It's easy to become dependent on a medication, such as codeine or oxycontin, following a medical procedure that causes pain. The sooner you realize it, the sooner you can help yourself or get help. This article should help those who have undergone surgery and suffering as a result. If your pain is persistent or getting worse, this article may offer some suggestions but will not solve your problem. If you believe you are addicted to your pain meds and cannot handle it on your own, call your physician.
Instructions
Steps to Determine if You Might be Addicted to Your Medication
1. Figure out how long you've been taking the medication. Look at the prescription date and compare that to today's date. The longer you've been taking it, the better the chance that you have become dependent. It's possible to become dependent after only three days of consistent use of certain medicines but it will usually take longer. Most pain from surgeries doesn't remain severe for more than three or four weeks. If you are still on massive doses of medication after that amount of time, it's time to cut back or look for a different medicine that is less potent as well as less addictive.
2. Examine when and why you take the medicine. Do you take it every 4 to 6 hours as the bottle recommends or do you take it when you feel pain regardless of the time of your last dose? Do you take the medicine the instant you feel pain or do you wait for the pain to become severe? Do you take it at night whether you need it or not? Are you scared of waking up in pain? The more frequently you take the medication, the better the odds are that you could be addicted. You can take a medicine only once a day and still become addicted.
3. Modify the way you're taking your medication. If you take the medicine on a schedule, regardless of whether you need it or not , are you doing that because you are afraid of the pain you might feel? Modification will require willpower. Don't take your medicine at the first sign of pain. Do not allow yourself to go through severe pain but, you may discover, it's not nearly as bad as you'd thought. Try to convince yourself to go longer periods of time without the medicine. Go from taking it four times a day down to three and then two. If you don't need it for the pain, don't take it. Finally, when you don't think you need it at all, try going without it. You can always take aspirin or ibuprofen to help with minor pain if needed. This a bold move for some. Don't let the fear of pain conquer you. You need to conquer it.
4. Withdrawing isn't pleasant. This is the important step to determine addiction. Do you notice, after you haven't taken your medication for a while, any of the following symptoms: Lightheadedness, headache, anxiety, hot sweats or chills, flu-like symptoms or an overwhelming desire to pop another pill although you aren't in pain? Guess what? Your body has probably become dependent on that medication and has begun withdrawal.
5. Research on-line, or through your doctor or pharmacist, to determine whether your symptoms fit the withdrawal symptoms for your medication. If possible, fight the urge to take another pill and hang in there. Addiction, in the early stages, can take as much as a week to recover from. If you do succumb to the urge and take more medication, do your symptoms go away? If you answer "yes", you just confirmed your suspicions. If you cannot deal with the withdrawal symptoms on your own, it's time to call the doctor.
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