Prescription opioids are a common form of treatment for patients suffering from chronic pain conditions. Although they work well to reduce pain in many cases, they are also highly addictive. As a result, the patient and the prescribing physician need to take a proactive approach to avoid addiction. The topic of this article is detox for chronic pain patients. We are going to discuss the potential for patients to become addicted to prescription opioids, and when detoxing is necessary to prevent an overdose.
Prescription painkillers are some of the most common treatment methods for chronic pain patients. Pain relief medication can work wonders in treating chronic pain. However, these medications need to be prescribed strategically in order to be effective. Many pain relievers are highly addictive, and many physicians have a history of simply throwing prescription opioids at a patient’s pain. This is an incredibly dangerous game, as it can lead to the patient getting addicted to the pain killer, and potentially overdosing.
If you are taking a prescription opioid for your pain and you think you may be forming an addiction, tell your doctor right away. Many patients are reluctant to do this because they think that if they tell their doctor, they will lose their prescription for the drugs that are keeping their pain at bay. While your doctor will likely cancel your prescription if it’s becoming habit-forming, there are many other treatment options that can be helpful in reducing your pain. You will likely need to detox from the addictive drug first. After that, your pain specialist can develop an alternative treatment strategy for your pain.
Advanced Spine & Pain Clinics of MN employs some of the best and most experienced chronic pain doctors in the state of Minnesota. Our pain management physicians work hand-in-hand with each patient to develop a treatment strategy that works to effectively reduce your pain. If you are going through life in chronic pain, there are options for treatment that can get you back to doing the things you love. Contact our Edina pain clinic today to set up an appointment with one of our chronic pain doctors.