Opioids often get a bad name because of their addictive quality and the fact that they are considered to be on the “bad drugs” list. So much so that many pharmacies have difficulty carrying them for safety reasons and many doctors fear prescribing them “too often” for fear of being accused of over prescribing a controlled drug. However, opioids have their place in pain relief for the right people and for the right types of pain.

It used to be said that patients who needed opioids, like morphine or oxycodone, are very unlikely to get addicted to them. But, it is possible for them to get used to them. The fact that they could get used to them and then require higher doses for the pain was a cause of fear for some people because they either thought they were becoming addicted or they were afraid to ask for higher doses in case they were labeled as drug seekers. Research has come up with interesting findings about this though and it turns out that it’s not addiction and it’s often not likely even getting used to the drugs. It’s something called opioid-induced hyperaglesia, or OIH.

Click here to read more.

~~~~~

Tags: chronic pain blog, pain blog, opioid induced hyperalgesia, OIH, opioids, controlled drugs, drug seeker, pain clinic, morphine, hydrocodone, pain

Opioids often get a bad name because of their addictive quality and the fact that they are considered to be on the “bad drugs” list. So much so that many pharmacies have difficulty carrying them for safety reasons and many doctors fear prescribing them “too often” for fear of being accused of over prescribing a controlled drug. However, opioids have their place in pain relief for the right people and for the right types of pain.

It used to be said that patients who needed opioids, like morphine or oxycodone, are very unlikely to get addicted to them. But, it is possible for them to get used to them. The fact that they could get used to them and then require higher doses for the pain was a cause of fear for some people because they either thought they were becoming addicted or they were afraid to ask for higher doses in case they were labeled as drug seekers. Research has come up with interesting findings about this though and it turns out that it’s not addiction and it’s often not likely even getting used to the drugs. It’s something called opioid-induced hyperaglesia, or OIH.

What researchers have been noticing is that when someone takes high doses of opioids and then the dose seems to stop working, the pain hasn’t actually increased, but the person’s pain tolerance has decreased and the sensitivity to pain has increased. And, increasing the opioid will not make the situation any better. It will, in fact, make it worse. That’s why some people go to their doctor for higher doses and then still can’t understand why the pain medication isn’t working.

The trick is that doctors have to realize this possibility and be on the look out for it. If a patient comes to them and says that their pain isn’t being relieved anymore, and if a higher dose doesn’t seem to be working either, then OIH is a good possibility. What the doctor can do is try to lower the dose of the opioid, something that the patient may balk at because, in our minds, lower can’t be better. But, if the problem is OIH, then the pain will actually begin to be relieved again because the OIH will not be so much of a factor.

So, all this to say, if you have recurrent pain that is no longer being relieved by your opioid, and if a higher dose isn’t working for you, perhaps you should discuss the possibility of OIH with your doctor or pain clinic. As frightening as it may be, you may want to try – with your doctor’s knowledge and approval only – reducing your medication or changing to another.

The body is very mysterious and we’re just slowly unlocking some of its mysteries. Hopefully, this one is closer to being solved than not.

~~~~~

If  you want to leave a message, please go back to the original page. Thanks!