffeine; it only means your body is surprised not to see what it has come to expect.
In the case of opioids, a certain amount taken every day fills the glass, and no more may be needed or desired. If the medication is removed, the consequences are physical (sweating, running nose, diarrhea, racing heart, or nausea), not psychological.
As any diabetic will testify about insulin, or any heart patient will testify about blood pressure medication, dependence is not necessarily indicative of addiction or drug abuse. In fact, regular use of these medications may be essential for good health.
The difference between a patient with opioid addiction and a patient who is dependent on opioids for chronic pain is simple. The opioid-dependent patient with chronic pain has improved function with his use of the drugs and the patient with opioid addiction does not.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/addiction-v-dependence-on-pain-medications.htm
jeremy1999
My meds don not always make me functional. On a good day pan day they allow me to get some work done, while on a really bad pain day, they merely take the jagged edge off of my pain. With my condition, physical exertion makes the pain worse. My pain meds do not prevent that from happening, nor do my pain meds repair the damage that has been done to my leg from the clots I has. Also, there are some days when my lungs do not feel good, and I lay down a lot, on those days my pain level is low. On those days when my pain level is low because of inactivity, I might only take 1/3 of my meds. On the other hand, there are high pain days when I could technically benefit from extra meds - but I rarely ever take more than six Norco a day. As far as stockpiling meds. I think having a reasonable hurricane stash of your meds is a prudent thing to do. That has nothing to do with addiction. Addicts could never sit still knowing they have a small stash of pills in their drawer. They would burn through them so fast.
Boxerlover
Tigg, I think what you are talking about with pain patients and how they respond in fear is called pseudo addiction. Some pain patients will exhibit addictive like behavior but they call it pseudo addiction because as you said, it is due to fear of pain, not true addiction.
mellowamethyst
It's not a contest of who has more pain, who has been in pain longer, who has more illness, or even who knows more. We are all here for one common goal and that's to support others and be supported. Let's remember it's not ok to invalidate the feelings and opinions of others, everyone is absolutely entitled to their own opinion, but it should be stated in a way that's supportive, enlightening, and encouraging.
Jesse
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