Painkiller Addiction Awareness

I think pain killers and other prescription drugs are the worst kind because they are accepted by society and people use a prescription from a doctor as an excuse to keep using. Prescription addiction is also a nasty gateway to street versions of the drugs because they are found cheaper by street dealers. I think the fda should stop thinking about profit and start thinking about people.

I don't know about it being socially acceptable- in fact sometimes it's just the opposite....it's got such a stigma that actual, genuine pain patients are treated badly and looked down on because people assume abuse where there isn't always. But it is a big problem, especially when so many people start out just taking what their doctor prescribed them and get addicted in that way.

I know people who are prescribed pain pills who have no shame or embarrassment when it comes to popping pills. They are open because it's legal. I have never seen a heroin or meth user pop out a pipe at work...

The root cause of pain is inflammation. If there is no pain, there is no need for painkillers. Yes, painkillers reduce inflammation in the short run but affect vital body organs in prolonged use. In people below the age of 20, aspirin is found to cause Reye syndrome, a major debilitating disease. People who overuse and use painkillers for long periods run the risk of heart attack and stroke. Elderly population can suffer hyperkalemia if they use NSAIDs.

You do have a point too. Coming from a third world country myself I exactly know what you mean. Statistically speaking, I haven't heard of anyone being addicted to painkillers from where I am. There may be some but not the same percentage as people from richer countries. We have this culture of enduring pain as long as you can hold it. With the lack of knowledge and awareness of most people here especially from the rural areas regarding modern medicine, they'd rather take in herbal or natural remedies to manage their pain because they fear taking in factory manufactured medicines. People here have the attitude of buying food with the money they have for their family rather than buying medicine for a condition they can easily manage. Another factor could be the tolerance for pain, the more you take in pain relievers to manage your pain the lesser your pain tolerance becomes. This requires you a bigger or stronger dose of pain killer. This may not be the case in poorer countries because they hardly take in these meds.

I knew someone who was ill and they used a lot of painkillers and it's really bad though. I recommend you to try and cut them because some pains in our body are not produced physically, but it could be a nervous system problem, which you might need to go to a doctor for. I think you need to be careful when it comes to it, and if you're addicted seek professional help in that regard, it's serious.

I said many and NOT "ALL Americans." The first sentence itself was a disclaimer and based on statistics. If you don't believe it, look it up. There is no such thing as pain killer addiction here. Crimes of passion are common but drug-induced crimes are less (though still present) compared to your stats there. You simply assumed I was generalizing when that's solid, verifiable fact. If you're hurt by it, then you're hurt because of your own misunderstanding. Nearly 5 million Americans are addicted to pain killers. Didn't you know? Such a huge figure and it's not nothing.

Yeah well its good to figure out the source before you even begin to think you need pain killers. Its a big crutch. I use to take even tylenol for different things. Its easy to fall into a trap of not paying attention to how many you took just to drown the pain. I don't touch it any more.
GMO foods and processed food can cause different pains in the body from the altering of the food or chemicals. Knee pain or joint pain anything like this all you need to do is change you diet.

One can easily get addicted to painkillers if we think that they are the only pain relieving solution. Many have claimed to be having painful sleepless nights, that is why they can't avoid taking pain killers. Some have have switched to sleeping pills, which are also addictive.

It is under the radar but very real. There's probably people who abuse pain killers more than alcohol or weed. The fact that you can get some of this stuff legally makes it worst. I think there should be a limit to how much of this you can get at a time. Prescription drugs can be just as bad or worst than street drugs.

To be quite honest, I have never met anyone addicted to painkillers, but I have met people addicted to anti-depressants and prescription drugs. All of them were wealthy and with a good reputation, and I find in interesting as it may be a factor that influences this kind of behavior. The people who can afford doctors and expensive drugs often avoid low quality ones such as coke or heroin.

It is a very common issue. I'm battling it right now. It has been 3 years since I started taking prescription pain killers, and I am trying to quit. It's awful. I wish I had never taken them in the first place, although I am in so much pain when I don't. There has to be a better way.

Yes I know quite a bit of people including myself that have dabbled in pain killers before.
Being in the restaurant business.... a high end crowded one at that... makes the stress level quite high.
The pain killers have certainly helped, but I gave them up the one time I had a bad reaction.
I wasn't a everyday taker mind you, and I only took them at work (I work five days a week) but I was abusing non-prescribed pills nonetheless.

Actually to be honest I have never been really addicted to anything where I've had withdrawals besides food.
Even with cigarettes I just decided to give it up one day as a passing thought, stopped, and never looked back.
So its not hard for me as it might be for others but I do sympathize.

I remember on TV watching a story about a woman who was fixing up her house using a latter. She falls off the ladder and she is sent to the hospital to be examined. The doctor gives her pain meds and this is how she becomes addicted to pain killers. After her husband spent thousands on trying to help her he throws her out the house and yet she still kept the addiction going. Thanks for bringing up the awareness about pain killers because it can start in so many ways.