Resources about Pain Killers

Hello. This may sound strange coming from a chronic pain patient, but I am terrified of pain killers. They can help me bear my pain when it is at its worse, but I am also afraid that I will become too dependent on them and actually worsen my condition by taking too many pain killers (The overuse of painkillers can cause rebound headaches for people with Chronic Migraine Syndrome, which I have.) Because of this fear, I tend to overcompensate by refusing to take pain killers when I probably should, causing myself unnecessary suffering. For me, at least, trying to decide when to take pain killers for my constant pain and when not to is very difficult.

Here, I have provided some resources about pain killer addiction, as well as alternatives to pain killers. I am not posting these resources because I believe that people in chronic pain should not take pain killers (When they need to, they should) or because I think many chronic pain patients abuse pain killers (That's actually a dangerous stereotype). Rather, I am posting these because I recognize that people in chronic pain have to make tough decisions about when to take pain killers. I am hoping these posts will reassure you about your pain killer usage.

1. Warning signs of addiction to pain killers

Link: http://blogs.psychcentral.com/addiction-recovery/2012/05/5-signs-addicted-pain-medication/

This article presents and discusses five different signs that you are becoming addicted to your painkillers. This article mostly discusses early signs of pain killer addiction, so if you do some of these things, it does not mean you are an addict, it just means you might want to monitor your use of pain killers more closely. I especially appreciate warning sign number one, which states that it can be dangerous if you start considering taking your painkillers for reasons besides lessening pain.

2. Chronic pain management myths and facts



Link: http://www.hss.edu/conditions_10-myths-chronic-pain.asp

This article addresses some common myths about chronic pain, including the myth that people with chronic pain patients will probably get addicted to pain medication. The article reminds us that these myths are not usually true. Other, non-painkiller-related-myths are also addressed, such as the myth that most chronic pain patients are exaggerating their pain (according to the article, this rarely happens in reality.).

3. Natural pain relievers

Link: http://www.spine-health.com/blog/14-natural-pain-relievers

This article discusses several natural ways to relieve pain, such as exercising, exposing yourself to sunlight, eating cookies, and eating grapes. Obviously, most chronic pain patients are in pain that is too severe to be completely relieved by these practices. Yet, these techniques can help take the edge off the pain. If you have chronic migraines or another pain condition that is triggered by certain movements or food, you must, of course, use your own best judgement as to if these natural remedies would work for you. (Also, if you have chronic migraines, I would like to add sniffing peppermint oil and sipping hot water or decaf tea to the list, as I have found that these techniques often help make my pain more manageable for me.)