Re: Re: Pain , dependence vs addiction

[Guest guest]

wrote:

> This conversation has got me to wondering: Has anyone else's doctor,

> when putting them on a pain medication regimen, discussed with them

> the difference between ADDICTION and DEPENDENCE? (sorry to yell those

> words, but it seems many doctors don't think about the differences

> when dealing with pain patients!)

>

> ,

I was researching something and I cam across two good articles about

myths about addiction and opoids and the truth about addiction and

dependence on the National Pain Foundation website by Dr. Schneider.

The link is

http://nationalpainfoundation.org/MyPain

and two articles are listed. Addiction and Chronic Pain is one, the second is

Addiction, Tolerance, and Dependence.

I thought the most powerful paragraph for me was:

You may be surprised to learn that the American Geriatric Society has determined

that opioids are safer for older people than anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) such

as ibuprofen or naproxen. NSAIDs can increase the blood pressure, cause

gastrointestinal bleeding, and damage the kidney. Opioids do not — opioids do

not damage any organs. They do have some side effects, such as nausea and

sedation, but these effects rapidly diminish as you continue using the drugs.

Other side effects, such as constipation, don't lessen with time, but can be

prevented or minimized by taking stool softeners and bowel stimulants on a

regular basis.

Let me know what you think of it.

Bennie