Addiction vs. Dependence

[Guest guest]

,

After reading one of your earlier posts, I just wanted to clear the

air for you about the difference between addiction and physical

dependence. Your niece was probably physically dependent upon her

pain meds, but not addicted to them. There is a difference.

Now that you've joined us you'll find that many of us will be trying

to teach you and educate you the best we know how to, as well as

support you whenever we can. I'm a firm believer that learning about

pancreatitis and all the medical background surrounding the condition

helps us to understand what's happening to us, and how to cope with it

better. This entails all the other stuff that goes along with it. So

if I pop in with a comment about one thing or another in direct

response to what someone has said, it's not criticism that I'm

offering, it's education that I'm trying to share.....okay?

Addiction occurs when a person takes a narcotic for recreational

purposes....for the experience of a " high " , or the lulling, spacey

feeling the drug provides. The person abuses the medication and

continues to need the drug in order to achieve the same effects of

euphoria. Much like an addiction to tabacco, for example.

This is quite different than what a person who has chronic,

debilitating pain feels when taking a narcotic pain medication. The

drug is used to stop, or lower the level of pain, and rarely causes

any type of euphoria, or " high " feeling. All it does is reduce the

pain levels of the patient. Patients that need to use prescribed

narcotics to treat chronic pain rarely use more than what's needed to

lower their pain levels. All their concerned about is getting rid of

the relentless pain, not getting stoned. I have yet to get " high " off

of a pain medication, if anything, I've had too strong of a dose that

has left me feeling drowsy, disoriented and needing to go to bed

because of it. That's hardly much fun.....and certainly not something

that I'd want to repeat or do for pleasure.

Over time, the continual use of a narcotic will cause a person to

become physically dependent upon that drug, in the sense that he or

she will need to continue taking it to relieve their pain. This is

not addiction, it's physical dependence.

If a time comes where the patient no longer needs the drug to control

their pain, there are tapering regimens where the drug is slowly

discontinued, and this tapering down process can be achieved very

successfully, without withdrawals, when done under the care of an

experienced pain management physician or other specialist.

You will see after a few weeks of reading our posts that we are all

quite sensitive about the distinction between addiction and physical

dependence. We hate the expression " drug seeking " , which is what is

associated with drug addicts, but unfortunately often incorrectly used

by inexperienced medical personnel when we end up in an Emergency Room

in the throes of an acute pancreatitis attack, needing pain medication

to reduce our levels of extreme, debilitating pain.

None of us like the fact that we have to use narcotics to relieve our

pain, but for most of us, using narcotics is the only way we're able

to function at all in today's world. I use the term " function "

loosely, since for some it means more than others. For some, function

means just being able to get out of bed, get dressed and spend the

rest of the day resting at home - perhaps being able to eat, perhaps

not. Others are able to do a bit more, and some of the fortunate ones

are even able to work. But you will see that a large majority of us

are on disability, and not able to work a full time job anymore.

I just wanted to clear the air about that word " addiction " . Depending

on how well you do, and how the progression goes with your particular

case, you will understand our sensitivity better in a few months or

more. All I ask is that you try to be open minded about the

distinction between addiction and dependence, and you'll do just fine.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

www.pancassociation.org/anthology#Heidi.html

Bluffton, SC

SC State & SE Regional Representative

Pancreatitis Association, International

www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/pancreatitis/

Note: All comments or advice are personal opinion only, and should

not be substituted for professional medical consultation.

[Guest guest]

S,

I went on permanent disability two and half years ago from my job due to

this illness and several others, but mainly because the pain medications

make me sleepy all the time and interfere with my cognitive ability,

which made it impossible for me to continue with my job. I was lucky

enough to qualify and get approved for SSDI and also have disability

insurance from my company to help me support myself.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.