Chronic pain and medication addiction?

[lori]

I was wondering where I could find information on the incidence of chronic pain and addiction to pain medication.  I am doing a case study on a patient who has had chronic low back pain for many years.  She is on Darvocet N-100.  She is a recovering alcoholic, clean for 5 years.  Most literature has advised against using this med for patients with history of abusive behaviors. I was just wondering on where I might find some statistics on chronic pain and addiction to medication?

[Brian to Mac]

I agree with you that if faced with a choice between agonizing chronic pain and addiction to a drug which alleviates that pain and enables one to lead a more normal, happier life, the logical choice is to use the drug.  One risk however for the chronic pain patient is increasing tolerance.  All users of opiates will, over time, become more tolerant to their meds, requiring higher dosages to have the same result.  The problem comes in when doctors become fearful of losing their licenses for prescribing what appears to be extremely high dosages of narcotics.  In fact, many chronic pain patients have to travel very far (hundreds of miles) to find doctors willing to adequately treat their pain.  One such doctor in D.C./Northern Virginia lost his license because he was treating patients from all over the country with very high dosages of painkillers.  The licensing authorities didn't seem to care that his patients had a need for such high dosages.  After losing his license he obviously had to stop treating these people, and one of them committed suicide rather than living in agony.  So, beware of staying on painkillers too long unless you can be certain you will continue to get them at an adequate level.

[Comment from Mac to Brian]

Just "Happy" not to be one of them is more of an understatement than you could know.
I am a former drug addict-I just didn't have an addiction to "downers". (I am still addicted to cigarettes.)

Nor did I know much about the addictive properties of these meds before I read a few articles from this site.

But I know I would have taken them,anyway.
GLADLY. And still do, when neccessary.
Even with the risk of addiction.
These meds, side effects and all, are still my best alternative to living with chronic unrelenting pain. That I cannot live with.

[brian]

Yes and no.  You are not unusual in the sense that most people who are prescribed narcotics for chronic pain, even for months at a time, don't become addicted.  You are unusual in the sense that there are many in your circumstances who would have become addicted.  Just be happy you aren't one.

[Mac]

Am I an exception?
Over 2 decades-I have had numerous painful chronic conditions which flare and wane.
neccesitating high doses of everything from tegretol, to oxycontin-for months at a time.
I have endevoured to take these as precisely as they were prescribed. Initially & when tapering down.
In each instance when the conditions waned-I can go for months without taking analgesics.
I have never had any of the "withdrawl" symptoms -many describe on this forum.  
(I stumbled here by accident-typing names of several meds into search engine)
In fact I am rather suprised to see how many people are addicted to these medications.  Is my case unusual?

[david]

KIM, I ALSO HAVE BEEN ADDICTED TO VICODIN. TRUE IT MAY HELP THE PAIN FOR THE MOMENT AND SURE FEEL EUPHORIC, BUT IT WILL EVENTUALLY KILL YOU!! I AM ONE MONTH OFF THE PILLS, AND ALTHOUGH
TRYING AT TIMES, I AM NO LONGER A SLAVE. I HAVE MY LIFE BACK!
I GOT ADDICTED 2 1/2 YEARS AGO AFTER A SURGERY. I HAD NEVER REALLY DONE OR THOUGHT ABOUT DRUGS BEFORE. BUT THESE PILLS CAME ALONG WITH THE FALSE EXUSE THAT "THEY" WERE OK BECAUSE THEY CAME OUT OF A BOTTLE, AND WERE PRESCRIBED BY A DOCTOR.
BOTTOM LINE, GET SOME HELP, SOME SUPPORT COUNSELING,WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU, AND BE PATIENT IN FIGURING OUT WHY YOU HAVE BEEN DEPPRESSED YOUR WHOLE LIFE.YOU WILL SEE THE BEAUTY OF FREEDOM ONE DAY IF YOU STAY FOCUSED AND CLEAN! TRUST ME YOU WILL BE A BETTER PERSON FROM THIS EXPERIENCE.

[Kimberly]

I am no doctor, but anyone who in inclined to abuse drugs has other problems that drive them to seek escape.  I am addicted to pain killers due to Kidney stones.  But it is not really due to kidney stones, I have been depressed for my entire life and Vicodin cured that better than Prozac.  Kidney stones made the pain killers easy to get.  Now I am on a taper program to get off the pills and it is miserable.  I am not only depressed, but I am still in pain.
Kim