2nd February 2004
Hi all,
I am new to this board, but have been posting in pain management awhile. It's interesting that almost the same discussion is taking place in pain management board...under oxycontin vs. oxycodone subtitle. The discussion boils down to whether there's a difference between drug need/dependence/addiction and abuse. Does needing a drug for pain exclude addiction? Is dependence same as addiction?...websters dictionary says addiction IS a physiological dependence. Does being addicted make you a drug addict? Some doctors define it so, while others use word addict only colloquially with negative connotation meaning drug abuser. It all depends on what doctor you're dealing with how they define all of above.
Irregardless of how differenct docs and patients define these terms, what really boils down to is are these drugs making your life better or worse? Are they helping you cope, function, enjoy, and live or are they taking over and making you unhealthier?
I have FM, arthritis, colitis, carpal tunnel, esophagitis, blepharitis, asthma and a few other itises (multiple inflammatory syndrome) as well as dislocations in my neck. With chronic pain, it's a balancing act to find remedies that aren't worse than the ills. All meds are poison, but sometimes slow poison is better than horrible pain. Even the high blood pressure med I take, diovan, is slowly poisoning my liver, but I'll take that over having a heart attack or stroke next week. You've got to weigh benefits vs. drawbacks. Difficult thing is that with addictive drugs, they feel so damn good in beginning, and then withdrawals feel so damn horrible in the end, makes decision of whether to continue more tricky. Being called derisive words like drug addict and abuser by docs doesn't help situation at all. Sometimes they are ignorant.
Everyone gets addicted at different rates due to variations in opiate receptors and other biochemical idiosyncrycies in our brains. That's why one anti-depressant works for one and not for another. But I doubt there's anyone out there who doesn't have an addiction threshold...given enough, we'd all get addicted. When you're doc accuses you of being a drug addict, tell him/her that sometimes, being a drug addict is better than wishing you were dead from horrible pain and you will go elsewhere if they do not treat your pain. However, only you can truthfully answer as to whether you really need to be treated for pain, or just for a withdrawal/addiction. And sometimes, it's a balancing act between the two. Hope this helps. Cloie
I am new to this board, but have been posting in pain management awhile. It's interesting that almost the same discussion is taking place in pain management board...under oxycontin vs. oxycodone subtitle. The discussion boils down to whether there's a difference between drug need/dependence/addiction and abuse. Does needing a drug for pain exclude addiction? Is dependence same as addiction?...websters dictionary says addiction IS a physiological dependence. Does being addicted make you a drug addict? Some doctors define it so, while others use word addict only colloquially with negative connotation meaning drug abuser. It all depends on what doctor you're dealing with how they define all of above.
Irregardless of how differenct docs and patients define these terms, what really boils down to is are these drugs making your life better or worse? Are they helping you cope, function, enjoy, and live or are they taking over and making you unhealthier?
I have FM, arthritis, colitis, carpal tunnel, esophagitis, blepharitis, asthma and a few other itises (multiple inflammatory syndrome) as well as dislocations in my neck. With chronic pain, it's a balancing act to find remedies that aren't worse than the ills. All meds are poison, but sometimes slow poison is better than horrible pain. Even the high blood pressure med I take, diovan, is slowly poisoning my liver, but I'll take that over having a heart attack or stroke next week. You've got to weigh benefits vs. drawbacks. Difficult thing is that with addictive drugs, they feel so damn good in beginning, and then withdrawals feel so damn horrible in the end, makes decision of whether to continue more tricky. Being called derisive words like drug addict and abuser by docs doesn't help situation at all. Sometimes they are ignorant.
Everyone gets addicted at different rates due to variations in opiate receptors and other biochemical idiosyncrycies in our brains. That's why one anti-depressant works for one and not for another. But I doubt there's anyone out there who doesn't have an addiction threshold...given enough, we'd all get addicted. When you're doc accuses you of being a drug addict, tell him/her that sometimes, being a drug addict is better than wishing you were dead from horrible pain and you will go elsewhere if they do not treat your pain. However, only you can truthfully answer as to whether you really need to be treated for pain, or just for a withdrawal/addiction. And sometimes, it's a balancing act between the two. Hope this helps. Cloie