For people with severe pain in back, pain medication becomes extremely necessary. Pain medications help people in acute or short-term pain so that it helps making the normal function possible and in case of chronic pain it helps manage pain while undergoing other types of treatments to administer the reasons for pain.
The above situation is just ideal situation. Unfortunately in some other cases people who face non-specific pain in back, means where the cause isn’t identified. People having acute pain can also become chronic pain in no time. People having chronic pain, quickly come under the trap of treatment through drugs only to relieve the pain.
Many people completely trust their respective doctors and do not raise any question or doubt their way of treatment or prescribed medicines. However, problems arise when medication like short-acting opioid are used for managing chronic pain. Short-acting opioids are type of narcotic medications that help providing temporary relief from pain and it requires re-dosing frequently and over some period of time requires higher doses to attain the desired effect for pain relief.
Short-acting opioids tend to become habit forming medications compared to long-acting opioids and result in unwanted withdrawal symptoms, like flu, tremors, and diarrhea. It also effect the pain sufferer psychologically as the pain comes back again during withdrawal. Long-acting opioids are preferred over short-acting opioids for chronic pain.
What needs to be done
If the doctor has prescribed Percocet or any other inappropriate opioid to be taken in long term, make sure you ask your doctor. Your approach to the doctor will help in saving yourself and your chemical dependency for a prolonged period.
Discuss with your doctor and let him know that the medications that you are consuming is not fit for your pain and not safe for you. The appropriate way to avoid the withdrawal symptoms and manage pain completely depends on the duration of the current medicine you are taking. Discuss with your doctor and ask him to suggest you safer alternatives like long acting types of medications. Remember these medications have risk of dependency.
Don’t stop medications to be on the safer side as pain treatment for your back should not begin and end with concealing the pain. Your pain means it’s a sign that something is not going right in your body. Failure to find out and rectify the exact cause of pain can lead to other problems like degenerative disc, spinal misalignment, pain in facet joint etc., even if the exact cause isn’t identified it creates problem so it is better to spend experimenting with different treatment methods available like physical therapy, chiropractic care and massage therapy. Some other treatments include correction of postural dysfunction after analyzing a bit.
This is pain that you are suffering from and you need to be concerned about pain and its treatment. Your doctor will help you recovering from pain. Trust your doctor and empower yourself and learn about the possibilities of treatment and your body. It will help you a lot in healing faster.