Next time you visit your doctor about aches and pains, be very cautious if you’re handed a prescription for painkillers with the advice to “take two of these and call me in the morning.” There’s a chance you may not wake up. Well-meaning doctors are unknowingly putting patients’ lives at risk every day by prescribing potent opioid-based painkillers to alleviate discomfort caused by various conditions. The problem lies in the fact that everyone’s body responds to these medications differently. Medical researchers have discovered that dosing guidelines that appear effective for some individuals can lead to accidental overdose and even death in others.
For instance, take a recent study of chronic pain patients led by the University of Michigan Medical School and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Researchers found it’s impossible for doctors to identify a precise cutoff for the amount of opioid-based medication a given patient can take before suffering fatal consequences. Current prescription guidelines recommend that pain patients take no more than 100 morphine-equivalent milligrams of opiate painkillers in a 24-hour period. However, the researchers discovered that some patients passed away from accidental overdoses at well-below 50 morphine-equivalent milligrams. To put the numbers in context, that’s roughly equivalent to about five 10 mg hydrocodone pills in a 24-hour period, significantly under what thousands of chronic pain sufferers take each day.
Additional factors such as differences in body chemistry, alcohol consumption, and forgetting when they took their last dosage can also significantly increase the risk of a patient dying from taking prescribed medications. One of the researchers involved in the study stated that one of the most significant actions doctors can take to minimize the risk of accidental overdose is “changing clinical practices to avoid escalating doses for patients.”
The only issue with keeping chronic pain patients on low doses of prescription opioid medication is that the medicine’s effect wears off as patients build a tolerance over time. Doctors who have been trained to treat symptoms rather than underlying causes are often forced to prescribe more potent or risky drug combinations to help their patients keep pain at bay.
If you suffer from chronic pain, the good news is that you can avoid this lethal trap by finding an alternative treatment that works for you. Firstly, it’s crucial to understand that pain is not a disease itself; it’s a symptom of an underlying issue. Once you carefully analyze the source of your pain, you’ll be better equipped to determine which natural pain relief methods will best alleviate the discomfort. Ideally, you want a pain treatment that not only resolves the discomfort but also addresses the root causes and promotes full body health.
If you’re unsure where to start, check out this natural pain relief primer and explore alternative treatments, such as lifestyle changes, physical therapy, or acupuncture. You should also consult reputable sources for finding more information on natural pain relief. Simply by taking proactive measures and becoming informed about alternative treatment options, you’ll be one step closer to a pain-free life without the risk of dangerous opioid medications.
