Pain Management and Addiction
Pain management generally refers to methods used to alleviate or otherwise control physical pain. There are different ways of managing pain. Typical techniques involve the use of physical therapy and medications in combination of or exclusive to each other. Physical therapy makes use of methods such as exercise, massage therapy and relaxation techniques. Medication use in pain management may be noninvasive or invasive. The use of oral medications such as muscle relaxants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents and narcotics are examples of noninvasive pain management medications. Injections as well as implantable opiod infusion pumps are invasive methods of pain management.
It is important to monitor a patient’s progress throughout rehabilitation in order to adjust pain management methods to their changing needs. However, it is also necessary to avoid the compulsion to use pain management medication to alleviate pain. Using alternative forms of pain management may prove to be effective in keeping patients from becoming addicted to the pain management medications used during treatment.
Why is Pain Management Needed
Pain is a natural part of recovering from drug addiction; however, severe pain is counterproductive to rehabilitation. This is because patients may be tempted to revert to their former addiction in order to make the pain stop. As such, effective pain management is important in drug rehabilitation primarily to help alleviate physical pain experienced by patients undergoing withdrawal syndrome; however, measures must be taken to lower the risk of the patient becoming addicted to the pain management medication used. As such, knowing factors such as addiction history, substance abused and degree of physical dependence are the keys to successfully managing pain and preventing relapse.
Process of Physical Addiction
Spine-Health.com explains that physical addiction to pain management medication such as Vicodin and OxyContin is a physiological response due to factors such as:
- Increased amount of drug receptors that impair the normal function of nerve cells in the brain.
- Endorphin production ceases as the body relies on the pain management medication as a substitute.
- Brain cell degeneration results in physical dependency.
- Intake reduction or cessation of pain management medication causes withdrawal syndrome.
The change in brain chemistry compels the patient to continue taking pain management medication to prevent withdrawal instead of using the medication to manage actual pain. Addiction to the pain management medication has occurred by this point.
Avoiding Addiction
Going cold turkey, or suddenly stopping the use of opiates, is likely to cause withdrawal symptoms that last as long as three weeks. One way of preventing physical dependence on pain management medications is to consider whether or not medications are necessary. Learning a patient’s capacity to cope with withdrawal symptoms as well as overall pain tolerance help determine possible alternatives to medication use. In the event that pain management medications are needed, it is important to follow the guidelines for proper medication use. This lowers the risk of creating a new form of drug dependence during treatment.