Managing the pain

There are many techniques for pain management that are very effective, both while we are in treatment and afterwards, if we just give them the chance to do so. Listed below are just some of the many useful and effective tools. A qualified physician should approve all techniques before you attempt them:

1. Physical Therapy: This is the most effective treatment of all. Most of us have been through many forms of physical therapy before, but chances are good we were abusing chemicals at the same time, nullifying or weakening the therapy. The form of treatment can also strengthen other parts of our bodies that can be used to physically support the pain area, such as back, leg and stomach muscles. Posture exercises are essential in chronic pain therapy.
2. Heat or Ice Therapy: I have two reusable ice packs in the freezer at all times. Ice is fast acting and very effective. Heat is very soothing to sore muscles. Always follow the suggestions of a physician, to be sure this type of therapy will help you and is safe.
3. Relaxation Techniques: Stress causes pain and pain causes stress. Relaxation helps reduce stress while helping reduce muscle spasms. There are various methods of relaxation, and some are more effective than others, depending upon the source of the pain. Deep breathing exercises can work wonders, since deep breathing is the body’s natural way to relax.
4. Biofeedback: This is a specialized form of relaxation that can help you relax the area that is the source of pain. This is taught by pain management programs or professionals in private practice.
5. Massage Therapy: This works well when used alone or combined with other pain management techniques. The majority of us suffer from muscle pain even though our injury sites may be elsewhere. It is usually the responding muscles that hurt the most.
6. Alternative Medicine: Many of us receive relief from alternative sources such as chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, reflexology and other forms of alternative medicine. This type of treatment is usually done when in-patient treatment is complete, however your particular program may make exceptions.
7. Proper Diet: Depending upon the person, a nutritionist can be consulted for healthy eating habits. If we are overweight, chances are we are making the pain worse by putting extra strain on the body.
8. Psychological and Psychiatric Support: Any program specializing in addiction and chronic pain will have appropriate counselors and psychiatrists to aid in pain management. Counselors and psychologists give emotional and spiritual guidance. They can also provide healthy support in therapeutic activities such as group therapy. Psychiatrists can prescribe antidepressants that can relieve depression and contribute to pain relief.
9. Medications: All treatment programs of this nature have staff physicians than can provide pain relief by prescribing appropriate non-mood-altering medications that are just as good as, if not better than narcotics and benzodiazepines. It may take some trial and error before the best overall medication is found for each individual. Just remember, mood-altering medications are not effective once tolerance builds, and chances are the medications you abused stopped providing physical relief.
10. Occupational Therapy and Vocational Guidance: Many of us are distressed because we can no longer function at work. Some of us must make occupational changes because of our chronic pain. Pain management treatment should include services that can help you return to work, or guide you toward new trades. Occupational therapy may be required if you intend to eventually return to your line of work. This involves training your muscles so they can cope with the stress of a particular job. Vocational counseling can help you change careers. These counselors specialize in this form of therapy, which includes a variety of testing and guidance.
11. Setting Goals: Once we have arrived at a level of acceptance of our pain, it is imperative that we begin setting specific goals that, once we reach, gives us hope and raises our self-esteem. Setting specific goals is a major function of treatment planning. Your counselor will provide guidance and help you set these goals.
12. Family Therapy: This is an essential part of treatment because the family plays such an important role in addiction and chronic pain. This form of therapy will help the family work through fears, and help them understand how they enable destructive behaviors in both areas.

A landmark scientific paper published in the April 2009 issue of Nature Reviews Genetics presented some groundbreaking new insights into the role of genetics in addiction by honing in on specific genes that are tied to all types of addictions. The study, conducted by addiction experts at the University of Virginia Health System and the University of Michigan, even found that some genes that are associated with alcohol dependence are also linked to various other addictions. The gene was found to be a common factor in addictions to nicotine, cocaine, opioids and other substances.

Study co-author Ming Li, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences at the UVA School of Medicine, commented on the study and its potential impact:

“Addiction researchers have found that several genes are linked with multiple addictions. … So, we’re narrowing the scope to specific genetic targets. Once researchers can pinpoint exact genetic variants and molecular mechanisms, then we can create much more effective, even personalized, treatments for individuals addicted to a variety of substances.”

Li also believes that further research is needed to understand the full impact of genetic variations on addiction. “The exact nature of the gene variants and how they function are still unknown, so functional studies as well as studies using additional ethnic population samples may be quite revealing,” Dr. Li said.

Another recent study, conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado in Denver, pinpointed genetic pathways and genes associated with alcohol consumption. The researchers were able to identify genetic factors that predisposed both rats and humans to drink more; however, they were unable to discover a similar link between the genes and actual alcohol addiction. Nonetheless, according to Boris Tabakoff, a lead researcher, the study’s results may help scientists to eventually connect the dots between genetic makeup and addiction.

