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September 16, 2008, 11:59 am
Flag as Inappropriate ken7700  

It seems more of my friends are getting addicted to painkillers that doctors give them. Is this a growing trend?

I don`t know that I would call it a trend but there are more people getting addicted to the pain meds they take. I think it`s because your body gets so used to it you can`t function without it. But if you suffer from chronic pain like I do, you should be very careful how much you use. My meds say as needed. If you take it when you really don`t have pain then you get addicted to it. It`s very hard to not take more than needed too. You don`t want to wait until the pain starts. You want to stop it before it starts. I find myself doing this sometimes.

Also what I have seen is many doctors do not have an understanding of pain in and of itself. Its like if your wrist hurts its carpal tunnel. theyd ont even think it could be compressed nerve damage or something else. SO tehy often mask pain with pain medications and never touch on teh direct root of the pain. And thast where the root of teh addiction comes in. masking pain instead of finding what is really going on. Its a loop. But then you do havethose that need to dull daily life with pain killer so as not to cope. Its a mobius loop at best.

Pain killers are just so easy to get hold of, and I do think it is easy to become addicted to them. My hubby is always taking pain meds, but to be honest, I really dont think he needs them.

Oh for sure pain meds are easy to get these days. You can even order them online without a prescription (though I would never recommend it...who's to say you are really getting what you are seeking).

Many, many studies have been done and it is found that the only people who get hooked on prescribed pain medication, are people who had problems with drug and alcohol dependence before in their lives. People who are really in pain, never get addicted because the pain killers just about cover their pain and won't give them the highs that other people get.

My sister has to take a lot of painkillers to get even some relief from her pain.

Most people who need pain mediation currently need to prove that they are really in pain before their doctors can give them the dose that they need. Most also need to follow guidelines with their doctor, which includes only going to one pharmacy and only getting their pills from one doctor. If it is found that doctors are giving pain medication easily, (in NY State at least) the government comes down hard on them.

My sister has to go to a Pain Specialist to get her medication, so I can't think that so many people that one person knows can all be hooked on prescribed drugs.

Sometimes it's a bit too easy to think that other people are hooked on drugs just because people can't understand that taking drugs for pain really is a real medical condition.

I know from past experience with a friend she had always been the depressive type, ended up getting into some bad drugs (heroine and morhpine) and had been addicted for quite sometime. The good note, she is 63 days clean right now and on her way to getting her life back.

Pain killers are like those drugs (morphine)that some of us take. It will get us hooked if we do take them very often. So there should be tighter regulation and control in selling the medicine to us.

Are they spiking the meds with something we should know about? Is that really the new fad to get hooked on? I see very many people in the news that fake a Rx to get what they need, but how many doctors are giving away more meds than needed to worsen the problem?