Chronic pain management is a complex problem and there are risks to under-treating pain, as well as opioid use. Consider the legal and ethical implications of pain management, including undertreatment.
Opioids carry significant risk and should be reserved for people suffering from severe or moderate to severe pain. Consult your health-care provider and, if necessary, bring family members along to advocate for you if your pain is severe enough to warrant opioids.
Under-treatment of pain carries significant risks to individuals. Use forms to help communicate your pain. Forms relating to Pain
There are more forms and great information on CPM Centres for Pain Management
Medication can lead to an ability to increase activity. Remember Step 5 Pain and Pacing
Using forms ensures easier, quicker and more effective communication with your health-care provider. Your local library may be able to help you print the forms to hand to your health-care provider.
All opioids come with the risk of suppression your breathing – called respiratory depression – which can lead to death. There are unique reactions to medications. Here is a link to Acetaminophen and Codeine.
Methadone is a very useful tool to help patients lower their opioid use while managing overwhelming intractable pain. Once pain control is improved, it may be easier to implement other tools to manage pain, which could eventually lead to reduction or withdrawal of opioids.
You may be concerned about addiction and you should be. It is not impossible to get addicted to anything, food, alcohol, crazy sports, and certainly with opioids – addiction is a definite risk. But Methadone and buprenorphine/Naloxone have a lower risk of addiction than other opioids.
Some people require opioids like Methadone for the rest of their lives. That is called dependence. You depend on the drug for a good quality of life. It may be a risk worth taking.
Here is a brief outline of Methadone Use for Pain.
Buprenorphine is an opioid that can be used to help people manage substance problems, like an opioid addiction. It is being used off label to help people in pain. Some people develop tolerance to certain opioids and require increasing doses to manage their pain. Buprenorphine can be safer than many other opioids in higher doses.
Managing pain appropriately will help prevent unnecessary harm, including under-treated pain, suicides and people turning to street drugs.
Buprenorphine is being investigated for use for chronic pain but is not indicated yet for that. Methadone has already achieved indications for use in chronic pain and is especially useful when it comes to neuropathic pain.
(It tastes awful – try this trick I learned from the internet –
A couple of tricks to prep or get the taste out after or during. First wash your mouth out with some milk, thicker the better like whole milk. Then put the tab under your tongue right afterwards. Once it is dissolved, then do the milk again, also works with coffee as well. I also like to use Sour Patch kids, eat a couple then put the tab in, while it is dissolving put a couple sour patch in your mouth at the same time just try not to eat or swallow them until the tab is dissolved usually 4 to 5 minutes.
Neuropathic pain may not always be obvious on clinical examination. Widespread pain can often involve inflammation of smaller neurons and lead to neuropathic type pain.
When pain is severe, or even moderately severe, opioids can be an important pain management tool to use while patients learn other tools to decrease or manage their pain.
Clinical Guidelines for Physicians BC
Addiction vs Dependence
Sometimes patients feel as if their doctors think they are addicts. Almost always this is not the case. Doctors are concerned about opioids as they can produce tolerance and dependence. If you have chronic pain, you may be dependent on your medication for pain relief, which is not the same as addiction.
Opioids are very easy to misuse, so be sure to read the instructions.
Opioid use Disorder
Excerpt taken from the Suboxone medication information pamphlet from the company
If you feel you may have an opioid use disorder, remember it is a chronic relapsing condition affection the brain and treatment is available.
Psychological dependence
- the drug is central to your thoughts and often used compulsively +- cravings.
Physical dependence
the body suffers with withdrawal symptoms if the drug is reduced or stopped abruptly
Storage
Store in a safe place locked away – keep away from children and never give the drug to anyone else.
What does it do?
Buprenorphine is an opioid that reduces cravings and symptoms of withdrawal
Naloxone is added to Suboxone to stop people injecting other opioids. It blocks the effects of other opioids like methadone, heroin, and morphine and can give withdrawal side effects of these drugs
How to use
Use it correctly – allow to dissolve under the tongue – and it will work correctly.
Put it under the tongue and let it dissolve – takes 2-10 minutes.
Your doctor will ask you to wait for withdrawal symptoms from your previous opioids before starting Suboxone. This is to avoid intense withdrawal.
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible but do not take a double dose in one day.
If you miss more than one dose – contact your pharmacist.
If you land up in an emergency room, let the doctors know that you are on Suboxone.
Do not break, crush or chew the tablet.
Signs of overdosage
Slow or weak breathing, dizziness, confusion or extreme drowsiness.
Contact a health professional immediately if this happens
Interactions
Read the pharmacist pamphlet carefully. Do not use with alcohol or benzodiazepines or monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
Great article on buprenorphine
Here is another article – As in anything in medicine – always do your own research. I’ve included this article as there are some really valid points. But – in Canada – Buprenorphine is treated as any other opioid – prescribing it requires opioid prescription pad and specific rules – so not all is true with regard Canada – but there are important points in the article about the affinity the drug has for receptors which make general anesthesia a real challenge – read the article and do more of your own research: What makes Buprenorphine risky for pain patients.