Tabakoff said, “We know that high levels of alcohol consumption can increase the risk of becoming alcohol dependent in those who have a genetic makeup that predisposes to dependence. This is a case of interaction between genes and environment. Indeed, in our study we found that, higher alcohol consumption in humans was positively correlated with alcohol dependence. However, because different sets of genes seem to influence the level of alcohol consumption, as opposed to propensity for alcohol dependence, we are confronted with great variation in humans. Individuals with a set of genes that predisposes them to drink moderate amounts of alcohol may still have the genetic predisposition to lose control over their drinking behavior, and perhaps become alcohol dependent. Conversely, individuals with a genetic predisposition to drink high amounts of alcohol may not have the genes that predispose them to become dependent.”

A study just completed at Brown University (the results will be published in the January 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research) succeeded in identifying a link between a gene variation and teen alcohol misuse. For the study, researchers examined the genetic makeup of 187 adolescents (98 boys and 89 girls) around the age of 15 years. They were able to correlate a polymorphism (variation in the shape) of the OPRM1 opioid receptor gene called A118G with heightened risk for alcohol-related problems and likelihood to meet the clinical diagnostic criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

Robert Miranda, Jr., assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University and corresponding author for the study, commented on the implications of the study’s findings:

“Our current knowledge about the genetics of alcohol misuse during adolescence comes almost exclusively from family and twin studies. … But the relative importance of environmental and genetic factors appears to shift considerably over the course of adolescence … with genetics playing an important role once teenagers begin to drink. … Our findings provide the first evidence to suggest that teenagers who carry a certain variant of the OPRM1 gene experience more alcohol-related problems.”

Notably, the Brown University team discovered that teens with this variant were more likely to report drinking alcohol because of the pleasurable effects than for other reasons. The fact that the genetic variation enhances the pleasure experienced by youth when consuming alcohol helps to explain why teens with this variation might be more likely to develop problem drinking behaviors.

Miranda, Jr., explains, “The G allele, or variant, of the OPRMI gene is associated with the function of the body’s own natural opiate system. Research suggests that the G allele is associated with experiencing more pleasure and greater intoxication after drinking.”

 By Emily Battaglia

Detox at an addiction center can take days or even weeks, depending on what the person was abusing, how much they were using and for how long. However, just because a person has completed medical detox doesn’t mean that they are through with their rehab program. In fact, detox is just one small step in the larger process of freedom from drug and alcohol dependency.

When a person becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol, they aren’t just addicted to the substance they are abusing – they become addicted to the flood of pleasurable stimuli that the substance provides to them. No drug rehab program can be successful without changing the mindset of a person and helping them to understand how their addiction has changed them and what they need to do to move forward.

In addition to the lessons about moving forward that are taught at a rehab center, addicts also must address the root causes of their addiction. The majority of addicts start abusing drugs or alcohol because of other factors such as genetics, unhappy childhoods or unstable current lives. Without addressing these underlying factors, most people will eventually fall right back into their patterns of addiction and dependence.

For all of these reasons, it’s important to do more than just “get dry” when trying to quit drinking. Long-term abstinence requires a total rehab program that addresses every aspect of the drug or alcohol addiction.

By Sarah Michaels

People looking for treatment for prescription drugs in Florida are basically addicted to three categories of drugs. The first types of drugs are opiates. They are taken to relieve pain. Codeine, Demerol, Dilaudid, Morphine and Vicodine are some of the commonly prescribed drugs under this category. Anyone taking these medicines over a longer period of time can easily get addicted and treatment for addiction is necessary, especially in the initial stage of withdrawal. The second category of drugs is CNS depressants. It can be divided into two sub-categories – barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Nembutal and Mebaral come under barbiturates and are given to people suffering from anxiety and sleep disorder. Halcion, Librium, Valium and Xanax come under benzodiazepines and are taken for panic attacks and anxiety. Stimulants belong to the third category. Ritalin and Dexedrine are examples of the Stimulants that are commonly used today. They are provided to stimulate the brain in order to make a person more agile and active. Treatment for prescription drugs should immediately the initiated once the addiction is detected.

Treatment for prescription drugs in Florida involves inpatient therapy, outpatient therapy and group therapy. The inpatient treatment requires patient to be admitted to a detox treatment facility. The patients are carefully examined by physicians and taken off of their particular drugs safely and securely. The whole procedure may take 7 to 10 days. After the detox treatment is complete patients are referred to counselor who then makes further arrangements for individual and group therapy. They are subjected to number of educational lectures and group discussions in order to make them understand the drug addiction and its consequences. This helps them to rehabilitate successfully. In the outpatient program patients are treated through various interventions that include detox treatment, massage therapy, acupuncture sessions and hydro-therapy. Patients are required to visit the treatment facility from time to time in order to be examined and to determine the extent of their addiction and the progress of their individual treatment plan. Patients are also encouraged to take part in various recreational activities like swimming, running, exercising, playing outdoor games and others that are provided at the treatment facility. In group therapy patients are encouraged to participate in meetings that are designed to educate them about Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) programs. Emphasis is laid on social interaction as most take to drug addiction because of the feeling of loneliness.

