title: Addiction and the treatment of pain.
abstract: Persons experiencing pain, whether acute or chronic, seek and deserve relief from their discomfort and loss of function. However, opioid analgesics have the capacity to induce tolerance, physical dependence, and addiction. Furthermore, persons with a history of opioid use disorders or other substance misuse problems are at "high risk" when they acquire painful conditions requiring aggressive treatment. Prescription of opioids could trigger a relapse to the original drug of choice or could initiate a new bout of addiction with the prescribed drug. This article explores the relationship between addiction and pain, including signs of developing addiction and approaches to managing pain in those with addiction.
authors.affiliation: Williamsburg Place and the William J. Farley Center, Williamsburg, Virginia 23188, USA. penzig@aol.com
authors.forename: Penelope P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Ziegler
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D059408:Pain Management; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid