Posts Tagged ‘pain pills’

What Can I Do for Pain Management If I am Addicted?

November 7th, 2011

There are many patients with a past injury, cancer, or surgeries that now suffer with an addiction to prescription pain killers. They are not what most people think of when the term “drug addict” comes to mind but it happens all the time as those patients gradually needed higher and higher doses of pain medication to make them feel better. The more time that goes by, those who have become addicted to the pain killers begin to realize that the addiction has spiraled into a much larger problem than the original pain they were dealing with. They may even find that the pain is more intense than before and the pain killers are controlling their lives.

Obviously, these prescriptions for pain killers were given by physicians with good intentions – to help patients manage their pain. It wasn’t intended to become a dependency. But what happens is that months – or sometimes even years later – patients are still taking the pain killers long after the injury healed and in much higher doses than what they were prescribed originally.

What can you do for pain management if you are addicted to pain killers that don’t include taking narcotics? The first thing you will need to do is detox. This should be done under the supervision of a medical professional or addiction specialist. You should seek professional treatment for your addiction following detox as well.

To manage your pain, you will have to take the time to try different things because not every therapy will work for every person. Some people can manage their pain through physical and psychological strengthening. Others may need to lose weight to help them manage their pain, as extra weight can often cause symptoms from back pain or knee pain, etc. to be much worse. Some patients do well with daily meditation and strengthening exercises in the areas that are affected. For those that are able, certain types of low impact exercise such as Yoga and Pilates can strengthen the body as a whole which can help with pain.

You may need to take anti-inflammatory medications to help manage your pain as well, but this is to be expected for some following certain types of injuries. The bottom line is that you do have alternatives to alleviate pain besides using prescription pain killers. Your life doesn’t have to be controlled by a substance and there are different therapies you can try to help you manage your pain without narcotics.

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How Do I Know if I Am Using Too Many Painkillers?

October 20th, 2011

If you’re wondering seriously about knowing if you are using too many painkillers, chances are you probably are. You are also very likely addicted or getting very close. Being worried that you’re taking too many painkillers is a clear warning sign that it’s time to take charge of your situation and reverse the habit of taking them. Here are a few warning signs of addiction which may tell you if you are taking too many painkillers:

Do you think about taking painkillers often?

If you constantly think about taking your painkillers, you may be addicted. If you find yourself trying to figure out when you will get the next refill or about taking your next dose, it means that the drug has started to take over certain parts of your thought process. Continuing this thought pattern is very dangerous.

Do you need increased amounts of the painkillers?

Many addicts of painkillers go through the same pattern. In the beginning, the pills make them feel great – it kills their pain and makes them feel euphoric for a few hours. In just a few short weeks of regular use, that effect becomes less and less so the person finds that they need to take increased amounts to feel the way they did in the beginning. If this is the case for you and you are taking more than the recommended dosage, you definitely need to stop taking them.

Are you defensive when asked about the use of your painkillers?

If anyone ever brings up your use of painkillers, how do you react? Do you feel a need to defend yourself? If this is the case, you should know that the painkillers have power over you. This could signal a more serious addiction in the near future. If you think logically about it, you know this is not the greatest position to be in, and you should get seek treatment.

Are you secretive about taking your painkillers?

Secretive behavior, as it pertains to drug use, demonstrates that you know what you’re doing is wrong. In your mind, you reason and find ways to justify your habit. If you are feeling like you have to hide what you are doing from the people you love and take your pills in private, this is definitely an indicator that you have a problem with addiction.

In short, if your life has been affected by the use of your painkillers and if you are taking more than the recommended dosage, you know you are using too many and it is time to stop and seek treatment.

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Addiction to Methadone and Solutions Available

October 16th, 2011

Dependence on methadone is running rampant in the United States, and what seemed like a good idea is now just an addiction. There are treatment solutions available for those who have an addiction to methadone, and getting off of the drug is important for many reasons. Sadly, hundreds of thousands of opiate addicts are using methadone as a “treatment” as opposed to seeking addiction treatment to become drug free. More and more opiate addicts are being prescribed methadone everyday. Some doctors have also taken to prescribing methadone as a treatment for pain which has resulted in countless addiction problems for those patients.

