Sunday, August 13, 2017

The Problems Related To Prescribed Opioid Dosing

By Edward Sanders


Numerous experts agree that the level of misuse, abuse and overdose of different prescribed opioids is alarmingly high. That's why they think that all physicians should be really careful when prescribing high doses of these strong painkillers. They can cause addiction, and other health problems, as well as accidental overdoses. The question of accurate opioid dosing became really important.

The whole purpose of taking opioids is to manage the pain. Nevertheless, the accurate diagnosis is something that should be set first, because it is really important to identify the underlying causes before prescribing the appropriate treatment. This might be difficult in some cases, but, without it, there is a possibility for prescribing inaccurate doses.

Another problem related to prescribing strong painkillers is in unrealistic expectations. Patients sometimes think these drugs will immediately remove their pain, and, if the pain is only reduced, they tend to use more drugs than it was prescribed. Higher doses are related to different dangers, and all patients should be appropriately informed about them.

When opioids are used for acute and sub-acute pains, in appropriate prescribed doses, and under medical supervision, this is not so harmful, but, when it comes to so called chronic opioid analgesic therapy, here is entirely different situation. This type of therapy may easily result with addiction, as well as with other health issues. In this case, there are several alternative pain treating therapies that should be considered.

Musculoskeletal pains are often treated using such strong pain killers. They cannot improve health condition, they are used for their ability to ease the pain. In time, the effect of primarily prescribed dose will be gradually reduced, and your patient may require higher dosages. This is potential danger, both if higher doses get prescribed, or if the patient decides to take higher dose without it being prescribed.

Short-time pain relief is something that can be expected, as well as the development of tolerance. Because of that, it is really important to consider different therapies, and not only to prescribe higher doses every once in a while. This could result with various health issues, addiction or even fatal overdoses. On the other hand, if you use these painkillers wisely, they can make your life so much easier, on a long-run.

As with any other strong medicament, there is no dose that could be considered as absolutely safe for anyone. There are several factors that should be included in calculating the accurate dose for every single patient. Intensive use and high doses over longer period of time may cause unwanted consequences, and this might include addiction as well. Carefully calculate the appropriate dosage and warn your patients about all risks involved.

Opioids are in fact really strong painkillers, and can be used for reducing pain in various medical conditions. Even so, when there is a chance these painkillers will be used for longer periods of time, it is advisable to find alternatives. Their sole purpose is reducing the pain, they cannot cure your illness, they can only make your life easier for a while. Misuse can endanger your life.




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