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For many years, the most widely used prescription pain relievers have been narcotics. Narcotics are drugs that relieve pain and cause drowsiness or sleep. In addition, they all have similar side effects. Historically, these drugs came from the opium poppy. They are also called opioids or opiates. Today, many narcotics are synthetic, that is, they are chemicals manufactured by drug companies.
How To Decide Which Pain Medications To Use?
This is not something you should decide alone. Discuss this with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist before you use any drugs for pain. Medications that worked for you in the past or that helped a friend or relative may not be right for you at this time. Never take someone else’s medicine! Only one doctor should prescribe your pain medicine. If a consulting doctor changes your medicine, be sure the two doctors discuss your treatment. Otherwise, you may take too much or too little. Let your doctor or nurse know whether your pain medication gives you relief. Work together to find the medication or pain-relief program that is best for you. Remember, your need for pain medicine may change as your cancer treatment changes. It is important to record the name and amount of pain medication you take. You can then give precise information to the doctor or nurse about its effect on your pain.
Narcotic Addiction
Narcotic addiction is defined as dependence on the regular use of narcotics to satisfy physical, emotional, and psychological needs rather than for medical reasons. Pain relief is a medical reason for taking narcotics. Therefore, if you take narcotics to relieve your pain, you are not an “addict,” no matter how much or how often you take narcotic medicines. If you and your doctor decide that narcotics are a proper choice for your pain relief, use them as directed. Addiction is a very common fear of people who take narcotics for pain relief. Narcotic addiction is an emotionally charged subject. You may hear people use the term “addiction” very loosely without understanding exactly what it means - the compulsive use of habit-forming drugs for their pleasurable effects. Drug addiction in cancer patients is rare. Generally, when narcotics are used under proper medical supervision the chance of addiction is very small. Most patients who take narcotics for pain relief can stop taking these drugs if their pain can be controlled by other means. It is important to remember that if narcotics are the only effective way to relieve pain, the patient’s comfort is more important than any possibility of addiction. If you take narcotics for several weeks or more, be prepared for someone to express a concern about addiction. Most people with prolonged pain who take narcotics have faced this problem. Remind yourself that other people’s concerns about addiction are often due to lack of information. If you have concerns about addiction, share them with those who are caring for you. These fears should not prevent you from using narcotics to effectively relieve your pain.
Drug Tolerance
When certain drugs are taken regularly for a length of time, the body doesn’t respond to them as well as it once did, and the drugs at a fixed dose become less effective. Larger or more frequent doses must be taken to obtain the effect that was achieved with the original dose. People who take narcotics for pain control sometimes find that over time they will need to take larger doses. This either may be due to an increase in the pain or the development of drug tolerance. Increasing the doses of narcotics to relieve increasing pain or to overcome drug tolerance is not addiction.
Narcotic Pain Reliever Dosage
The amount of pain reliever you take should be determined by your doctor. Analgesics affect different people in different ways. A very small dose may be effective for you, while someone else may need to take a much larger dose to obtain pain relief. You need to ask these questions:
- How much should I take? How often?
- If my pain is not relieved, can I take more?
- If the dose should be increased, by how much?
- Must I call the doctor before increasing the dose?
- What if I forget to take it or take it late?
Your doctor will try to prescribe the amount of narcotic that will be both safe for you and effective for your pain. Take the medicine as your doctor or nurse has prescribed but tell them at once if your pain is not controlled or if you have severe side effects such as extreme drowsiness or difficulty in breathing. If you do not need as much narcotic as has been prescribed, your doctor or nurse will tell you how to reduce the dose or frequency.
Narcotic Pain Reliever Withdrawal Effects
You should not stop taking narcotic pain relievers suddenly. People who stop taking narcotic medicine usually are taken off the drug gradually so that any withdrawal symptoms will be mild or scarcely noticeable. If you stop taking narcotics suddenly and develop a flu-like illness, excessive perspiration, diarrhea, or any other unusual reaction, tell your doctor or nurse. These symptoms can be treated and tend to disappear in a few days to a few weeks.
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