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2 Comments

  1. Emily
    7 May 2010 @ 9:32 pm

    There is a difference between physical addiction (which causes withdrawal health issues when the medication is discontinued) and addictive behaviour/drug abuse.

    Development of drugs which counter the “high” associated with addictive behavior/drug abuse of narcotics would be beneficial (I thought there were a couple in the process of approval??).

    Physical addiction to certain drugs is a given, but addicitive behavior is an individual trait (one pill is good, twelve pills at once must be even better) that is difficult to predict. Drug seekers often hit different emergency departments in a few days feigning problems that people with legitmate illnesses receive pain killers for, which makes it that much harder for those of us with specific problems to receive proper treatment. This is one reason pain management specialists often make you sign a contract stating you will only get your pain medication from them.

    I feared being treated as a drug seeker since at one time I spent a lot of time in ER’s due to untreated excruciating headache pain, but actually my vital signs such as heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure showed I was in very bad pain and I never had any problems getting emergency treatment.

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  2. James
    11 May 2010 @ 8:31 pm

    Thanks Emily – your point is well taken. That is one fear, that sometimes even health professionals don’t understand what addiction is, and when patients can really benefit from “painkillers”.

    However, I do think this is changing – slowly, but I think information is getting out there to doctors about how to know if someone has an addiction problem, or is really dealing with pain and could be helped by certain medications. You experience in ER is an encouraging sign, I think.

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