Should people who deny being addicted to pain meds, after taking them for years, be taken off them?

Question

It seems that if someone is so far into denial that they'll claim to NOT be addicted to opiates after having taken them for many years, then they should be taken off them for at least a short while, so they'll be forced to go through serious withdrawals and understand that they actually ARE addicted. It's like saying that someone with a never ending supply of heroin who has been taking it everyday for five years isn't an addict because they actually wanted to take it every day.

Answer 1

You are making an assumption that long term use of pain medication equals addiction. Maybe it is true in some cases, I can only speak of my own experience.
I have been on strong pain killers for several years. If I go on holiday to a warm climate my symptoms abate and I do not need the medication. I have never suffered withdrawal symptoms. There must be many more like me out there.
We would rather not take medication every day: to be pain free permanently would be a dream come true.
I take the tablets because I welcome the lessening of my pain.
You cannot compare pain killers to heroin. People do not choose to start taking pain killers; they are put on them for a reason.

Answer 2

If you're taking an appropriate dosage of pain meds for real pain (the neurons for that sort of sensation are actually being stimulated) then you can't actually develop an addiction - which means if you have an ongoing source of pain which is severe enough that you need meds to manage it, then you're not addicted just because you're taking meds longterm. Some people do keep right on using meds longer than they need to; others don't. It's up to the doctors prescribing the medicine to work with the person taking the medicine to figure out what dosage and timeframe the meds are actually necessary. Any person outside of that equation has no business making judgments.

Answer 3

Well I have been on pain meds for a broken back, bulging discs and herniation of the discs in my back i can't walk without a walker. I also no that any person who takes a pain med for a long time will become physically addicted to that med but that doesn't mean that they are an addict.Some times it is not fair to put a person who really needs help with chronic pain should have to even go through a withdrawn program and have to suffer in a detox or @ home with a awful withdraw.

Answer 4

You have a real hang up with anyone who needs to use strong pain meds to control their pain. Have you been there? Do you know what chronic pain is like? You have NO right to judge anyone.

As far as being in denial, most pain management patients will tell you they do need their meds so they can live a decent quality of life. I have been there too, and it was certainly the truth. Before you accuse me of being an addict, I will tell you that you are not my doctor so you have no basis for this opinion. I will also tell you that I have not taken anything stronger than regular Tylenol for over 6 months.

Learn some compassion, will you? I hope you never find yourself in the situation of many of us who have needed strong pain meds to survive. Living in that much pain is absolute hell.

Answer 5

I think that I understand your underlying point but to proffer that people who really require the pain medication be REQUIRED to go through withdrawal just to point out that their bodies have now developed a dependency isn't the right answer. When my mother was dying of systemic cancer she was eventually put on Dilaudid. She told me she didn't want to become addicted...when the disease was TERMINAL.

She did have to go off the pain meds for 48 hours prior to signing her final will. The pain was so bad it is indescribable.
If there was some requirement that people dependent on pain meds were enforced...I would have found a way to get her the medication.

Answer 6

For one thing, there's a huge difference between dependence and addiction. Anyone who takes opiates for more than a few weeks, or even less will develope some kind of physical dependence. That's not addiction.
Why are you so concerned with making people admit an :addiction" anyway?

Answer 7

ok here is the thing you want to say anyone who needs the pain meds are addicted..I have to take pain pills for my leg..I was bit by a brown recluse spider while camping with family and due to a high pain tolerance wasnt aware of it till the acid ate through alot of stuff in my leg..now on a good day i have to use a painful pump to remove the fluid from my leg...spend time with and taking care of my son...and driving him back and forth to school along with all the household chores that go with being a mom..granted there are some days that are good and I might get a good 3-4 hours use of my leg instead of the recommended 2 max...so you have no right to judge me or anyone who needs meds to help them deal with life..and if i`m having a good day then i`m lucky I may not have to take them like the doc says is going to be the rest of my life...

Answer 8

Roll,

I seriously hope for your sake that you're never in a situation where you must depend on ANY medications to live or make life tolerable.

People will develop a DEPENDENCE to opiates...true. Legitimate patients under the care of a doctor that prescribes them are monitored for signs of addiction...i.e., calling for more medicine before time, having been 'stolen' (without a police report), and 'doctor shopping' (having more than one physician prescribing opiates), to name a few.

Okay. let's use your logic. Say there's a person who takes heart medication on a daily basis...s/he needs it to live, function as a productive member of society. Is S/HE addicted to the medicine? Lets take her/him off the meds and see if they suffer ill effects?

To simplify: Dependence is to proper use as prescribed as addiction is to abuse.

Answer 9

You are confusing addiction with dependence. The goal of health care is not to prove a point, it's to improve health and quality of life. If someone is medically dependent on something, I can think of nothing more clinically negligent/ maleficent than to take them off of it to prove my point.

Answer 10

I wish you a long pain-free life so you can continue to live in your little bubble. You have no clue what real chronic pain is so you are not qualified to make the judgements you've made.