Pain Medication

The fear of addiction and its consequences frightens many sufferers of chronic back pain away from using medication. It is only one class of analgesics or painkillers that holds the potential danger of addiction: the opioids, or drugs containing opium.

The opioids include oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), hydromorphone, and meperidine (Demerol). The illegal drug, heroin, is also in the opioid category.  Their patented names have become familiar to most of us through movies, TV shows and the media.

I personally have seen the devastating effects of opioid addiction in my small community. Many young lives were taken due to heroin overdoses. Frequently, people start using prescribed opioids for pain relief. Unfortunately, their bodies became addicted and when the prescribed pills ran out, they turned to heroin. Opioids are helpful in that they are very efficient at decreasing the brain’s perception of pain. The problem is that they create a feeling of euphoria, which is why these medications pose a high risk of addition. Continue reading “Avoiding addictive pain medication for chronic back pain”