March 10th, 2008 Posted by: admin
If a physician has prescribed psychotropic medications, including painkillers to you on a long-term basis, you may assume this is appropriate. The reality is that long-term use of opiod narcotics, which include the trade names OxyContin, Percocet, Vicoden, Lorcet, Tramodol and Percodan, can create a tolerance that requires a higher dosage to manage pain. A person’s sensitivity may even increase, a condition called hyperalgesia. Other psychotropic medication abuse includes depressants used to treat anxiety and stimulants for the treatment of ADHD and obesity. During treatment assessment at Hanley Center we see a high percentage of dual diagnosis, including depression, with those patients who suffer from addictive medication dependency.Sometimes people mistake physical withdrawal symptoms from medications for a continuation of pain symptoms, so they continue to seek pain medication. When dependency becomes addiction, people are caught in the throes of extreme behavior. Doctor shopping can become as time consuming as a part time job, as the addict desperately seeks a wider circumference of doctors to prescribe medications. Others may even seek out surgery for their perceived pain just so they can get access to narcotic medications.Common symptoms of opiod medication addiction include blackouts and inability to get to work on time or at all, other additive behaviors, emotional upheavals and mood swings, interpersonal problems, isolation and the disruption of daily life in myriad of ways. Often those who abuse painkillers seek other psychotropic medications for sleep disorders, depression and anxiety. If they are doctor shopping, the physician or psychiatrist may not realize the other drugs being taken in this potentially dangerous mix. Alcohol is sometimes added to create an unwittingly deadly cocktail.
When medication use becomes abuse
The disease of medication addiction is debilitating. Many addicts attempt to detox by themselves, only to turn to the psychotropic medication again. “Cold turkey” withdrawal after long-term use of an opiod drug is severe, with symptoms such as cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and dizziness, and can be dangerous if not medically supervised.There are many detox clinics that assure a quick turn-around and recovery form addiction, but this disease is multi-faceted. Just as the treatment of pain should be multi-disciplinary, holistic addiction treatment is most effective as well, including close medical supervision. Assessment and treatment plans include wellness, physical, mental and spiritual components, and individually appropriate integrative and expressive therapies. The role of the family, support groups and often continuing care play a role in relapse prevention and successful recovery.Pain is usually experienced by everyone and is accompanied with trauma, to a certain part of the body. It is the transmission of the nerves, communicating and passing nerve messages through the neurons. Medicines such as Butalbital, tramadol, ultram, or ultracet acts as a pain reliever from acute to chronic pain. Amongst these pain relievers, ultram manages pain from different sources and reduces pain due to cancer, surgery, spinal damage, or arthritis.Ultram works by binding opiod pain receptors of the body and blocking the reuptake of the neuro chemicals thereby modifies the pain message resulting in pain relief. It is not a NSAID (nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drug) and does not carry the risk of stomach ulceration and internal bleeding which can accompany the use of such medications. It is often prescribed for pain associated with shingles, fibromyalgia, and other chronic diseases.
