The Problems Related To Prescribed Opioid Dosing

By Edward Sanders


An epidemic of opioid misuse, overdose and abuse is something everyone should be aware. There is a strong initiative to reduce prescribing high doses of these strong pain killers, and with a very good reason. With high rate of accidental overdosing and addictions, the question of appropriate opioid dosing became more important.

Opioids might be really useful when it comes to pain management, but their misuse or abuse often results with addiction, serious health issues or even death. Effective treatment of any type of pain should start with an accurate diagnosis. Sometimes it might be hard to recognize the real cause of ongoing pain, and this might result with inappropriate dosing.

There might be hidden causes for chronic pains as well. Without identifying them first, prescribed doses might not be enough to meet patient's expectations. In fact, these expectations might be quite unrealistic. The goal is to reduce pain, not to remove it completely, and some patients might expect something else. If they try to double their doses by themselves, it might be dangerous. You have to warn them about this.

These medications are successfully used for reducing pain related to numerous acute and sub-acute medical conditions. If the doses are accurate, and used accordingly, during shorter periods of time or only occasionally, there will be no significant problems. Chronic pains, and long-term therapies are something different. They may lead to addiction, or severe health issues. Finding alternative therapies is highly advisable.

Intensive muscle and joint pains, especially back sprain, are good example for prescribing such painkillers. They should be accompanied with appropriate medical treatments as well, because their purpose is only to ease the pain, and they cannot cure any medical condition. At first, prescribed dose might be enough to reduce the pain, but the effect of the drug might be reduced over time, especially if it is used regularly.

Short-time pain relief is something that can be expected, as well as the development of tolerance. Because of that, it is really important to consider different therapies, and not only to prescribe higher doses every once in a while. This could result with various health issues, addiction or even fatal overdoses. On the other hand, if you use these painkillers wisely, they can make your life so much easier, on a long-run.

There are several things to be considered here. First, the fact is that there is no completely safe opioid dose. Your physician should calculate the most appropriate dose for you, taking all circumstances into consideration. If you have to take prescribed drugs for longer periods of time, your medical conditions should be reassessed regularly, to avoid unnecessary risks. And you should never change the dose without seeking for medical opinion first.

Although strong painkillers also known as opioids might be really helpful in certain medical conditions, alternative pain therapies are often less harmful and should be taken into consideration. In any case, you should not expect miracles, just the pain reduction of a certain level. These drugs are here to bring you pain relief only, not to improve your health in any way. Use them sensibly, without endangering your health or your life.




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