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VITALITY
Fall 2016
COMMUNITY
It’s tough to live with chronic pain,
but millions of Americans do. That’s
one reason why prescription opioids
are so popular.
These powerful medications
are good at relieving pain in the
short term. They also help people
with active cancer and people
receiving hospice or palliative care
cope with pain.
“Opioids come with some serious
risks, including the risk of physical
dependence, habituation, addiction,
unintentional overdose and death,”
says Michael C. Misko, M.D.,
FAAFP, FAEP, CPE, FACHE, Chief
Medical Officer at Citizens Memorial
Hospital in Bolivar.
“As many as 1 in 4 people who
take opioids for a long time become
addicted to the drugs—a condition
known as opioid use disorder,” says
Dr. Misko. And more than 165,000
people in the U.S. died from opioid
overdose between 1999 and 2014.
FINDING SOLUTIONS
To help curb opioid addiction and
overdose deaths, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention has
issued new guidelines for prescribing
the drugs to treat chronic pain. The
guidelines encourage doctors to start
low and go slow when prescribing
opioids in order to reduce the
risks linked to long-term use. (The
guidelines don’t apply to cancer
patients or those receiving hospice or
palliative care.)
If you’re living with chronic pain,
talk with your doctor about the risks
and benefits of taking opioids. Be
honest about any personal history of
drug or alcohol addiction. Also discuss
other ways to help manage your pain,
such as physical therapy, exercise and
nonopioid medications.
Then if your doctor does prescribe
an opioid, be sure to:
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Never mix the drug with alcohol.
And don’t take it with other
substances or medications without
your doctor’s OK.
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Never take more of the medication
than prescribed.
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Never share the medication with
friends or family. And keep it
locked away and well out of reach
of curious children and teens.
“You should always alert your
doctor if you experience side effects
from an opioid, such as constipation,
nausea, vomiting, dry mouth,
sleepiness, confusion or decreased sex
drive, or if you need to take more of
the medication to get the same pain
relief,” says Dr. Misko.
Additional source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration
What you need to know about opioids
NAMES TO KNOW
Well-known brand-name painkillers, like Vicodin
(hydrocodone) and OxyContin (oxycodone), are
opioids. So are generic drugs, such as:
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Buprenorphine.
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Codeine.
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Fentanyl.
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Hydromorphone.
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Methadone.
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Morphine.
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Oxymorphone.
PHARMACY