Injured man addicted to opiates.
by M
(USA)
We are struggling with an opiate addiction with a man who was injured in Iraq. His pain is severe but he overdoes his medications…it never seems to be enough.
Pain Management
Long term pain management is a serious issue and those who are providing medical care are aware of the dangers of abusing pain medication and the lurking problem of addiction. He has to allow his medical team to keep trying to find a solution to his pain that makes sense and keeps him out of the clutches of addiction. Of course, if he is addicted now, that problem needs to be addressed. It sounds like he’s in trouble, so he needs to be checked out. There are alternatives. |
Injured…
Dear M, Thanks for writing. I am a recovering alcoholic and I can relate to this problem. I would also like to say that I am VERY grateful to everyone in our Armed Forces! After I stopped drinking and I needed a pain killer (such as when I had oral surgery) I would ask the doctor to prescribe something that was non-addictive. Those meds. worked for me, which actually was a welcome surprise to me. Then not too long ago I had surgery and did not think to ask that doctor for a non-addictive pain killer and he gave me a regular pain killer. At first I really needed them so that was OK. However, after a while I could see that they were potentially addictive. I found myself liking the way they made me feel – DANGER ZONE! So, I learned my lesson and from now on I will make sure I ask for a non-addictive one. Maybe this would be possible for your friend. Good luck and I’ll pray for both of you-Lynette |