Treatment for prescription drugs in Florida is based upon the philosophy that every individual is important and unique and should be treated with distinction and respect. The main purpose of the treatment is to help the individual to become healthier and lead a drug free life.

By Gen Wright

When treating pain, health care providers have long wrestled with a dilemma:

How to adequately relieve a patient’s suffering while avoiding the potential for that patient to become addicted to pain medication?

Many doctors underprescribe painkillers because they overestimate the potential for patients to become addicted to medications such as morphine and codeine. Although these drugs carry a heightened risk of addiction, research has shown that providers’ concerns that patients will become addicted to pain medication are largely unfounded. This fear of prescribing opioid pain medications is known as “opiophobia.”

Most patients who are prescribed opioids for pain, even those undergoing long-term therapy, do not become addicted. The few patients who do develop rapid and marked tolerance for and addiction to opioids usually have a history of psychological problems or prior substance abuse. In fact, studies have shown that abuse potential of opioid medications is generally low in healthy, nondrug-abusing volunteers. One study found that only 4 out of about 12,000 patients who were given opioids for acute pain became addicted. In a study of 38 chronic pain patients, most of whom received opioids for 4 to 7 years, only 2 became addicted, and both had a history of drug abuse.

The issues of underprescription of opioids and the suffering of millions of patients who don’t receive adequate pain relief has led to the development of guidelines for pain treatment. This may help bring an end to underprescribing, but alternative forms of pain control are still needed. NIDA-funded scientists continue to search for new ways to control pain and to develop new pain medications that are effective but don’t have the potential for addiction.

Assessing Prescription Drug Abuse: Four Simple Questions

By Carol & Richard Eucstice

What Causes an Oxycodone Addiction? The main cause of an oxycodone addiction is abuse. When a person who is prescribed this drug takes more than prescribed or a person who is not prescribed this drug takes it, they put themselves at risk for addiction. In some cases, a person who takes this drug as prescribed for a prolonged period of time may become addicted to oxycodone. Peer pressure and mental illness can also increase a person’s chance of becoming addicted to oxycodone because it may make them more vulnerable to abusing this drug. Having a family history of drug abuse, specifically oxycodone abuse, can make a person more vulnerable to addiction. Patients who experience chronic pain may be more vulnerable to oxycodone addiction because they may take more than prescribed in an effort to try and decrease their pain.

Signs and Symptoms of Oxycodone Addiction- When a person becomes addicted to oxycodone they may present with certain abnormal behaviors. This drug often causes a euphoric effect so those who are addicted may seem abnormally happy and carefree often. They may also take more risks and seem to not care about consequences. They may also present drug-seeking behavior when they need more oxycodone. When an oxycodone addict does not have the drug they will most likely experience withdrawal symptoms. Oxycodone withdrawal symptoms can include diarrhea, rapid breathing, abdominal cramps, crying, loss of appetite, runny nose, muscle aches, hyperactivity, cold and hot flashes, agitation, tremors, dilated pupils, fever and increased heart rate.

Dangers and complications of oxycodone addiction- Oxycodone can be a dangerous drug when abused. Abuse leads to addiction, which can cause a variety of complications including death. If a person takes too much of the drug they may fall into a coma, suffer heart failure, respiratory failure, kidney failure or if taking a form of oxycodone that is combined with acetaminophen, liver failure or liver toxicity.

Coping with and overcoming an oxycodone addiction- most people suffering from an oxycodone addiction will not be able to stop by themselves. They will need help from their friends and families. If a person is prescribed oxycodone and has become addicted to it, they need to talk to the doctor who prescribed them the medication. Their doctor can then help wean them off the oxycodone and switch them to a medication they will not become addicted to. If the person was not prescribed oxycodone or if they are heavily addicted they will most likely need to go to rehab. Some people will benefit from outpatient rehab, but most may need inpatient rehab so that they can be monitored and treated 24 hours a day. Many addicts will relapse a time or two so it is important that they continue to get help even after they complete a rehab program. After-rehab programs, such as narcotics anonymous, can help addicts remain clean as well as help anyone who relapses quickly recover from their relapse.

by Lisa Simmons

The best detox center in my experience has been The Sunrise Detox located in Lake Worth, Florida.  They have a gentle and loving approach towards drug detoxification patients and treat all of their clients with dignity and respect. The staff at Sunrise Detox is the most caring and genuine that I have ever encountered. They actually care and want to see you recover and that is why there is such a comfortable and safe feeling there.

