How do you manage addiction to painkillers?

Question

Hello doctor,

My mother has been suffering from stomach and back pain for the last seven months. She is taking painkiller injections and medicines daily. I guess she is addicted to these painkillers as she can not spend a single night without these painkillers. All her tests like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, endoscopy, advanced endoscopy, colonoscopy, and computed tomography (CT) scan are completely normal. Can you please advise how to cure and get rid of this addictiveness of painkillers? I found some side effects of these painkillers as vomiting.

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

It is great that you are aware of the side effects of painkillers. However, we need to look at the following:

Why does she have pain in the first place?
What medications is she taking and what is the dose, frequency, and for how long?

Not all painkillers are addictive.

I suggest you to provide the following details:

Upload all her medical records.
Detailed description of her pain which includes what type of pain is it? Cutting or burning or squeezing? Where does it start? Goes where? How long it lasts? What helps lower it? Anything that increases it? How bad is it from 0 to 100 with 100 being very severe pain?
Does she feel that she is addicted? Why do you feel that she is addicted?

Get back with the answers to the above questions.

Kindly consult a specialist doctor, talk with them, and take medications with their consent.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.