The FDA has approved a variety of opioid medications as pain treatments. Doctors can prescribe them for both acute and chronic pain. If you ever face such pain and find your doctor more than ready to write a prescription, you have a choice to make. You either agree with your doctor and take the prescription or you choose to reject his advice.
I would never tell somebody to not use prescription opioids under the advice of a doctor. But I do recommend that anyone wary of opioids do the following five things before agreeing to take the drugs. And by the way, all of these suggestions come directly from the CDC.
1. Agree on Treatment Goals
Speak with your doctor about your treatment goals. What do you hope to achieve in terms of pain relief and/or management? Before agreeing to any treatment, you and your doctor should agree on reasonable goals for pain management, daily function, and quality of life.
Without clear goals in place, it is too easy to randomly try one treatment after another without actually achieving anything meaningful. And where pain is concerned, that is no way to go.
2. Talk About Alternatives
Never assume that a prescription drug is the only treatment choice. So often, prescriptions are an easy choice but far from the only one. This is certainly true when it comes to treating pain with prescription opioids. There are other ways to go about it.
At KindlyMD, a group of pain management clinics in Utah, the goal is to introduce each patient to integrative medicine. In an integrative environment, opioids are never assumed to be the only treatment. Clinicians tend to recommend looking at plant-based medicines, psychotherapy, and other complementary treatments first.
3. Talk About the Risks and Benefits
There are benefits to using prescription painkillers. You should definitely speak with your doctor about them. But also have the courage to talk about the risks. Prescription opioids are not risk free. And in fact, they are highly regulated by federal law due to their substantial risk of addiction and abuse.
To merely assume that opioid consumption is safe is to assume too much. Likewise when you assume that the benefits of opioid therapy outweigh the risks.
4. Seek Assurances That You’re Getting the Right Care
This next piece of advice can cause a rift between you and your doctor. Nonetheless, the CDC advises seeking assurance from your medical provider that the care you are being recommended is “safe, effective, and right for you.”
Essentially, the CDC recommends that you seek assurances from your doctor that you’re getting the right care based on your circumstances and needs. This can put your doctor on the defensive. So what? You are your own best healthcare advocate. If you do not look out for yourself, no one else is going to either.
5. Be Open About Your Medical History
Finally, be open about your medical history. Make sure your doctor knows about all your health conditions, any prescription drugs you are currently taking, and any past history you might have with substance abuse. Include your family as well. Any family history of substance abuse needs to be disclosed.
Just because a doctor offers you a prescription for opioid painkillers does not mean taking the drugs is in your best interests. If you are wary of opioids, think long and hard before you start taking them. Ask the right questions and insist on assurances. If you are still uncomfortable, look at other ways to treat your pain. You do have options.