One thing that is important to know about methadone is that it is commonly associated with accidental overdose and death. The reality for many others is that the dependency on methadone has caused broken lives and families and it can be just as dangerous to any other opiate. Methadone is extremely addictive and is difficult for patients to detox from. Many addicts leave treatment before detox is complete due to the pain and misery they go through in the first few days – often because the treatment center doesn’t know how to deal with methadone detox properly.

When choosing a detox and treatment center for methadone addiction, it is very important to find out if they have a certain protocol for dealing with methadone. These experienced facilities can make the withdrawal period more comfortable. Each patient will have different needs and need to be tapered off in an individual way to minimize the discomfort. When done properly, many patients can be weaned off in about a week while others who were at higher doses of methadone may need to take up to two weeks. A lot of support will be needed during the detox process along with vitamins, minerals, proper hydration and other medical needs that must be attended to.

There is hope if you are addicted to methadone and need to get off this medication. It is just a matter of getting in touch with the right drug rehab facility in order to get treatment started as soon as possible. There is no need to continue being tormented by your addiction to methadone and even though getting off and being drug free won’t be the easiest thing to do, it doesn’t have to be so painful. Kicking the addiction is certainly not impossible with the right treatment plan.

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Can I Get Addicted To Prescription Drugs? And Should I Go To Rehab?

July 20th, 2011

The thought of drug addiction often makes people think of illegal or street drugs, but the fact of the matter is, many people also get addicted to prescription drugs, too. This happens not only when the prescription drugs are given to people legally for an ailment, but also by way of buying them illegally on the street. It is not uncommon to abuse a legal substance and the people who get addicted to them come from all walks of life and all ages. Some studies show that pain killers are one of the most abused substances in the United States – surprisingly even certain types of cough syrup are often abused by young people.

In all honesty, obtaining prescription pills like painkillers is much easier and even sometimes less expensive to get a hold of than street drugs like heroin or cocaine. In fact, getting addicted to prescription drugs often leads to harder addictions on street drugs for a stronger high. There are many medical studies that show that at least ten percent of prescription drug users will go so far as to use cough syrup, and an even higher percentage will abuse tranquilizers and any other pain medication or nerve pills they can get their hands on. Because these types of medications are relatively easy to get and they are all considered to be addictive – they take them in order to achieve some sort of high or even a state of relaxation. The buzz or high that the user gets makes it easy to get addicted. To some, these medicines may not even seem harmful to abuse, but they definitely can be. These medications can eventually be fatal or cause serious physical and mental problems.

Sometimes getting addicted to prescription or even over-the-counter medications happens because people are trying to self-medicate. Whether it is trouble at home or school or even depression, it can become easy to get addicted to a medication that takes away the pain temporarily.

When this happens, the best course of action is to go to drug rehab. Whether it is in-patient or out-patient drug rehab, the counseling and support provided is a great way to get clean and kick the drug habit. No matter what is causing the addiction, the user can get the help they need when it is too much for them to stop taking the drugs on their own.

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Detox for Prescription Drugs in South Florida

April 16th, 2010

Over the past few years, the leading addiction has become prescription drugs (pain pills, etc.)  Moreover, the confusion that this causes is due to the person actually gaining a legal prescription of these medications from a legitimate doctor – and often times for a legitimate medical reason.  Unfortunately what usually happens is the person tends not to realize the immense power of these medications and how they can become habit forming rather quickly.

The main issue to see is that pain pills don’t necessarily kill pain.  Rather, they simply alter the mind to make it think that the body is not in pain.  These mood altering substances begin to almost “re-wire” the brain in to thinking that the pills are what are needed to continue living without the pain.  Then, the pharmaceutical part of the pills begin to kick in – which unbeknown to most people – these pain pills actually start to CAUSE pain!  The triggers off an awful cycle that almost demands more pain medication in order to offset the pain that is caused by the original prescription drug.  Therefore, addiction is set in to motion.

For more information on how pain medications work to cause addiction, or to get help with finding a detox or treatment center for prescription drugs in South Florida (or anywhere in the United States) be sure to call our toll free confidential hotline at (888) 842-3167.  All calls are confidential and free.

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