A patient approaches a doctor, saying he is in severe pain. The doctor gives a tentative diagnosis, prescribing an OTC pain reliever, prescription NSAID, or mild opiate. But, to the chagrin of all, the pain doesn't go away, or gets worse. Tests are taken; maybe operations are performed; yet, the pain remains, often going worse with time.
It used to be traditional for the doctor to give up; the patient must "grin and bear it." If the patient still cannot find relief,he may try this for awhile; the pain may indeed go away. Or it may not.
Precisely when should the stronger opiates, for long to indefinite periods of time, be considered?
When the patient requests it?
This is a controversial position.
Won't the patient get addicted?
Not necessarily. Several studies have shown that, especially when kept on a regular dose of narcotics, the patient will develop no signs of addiction. Any alteration in the patient's mood that occurs, (and many patients say none does) will not be associated with the pain relief; it's always there. Once an a satisfactory dose, the patient may stay at the same pain level for months, even years.
What about the danger of overdose? This is next to impossible, since the dose is raised gradually. A patient with a history of drug abuse may find this difficult, but this may be taken care of with different kinds of drugs, more frequent appointments (so the person in question is unlikely to be able to hoard a dangerous amount), and family or friend accountability
Won't the patient become lethargic, unable to work?
Most likely, the opposite. These are people who have pain all the time. Instead of feeling sick, and wanting to rest, they may feel active for the first time in years. However, progress should be measured in relation to their past amount of activity. One who hasn't worked in years should not be expected to change, immediately. But there is usually some increase in activity, rather than the lethargy and indifference often shown in anti-marijuana mis-infomercials.
I'm not saying this is any magic cure. When it is decided that the patient should stop, the drug should be decreased gradually. And patients and doctors should always think of the possibility of the patient's ending up in a place where their drug is not available, or affordable;in
Epidemiologic data from 2012 National Survey on Drug use and health states that 12.5 million American reported opioids abuse (3). Medications such as prescribed opioids have the ability to generate physical and psychoactive effects, which can alter consciousness and the ability to feel pain. Almost all civilizations have individuals who choose to use these drugs and often become dependent on the substance they are using. It is important to recognize though that these drugs do create some harmful effects such
move forward with this problem the best we can. We need to look at all the possibilities of the legalization of this drug. We need to decide if the pros out way the cons or if the other way around. We need to figure out if we could possibly make some money on taxing this drug to help pay for other committees. We need to look at all the options. We need to look at all aspects of new ideas. As a nation, maybe it is time to try something new. In 1937 marijuana was placed in Schedule I, stating that it
IASP’s definition of pain is “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage” (H. Merskey and N. Bogduk 1994). Pain however is much broader and can be further classified by its duration or pathophysiology. Most commonly pain can be classified as acute or chronic. Acute pain is a essential warning sign that helps the host protect itself from a potentially dangerous environment. The unset of acute pain is sudden and it
Pain is something most people want to get rid of. It would be shocking if a person would want pain or create their own pain. Sounds outrageous, right? The millions of Americans suffering with diseases and conditions, from chronic pain to cancer, all want their pain to simply disappear. But, most people are aware that some treatment options and pharmaceuticals don’t always work. As a result, they are forced to live with their conditions or diseases for long amounts of time, sometimes even leading
growing trend over the past few years in health care using Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) or also known as Eastern medicine. The new and emerging type of health care has been around for thousands of years, but in recent years have been more accepting in Western culture. CAM is described as, “a wide range of practices, technologies and treatments not traditionally associated with the medical professions or medical curriculum” (Solomon & Adams, 2015). There are many different types of
Roth Strategies for University Writing October 22, 2015 Alternative Medicine vs. Traditional / Conventional Medicine Alternative medicine has it perks over conventional medicine and makes for a healthier being. Many think Alternative medicine is not new to society. It actually started long before conventional medicine was founded. Before there was an FDA and is still used today all over the world it is still used by many people all over the world. Everyone has their own beliefs as to which are more
most medical treatments. As improvements in education and resources arose throughout the years there was a shift towards modern medicine, which is heavily based on evidence that has been gathered using the scientific method. Due to the lack of scientific reliability, the use of herbal remedies raises some doubt and concern. However, it is important to consider the effectiveness of herbal remedies that are derived from the natural sources surrounding us. Although in past eras chronic illnesses such
Introduction Chronic pain is a long term condition, which means it cannot be cured, but the symptoms may be controlled by therapies and medications (Saxon and Lillyman, 2011). When pain is considered chronic, it lasts longer than the expected healing period and there may not be a clear cause (Kraaimaat and Evers, 2003). Impact of having a long term condition on sufferer and significant others A long term condition not only brings the physical symptom of pain, but a number of psychological and social
violate its zero tolerance policy on drugs” (Oliver). Without the pills containing THC, the young boy could have a seizure. If medicinal marijuana was legal, this wouldn’t have been an issue, and that is why marijuana should be legalized in the United States. It will not only benefit those who need it for medical issues, but the taxation will also benefit our economy. Since the 1930's marijuana has been illegal in the United States. Marijuana can relieve pain; it can prevent formations of cancer
The Perception of Pain At some point in life, all people experience pain. The presence of pain can prevent further damage to an injured area or even prevent an injury from occurring, but pain that continues, after treatment or even after healing, can be debilitating (Loeser and Melzack, 1999). Stephani Curtis (1997) presents a case study of a 32-year-old woman, Mrs. J, who injured her lower back when she fell off a horse. As a result of this accident, Mrs. J experienced a ruptured lumbar
Cancer patients often wonder if going through treatments like chemotherapy and radiation are worth the risk of the side effects, in addition to the cancerous side effects. They feel that they can’t enjoy or relax in what a short amount of time they have left because they are bedridden from the nausea and pain that treatments put them through. Patients tell their loved ones to just let them die so long as they don’t have to go through any more pain. Those who are too old, are unable to recover from
think it is more justified to experiment with some species over others. For example, most citizens would be stronger supporters of canine rights over those of mice. This essay will assert that testing on all types of animals is objectionable due to the pain that the subjects undergo, negative environmental and health
of drugs that holds Americans in the bondage of addiction and causes harm to their health and well-being. Marijuana comes from the hemp plant called cannabis sativa and is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S. (Goldberg). Although marijuana has mostly been used as a drug to get high, physicians have recently discovered that marijuana can treat the symptoms of cancer and multiple sclerosis, relieve pain, and treat many minor ailments. Because of the rare healing effects of this drug, many
Brief description and explanation of disorder: Hepatitis B is an infection of ones liver which prevents it from working well. The infection can also cause scarring of the organ. It can cause cancer and liver failure if not treated right away. The good news about this disorder is that in most cases, the disorder does not last very long. Once your body fights off the disease, you become immune to it for the rest of your life. Hepatitis b is a DNA virus. It is caused when people come in contact with open
Health psychology is a relatively new concept rapidly growing and could be defined as the biological and psychological influences affect ones behaviour also bringing in social influences of health and illness (MacDonald, 2013). Biological determinants consider genetic and biological factors of an illness whereas psychological determinants focus on the psychological factors such as why people behave the way they do when dealing with issues such as anxiety and stress. Models such as the Health Belief