How can I help a friend addicted to pain medicine?

Question

My friend has been addicted to pain medicine but has ischemic colitis so she needs to take pain medicine sometimes to find relieve when her ischemic colitis flares up...what can help her stop taking pain medicine for her addiciton but still be able to take it for her illness?

Answer 1

If she has a medical condition requiring pain medication, she IS NOT AN ADDICT. She is merely depoendant on the medication for the relief she needs. Chronic pain can be as debilitating to the person who suffers is as cancer is. Stop judging her as "an addict". What she is is a chronic pain patient, not a junkie, and you need to butt out. We chronic pain patients have enough to deal with and are looked at as junkies by people who don't know us way too much to have to deal with people who are supposed to be our friends and family judging us unfairly, too.

Answer 2

Simple distinction between dependence and addiction. Addiction is a set of psychological behaviors that focus on obtaining a drug for non-pain purposes focusing on analgesia here). So if you have ever called in a script to a
pharmacy posing as office staff, if you have ever bought the drug on the street, if you have ever taken the drug for purposes other than for pain (to get numb, to "relax" when you aren't in pain, etc.) then you are engaging in
addictive behaviors. If you are taking the pain medication EVERYTIME because you are in pain or you are attempting to keep your blood levels up to keep pain down to a minimum BUT if you suddenly stopped the med you
suffer through opiate withdrawal, aka "jonesing", then you are dependent on the medication. You are NOT an addict.

Answer 3

First thing you need to know is that you can't help her unless she wants help. That's the first step. And its even worse if she genuinely needs them. I would say check into something to cure the colitis, then she won't need the pain meds and hopefully she can taper off of them.

Answer 4

#1 shes gotta wanna quit or yor wasting your time. I,ve been on powerfull pain meds for 10 yrs. My best advise to you /your friend is to ask the Dr for a pain killer called "Ultram" this is a very good pain killer,, Even better, it works in the same area of the brain as Oxys, Perks ,Vikes all the narcs. That means NO WITHDRAWLS(dts) When switching from her drug of choice.If shes on Oxys, ther is a classaction law suit against the maker for turning pain patients into junkys! GOOD LUCK!

Answer 5

There are more then several pain meds and reliefs for colitis that she can use. I suggest you see her doctor with her and explain the problem.