We live in a quick fix society.  When something goes wrong we look for the fastest way to remedy the situation.  When we have a headache we “pop a pill” and the problem is solved.  If you watched any amount of TV the past few years you may have noticed a significant increase in commercials hyping prescription medication.  Many people are demanding specific medications that they saw on TV with the mistaken belief that—if it’s advertised on TV it much be safe; for example the commercials advertising Lunesta, a sleep medication.  After all how can such a cute butterfly be dangerous?

So it’s not surprising when our back starts hurting again using medication to escape from the pain is our primary concern.  Our medical system is designed for crisis, or symptom management.  Rarely do we look for the underlying reasons for our headache or back pain.  Using the “Band-Aid” approach of taking a pill seems quicker, cheaper, and easier—but is it really?

What if the pain condition is a long lasting or chronic condition?  In that instance using certain types of pain medication—even over-the-counter (OTC) medications— over long periods of time can be problematic.  One of the major OTC pain medications used by millions of Americans is Tylenol (acetaminophen).  We know that a major problem with this medication is damage to the liver.  The National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) indicates that there is an average of 26,256 hospitalizations per year related to acetaminophen overdoses.  All medications have side effects, so determining a cost-benefit analysis is crucial. 

To effectively manage a pain condition, while avoiding the risk of addiction, it is very important to understand exactly what he or she is experiencing.  When people are in pain they experience both physical and psychological symptoms.  To understand the language of pain, we must learn to listen to how the pain echoes and reverberates between the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of the human condition. Pain is truly a total human experience that affects all aspects of human functioning.

The easiest way to understand pain is to recognize that every time we feel pain our body is attempting to tell us that something is wrong.  Pain sensations are critical to human survival.  Without pain we would have no way of knowing that something was wrong with our body.  So without pain we would be unable to take action to correct the problem or situation that is causing the pain.  There are also two types of pain that need to be understood: acute and chronic.

When medication does not eliminate the pain or address the lifestyle losses the person is experiencing, the result is usually irrational thinking and uncomfortable emotions—in other words, suffering.  Some conditions—because they are terminal or because they are likely to result in significant disability—may also evoke amplified pain symptoms because of the psychological components of the illness or injury.

Although managing pain without pills is a very desirable goal, in some cases there needs to be an “appropriate” medication management plan.  This plan should be a collaborative process with a professional who understands the biopsychosocial nature of pain and the very real risks of dependency or addiction.  In addition to the psychological treatment plan and the medication management plan we need to explore non-pharmacological modalities such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, hydrotherapy, biofeedback, etc.  As you can see this is anything but a “quick fix.”

To understand how to develop an effective chronic pain management plan check out my article The Need for Multidisciplinary Chronic Pain Treatment that you can download for free on our Ariticles page.

You can learn more about the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System at our website www.addiction-free.com. If you are in recovery and want to learn how to develop a plan for managing your pain and medication effectively go to our Publications page and check out my book the Addiction-Free Pain Management® Recovery Guide: Managing Pain and Medication in Recovery. To purchase this book please Click Here. We have a busy fall schedule for upcoming trainings that you can check out on our Calendar page.

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