According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a staggering 51 million Americans live with chronic pain. Chronic is any kind of pain that persists for more than three months.
This is sad as such acute pain has debilitating effects on an individual’s physical, emotional and social well-being. Physically, you’ll experience a drastic drop in your energy levels; hence, causing you to feel fatigued round-the-clock. Emotionally, you may feel anxious, helpless and depressed.
In an attempt to manage chronic pain and live a happier life, many patients usually resort to opioids. These are painkillers meant to relieve pain in the short-term. However, they’re also highly addictive. When used for too long, your body can become so used that it can’t function without them. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize that they’ve become addicted until it’s too late. To avoid this scenario, here are three warning signs that you’re getting addicted to painkiller medications.
How Does Opioid Addiction Occur?
If your general physician has prescribed opioid or any other addictive pain medications, it’s important to understand how addiction occurs. This way, you can take measures to avoid getting hooked.
Now when you start ingesting painkillers, they interact with receptors in the brain. In fact, some of the compounds in the meds attach themselves to these receptors, triggering a release of dopamine – a neurotransmitter in the brain that evokes happy feelings in the short term. By making you feel happy, it provides relief from chronic pain.
The longer you take the pain meds, the more your brain relies on these drugs to provide emotions of happiness and pleasure. Gradually, your body – the brain to be specific- starts demanding a higher dose of the painkiller to keep you feeling happy. Before you know it, you’ll feel like you can’t function without the opioids. To avoid getting to this point, here are three surefire signs that you’re getting addicted:
Signs of Painkiller Addiction
For easier recognition, I’ve classified these signs into three: behavioral, physical and psychological.
Behavioral Signs
You’ll notice a couple of changes in your behavior, such as:
- Becoming obsessed with getting the pain meds, i.e. you’ll want to the painkillers at any cost
- Frequent visits to the pharmacy for refills
- Financial issues associated with painkiller purchase
- Decrease in your work performance
- Increased withdrawal from social groups; be it friends or family
- Start neglecting your responsibilities; both at home and your workplace
Physical Signs
You may also notice some physical signs like:
- Feeling drowsy more than usual
- Experience nausea and vomiting
- Headaches and blurred vision
- Pupils start to shrink in size
- Experience withdrawal symptoms as soon as the pain meds wear off
- Slowed breathing rate
Psychological Signs
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Trouble sleeping
- Struggle to recall things
- Confusion
- Lose interest in things
Treating Painkiller Addiction
As soon as you notice any of these signs, you should consult a medical professional. Based on the severity of the situation, they’ll recommend one of the following:
Withdrawal Management
Your physician may assign a medical detox team that you’ll work with. The team will monitor your situation closely as you try to overcome the withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the severity, your team of providers should recommend you to counseling, Narcotics Anonymous, or a rehab facility to provide additional supportive care.
Medication-based Recovery
In some cases, the patient may have become highly addicted to the painkillers. The best treatment approach for such individuals is trying to win them off the addiction by switching to less addictive pain meds.
Alternative pain medications like buprenorphine are great for easing the cravings while reducing the discomfort that comes with withdrawal.
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Conclusion
As difficult as it might seem, it’s possible to overcome painkiller medication. So don’t give up even if you keep falling off the bandwagon. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. “ (1 Corinthians 10:13)
