Consulting doctors can lead to proper diagnosis

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  • Annie Lane
    Annie Lane
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Dear Annie: In a recent column, a reader stated his wife has a serious addiction to pain pills after years of being prescribed them, hasn't worked in those years, spends most of her time in bed, breaks into pill safes and begs for more pills. You told him that his wife has a severe opioid addiction. This is entirely possible. However, it is not clear from the letter that his wife's doctor has been consulted to diagnose addiction.

There are a number of other issues that might have her asking for more pain medicine. It is possible, for example, that she is desperate because her pain is inadequately controlled. This can result in behavior that resembles addiction and is often called "pseudo-addiction." If it is pseudo-addiction, this does not mean the reader should give his wife extra pills. It does mean that a doctor with experience in pain control needs to be consulted. It is possible, for example, that a different medicine may be more useful than more of her current one. However, that is not my call to make, or her family's, or yours. It is a pain specialist's job to make those decisions.

Some more information that may be useful to know about opioid medication and addiction: With long term use of opioids, the body gets used to them, which is called tolerance. With tolerance, opioids get less effective at pain relief, so over time, more pain medicine is often needed, even if the pain is not growing. The resources you mentioned may be important for "Tired" and others in his position, whether or not a doctor has diagnosed opioid addiction. They give information about addiction and drug abuse, ways to reduce the risks of opioid use and abuse, and support for caregivers. - A Pharmacy Student

Dear Pharmacy Student: Thank you for your well-thought-out letter. I always love hearing from people who specialize in certain fields. Any type of drug addiction is serious and will always be taken seriously by a doctor, and a treatment plan should be put in place.