Medication Management for Chronic Pain Management
Some pain disorders require pharmacological (prescription drug) interventions. Other conditions may respond to over-the-counter medications like aspirin or ibuprofen. Still other conditions may need a combination of both. However, some pain disorders can be effectively treated without any chemical interventions at all. These non-chemical interventions are called Nonpharmacological Treatment Processes.
Any psychoactive medication could be problematic for people with a genetic or personal history of an addictive disorder. Unfortunately, there may be times when opiate (or opioid) medication management is needed, but there are risks. Sometimes people are not even aware that they are having problems due to their medication until they’re in over their heads. I’ve worked with a lot of people over the past 25 years who needed to examine their relationship with their pain medication. To help my patients take an objective look I’ve developed several checklists or exercises to help them. I published this process last year and will tell you just a little bit about them. I actually published three modules and I specifically developed the second one to explore potential medication management problems.
In APM Module Two: Examining Your Potential Medication Management Problems, you can explore the reasons people start developing problems with potentially addictive pain medication and define some often misunderstood terms. You can also get the opportunity to examine the Red Flags Checklist to see if you are experiencing any challenging medication management problems. You can then review and sign an APM Medication Management Agreement and look at how denial could prevent you from following this plan. Finally you will develop a safety plan designed to help you adhere to your Medication Management Agreement. This safety plan includes developing a personalized craving management plan.
To learn more please visit our website at www.addiction-free.com and go to the Publications page to review the modules as well as my other publications. I also have an article on our website Managing Pain Medication in Recovery that is free to download.
