| When you're addicted physically to any drug, | | | | counseling is begun. |
| like pain killers or alcohol, etc., it's | | | | |
| because you've suppressed or shut down your | | | | Often people addicted to pain killers are |
| body's production of endorphins, which are | | | | plagued with different symptoms to different |
| natural opiate pain killers; when this | | | | degrees; many times they don't associate the |
| happens you start craving the drug that you | | | | symptoms they're having with the drug. |
| replaced the endorphins with whether it's | | | | Opioids, used as the doctor has prescribed, |
| alcohol, any of a number of other drugs or | | | | are supposedly not dangerous according to |
| pain killers. Many other drugs can interact | | | | some well-established medical groups; but if |
| with opioids and cause a variety of symptoms; | | | | that's the case, why are so many people |
| this can be fatal. Addiction to pain killers | | | | addicted to them? There is a difference: An |
| is a rapidly escalating problem today, | | | | opioid-dependent pain patient has improved |
| especially the abuse of opioid pain killers. | | | | function with the use of the drug while an |
| | | | opioid-addicted patient does not have |
| Less commonly known side effects and adverse | | | | improvement. |
| reactions of pain killers are: confusion, | | | | |
| hallucinations, delirium, hives, itching, | | | | There are many side effects and adverse |
| hypothermia, bradycardia (slow heart rate), | | | | reactions that can occur with the use of |
| tachycardia (rapid heart rate), raised | | | | opioids used as pain killers. More than |
| intracranial pressure, ureteric or biliary | | | | 415,000 people received treatment for pain |
| spasm, muscle rigidity and flushing to name a | | | | killer abuse or addiction last year. Chronic |
| few. Patients can innocently start taking | | | | pain affects one out of three or so adults |
| pain killers, for example, after a moderate | | | | and millions of people suffer from severe |
| injury or because of a severe injury in an | | | | disabling pain. |
| automobile accident, fall or for post | | | | |
| surgical pain. And more than ten percent of | | | | Many insurance plans cover inpatient |
| high school seniors have started taking | | | | detoxification, check your plan if you have |
| Vicodin for reasons other than reducing pain | | | | insurance. It's important to go through rehab |
| to complicate matters. | | | | following your detox stay; make it a big part |
| | | | of your plan of action. Taking the time to |
| Opioids should never be taken when drinking | | | | spend in a treatment center, detoxing, is of |
| alcohol (some people still don't realize it's | | | | the utmost priority. Get started now. |
| also a drug) or when alcohol may still be | | | | |
| present in the system. There are a number of | | | | If you don't have insurance, check with your |
| effective treatment options to treat pain | | | | local mental health agencies to see what is |
| killer addiction to prescription opioids and | | | | available that's free. There are many free |
| to help manage the severe withdrawal symptoms | | | | programs to help people with pain killer |
| that can sometimes accompany sudden stopping | | | | addictions. Find out from your local health |
| of pain killers or other drugs. Treatment | | | | professionals and agencies where the closest |
| options for pain killer addiction include: | | | | and best pain killer addiction treatment |
| medications, like methadone and LAAM | | | | centers are. It's important to get help and |
| (levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol), and behavioral | | | | not to try getting off pain killers on your |
| counseling; usually, the patient is medically | | | | own. |
| detoxified before any treatment approach or | | | | |