The article points out that by 2002, nearly 30 million people had
used prescription pain relievers for non-medical purposes at some point
in their life, and that 1.5 million were dependent on them, according
to statistics issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration.
In his article, Tommasello hopes to point out the difference between
dependency and addiction, stating that “the biological processes
involved in the relief of pain are precisely the same processes that
lead to physical dependence.”
“If someone is on a sufficient dose for long enough, that person is
going to become physically dependent,” Tommasello stresses. “There is
nothing that science can do to avoid that. It is simply a side effect
of the long-term use of narcotic drugs.”
The author believes it is counterproductive to label such dependent
individuals as drug addicts. “That person's problem is pain, not
addiction. Labeling him or her as a drug addict can ignite feelings of
shame and guilt, a stigma unwarranted in these patients.”
Physicians, he notes, should not be sending these dependent patients to
drug addiction treatment programs but rather should be referring them
to pain management specialists. A number of other steps can be
taken as well, he notes, to avoid dependency.
“When doctors start prescribing pain relief medication, they need to
have a protocol for drug management from start to finish,” Tommasello
states, “rather than simply adjusting the medication without a thorough
strategy. The physician's strategy should include a plan to wean the
patient off painkillers - when it is reasonable to do so - but also to
continue effective treatment as long as it is necessary.”
By:GratefulBear Posted: Feb 08 2006 12:39:53 PM