Pain medication can be tricky to navigate around when in recovery. Whether or not a person had an addiction to painkillers, they have the potential to be addictive and are usually not used for pain relief unless absolutely necessary. The issue of managing pain often results in the prescription of opiate medications for chronic pain but it is a challenging scenario to treat this type of pain and ensure the safety of someone in recovery. Learn more about how this might work to the benefit of someone in recovery and still find relief from pain they experience.
High Tolerance Levels
A big risk for people who have abused drugs in the past is their high tolerance for drugs in their system. It may take more than most to treat pain symptoms. Tolerance is a challenge because giving someone too much of a drug can be harmful to their health. The body and brain of a person with addiction will typically have a reduced response to opiate medications since their bodies are less sensitive. People addicted to opiates have basically neutralized the pain mechanisms and are more likely to feel pain for an extended period after they quit.
Opiate Pain Meds
Opiate pain medications can be effective for anybody who experiences pain and needs support. The issue for people who have a past history of drug abuse is often tolerance or susceptibility to crossover addiction. People who abuse heroin who are in recovery often experience high potential for abuse because of the nature of heroin itself. The medications most suitable to treat pain are the ones with the highest likelihood of abuse. It is important to understand how chronic pain can be so debilitating. When other options do not manage to create space for someone to heal from pain or find relief, there may be other types of ways to relieve pain without medication, or as much of it, to control symptoms. It is difficult to know how best to treat drug abuse and addictive behaviors in people, but identifying abuse potential in people is crucial. Identifying abuse in people who use prescription drugs can help them get help right away when a problem pops up. Seeking treatment for addiction means there are myriad other issues to resolve, including how to treat pain or symptoms of chronic pain along the journey of recovery. This can leave people in a bind who don’t want to risk their recovery by taking potentially addictive pain medication. There are less addictive forms of pain relief, yet they are not always as effective to use for high levels of pain. The key is to find a pain management specialist, therapists, and others who can offer help on the journey by sitting with the person and figuring out the best plan of care. This will greatly help their experience of recovery and support their journey of healing.
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