According to the Sunrise Detox website: “We believe that recovery from alcohol and drug addiction should be dignified. We’ve gone to great lengths to create a feeling of home at Sunrise Detox. There are no locked doors, and Sunrise Detox is not an antiseptic hospital environment. Our clients reside in comfortable, modern, elegantly furnished rooms, with plenty of space for personal belongings, and they are not required to wear uncomfortable hospital gowns during detoxification. Individuals can dress in the clothing of their choice, and have easy access to in-house laundry facilities. We also operate our own full-service, on-site gourmet kitchen which serves a diverse menu of nutritionally balanced meals and snacks.”  It makes a huge difference to be able to wear your own clothing and not be forced into a medical gown while going through withdrawal.  Each and every creature comfort that is afforded at Sunrise Detox makes the process of coming off drugs easier to bear.

The most praiseworthy aspect of Sunrise Detox is that they understand what a comfortable detox means and they don’t see detox as a time to make the patient suffer.  Through a comfortable, medically monitored detoxification process they aid their clients in their first steps towards recovery.

In general, Ultra Rapid Detox is a process of accelerating the detoxification process in patients who are addicted to drugs such as opiates, heroin, and even prescription pain relievers. The Ultra Rapid Detox process should be conducted in a hospital setting while the patient is under general anesthesia. The process needs to be overseen by certified anesthesiologists and a nursing staff that specialize in such procedures. While under anesthesia, the patient is administered medications that counteract the addictive substances. If the procedure is done correctly, the patient awakens from general anesthesia having gone partially through the drug withdrawal syndrome. Depending on how long the individual is under general anesthesia, withdrawal symptoms and physical cravings may be absent or partially absent upon awakening. However, the psychological and emotional aspects of addiction are not treated and, also, the patient hasn’t learned to change their behavior or response to their emotions regarding drugs. Because of this there is a significant risk that the patient will return to drug use shortly after ultra rapid detox.

Myths About Ultra Rapid Detox

With Ultra Rapid Detox I’ll wake up completely free from my addiction
Depending on the length of general anesthesia, you may or may not wake up free from the physical cravings of your addiction. In either case, you will still be completely addicted psychologically to the drug that you are addicted to.

I won’t feel any withdrawal symptoms with Ultra Rapid Detox
If you are under general anesthesia long enough, this might be true. However, there is a marked risk of death when one is placed under prolonged general anesthesia. Therefore, more recently “ultra rapid detox” treatments are done where the patient is under for no more than 4 to 6 hours. With shortened general anesthesia there’s a higher likelihood of having residual withdrawal symptoms upon awakening.

Ultra Rapid Detox is safe
Ultra Rapid Detox has higher risks than other detox methods and remains controversial within the medical community. There is a relative lack of scientific research to support the safety of this procedure. General anesthesia carries with it a risk of death and this risk is increased when anesthesia is prolonged. Some facilities will keep a patient under for up to 24 hours. Safety increases when time under general anesthesia is lessened, for example, down to 4 to 6 hours. However, a shorter course of general anesthesia may result in the individual experiencing more withdrawal symptoms upon awakening than otherwise.

Ultra Rapid Detox works!
Despite the wide publicity of Ultra Rapid Detox, there have not been any controlled studies to prove its effectiveness. This lack of scientific support makes it an unproven and controversial treatment for drug and opioid addiction. Ultra Rapid Detox does not treat the psychological, behavioral, and lifestyle aspects of addiction, only the physical addiction and, as time and practice prove, it is these latter aspects which hold the most control over the recovering addict.

You shouldn’t feel alone if you are addicted to drugs. In fact the United States has around 20 million drug users at this time. That’s a staggering number and many of these individuals are looking for choices and a recovery program that will work for them. The addiction to drugs is very powerful and overwhelms a sense of coming to grips with how to begin to stop what’s happening to the user. Knowing that you may not have a choice and that recovery won’t happen alone now is a good time to start looking for an addiction drug treatment program that will work for you.

Many factors are considered when overcoming addiction. The environment that you life in is a large factor. Are drugs present and easily accessible in your life? Do many of your friends and family use drugs? Also genetic factors could factor into the body and mind’s addiction to drugs. An addiction drug treatment program should focus on attending to these two factors. The program should look at all of the factors that may have created the addiction and treat these. After recovery is made you should make sure that you won’t relapse based on factors that could have been considered and controlled.

Knowing that factors do make a difference in recovery that you can learn about and change is an important component in overcoming addiction. Taking the time to select an addiction drug treatment program that separate you from the environment that has lead to the addiction will help to break the cycle of abuse. Addictive drugs produce very power physical and emotional factors in the addict. Being in a addiction drug treatment center that provides support and resources is going to be the best bet in overcoming addiction and staying sober.

By Jennifer E