People are prescribed prescription pain pills every day for a number of reasons. Maybe they’ve been injured in an on-the-job accident or they’re experiencing discomfort after a major surgery. Pain killers help alleviate discomfort from more significant conditions, but there are a number of things your doctor should be telling you before you’ve been given the green light to head off to the pharmacy.
Knowing How Much You Should Take
One thing that doctors are not generally clear on is the amount that should be taken or the frequency at which it should occur. Sure, there are clear directions on the side of the prescription bottle, but what if the pain worsens or the medicine doesn’t seem to be working? You should never increase your dosage based on your own opinion. Always schedule another appointment to speak with your doctor if you feel that the dosage should be changed.
Avoiding the Mix of Prescription Pain Pills and Drugs/Alcohol
Many doctors are also notorious for prescribing prescription pain killers without stressing the importance of mixing them with drugs or alcohol. Of course, it is never okay to combine your dosage of pain killers with other heavy duty drugs. Doing so can create dangerous and unpredictable circumstances.
Preventing the Problem in the Future
Prescription pain killers are useful for dulling or numbing pain from a more serious condition, but why don’t doctors often instruct patients on how to avoid these situations altogether? As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This most definitely applies to prescription pain pills as well.
Consulting Your Doctor About Addiction
Most importantly, your doctor should inform you about the dangers of pain pill addiction. A very popular form of dependency happens to be opiate addiction, but most addicts never plan to become addicted to their prescriptions in the first place. If you think you are suffering from an addiction to your prescription medication, you should most definitely consult your doctor about an alternative form of treatment or getting help with recovery. Addiction can and does happen all of the time; you should never treat it with an “it won’t happen to me” mentality.
If your doctor fails to mention anything to you about the dangers of prescription pain killers or the likelihood of addiction through continued use, it is then your duty to ask questions. Educating yourself could save you from a lifetime of turmoil down the line, and it only takes just a few minutes!
Written by Jayla Barnsen, from Oregon.