Chronic Pain Pill Detox

How Do I Manage The Pain After Recovery?

2008-05-12T15:41:00.000-04:00

In his article on the management of chronic pain, our Executive Director, Jeff Gorin succinctly describes the various techniques and methods that can be used on an ongoing basis to combat chronic pain with much reduced exposure to the risk of dependence or addiction. Listed below are summaries of some of the many useful and effective tools that Jeff compiled as a reference point. Of course, a qualified physician should approve all techniques before you attempt them:

1. Physical Therapy: As the most effective treatment of all, it is also widely available and often at a reasonable cost. Most of us have gone through physical therapy before and as a treatment for chronic pain it has proven to be effective. Physical therapy also strengthens other parts of our bodies which in turn can be used to take the pressure off of the area in pain. Exercises emphasizing good posture are some of the most effective and essential in treating chronic pain issues.

2. Heat or Ice Therapy: You should always keep a couple reusable ice packs in your freezer should the need for them arise. Ice is fast acting and can reduce inflammation, making it effective on most pain. Heat can be used to soothe sore muscles and increase circulation to the affected area helping reduce the effects of chronic pain. Ask your physician about a heat/ice therapy regimen to make sure this will help you and is safe.

3. Relaxation Techniques: Stress is a major source of pain and the resulting pain causes stress, a self-fulfilling cycle. Relaxation techniques help reduce stress and muscle spasms and increase blood flow to major muscles. There are various methods of relaxation including deep breathing, visualization, yoga, massage and music. Some methods are more effective than others, depending upon the source of the pain. As a starting point, deep breathing exercises can be very effective since it is the body’s natural way to relax. Massage Therapy also works well when used alone or combined with other pain management techniques.

4. Alternative Medicine: Chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, reflexology and others have become popular and effective forms of alternative pain management techniques. This is usually implemented after in-patient treatment is complete, however this depends on the particular recovery program.

5. Proper Diet: Overweight patients are more likely to experience additional pain because of the additional stress on the body’s joints and muscles. A nutritionist can be very helpful in prescribing healthy eating habits for optimal and safe weight loss.

6. Psychological and Psychiatric Support: There are many programs specializing in addiction and chronic pain and it is these programs that will have the appropriate counselors and psychiatrists to most effectively help with the management of your pain. They can provide emotional and spiritual help through individual and group therapy.

7. Medications: All treatment programs of this nature have staff physicians than can prescribe non-mood-altering medications that are just as good as, if not better than narcotics and benzodiazepines. Remember, mood-altering medications are no longer effective once a tolerance builds, and it’s likely that the medications you abused have stopped providing physical relief.

8. Setting Goals: We can raise our self-esteem and hope by setting and reaching manageable goals. So once we are able to accept our pain, it is important that we begin setting specific goals. These goals are a major function of treatment planning. Look to your counselor who will provide guidance and help set goals.

There are many other ways to manage chronic pain which are not listed above. Every individual responds best to different forms so it may take a while to find your optimal therapy. With the help of a physician and properly trained counselor you should be able to find the appropriate modality.

Long-term Solutions - Support Groups

2008-04-28T15:40:00.001-04:00

Once you’ve completed detox and recovery from your opiate addiction, the work doesn’t end. We struggle constantly with the possibility of relapse and it’s hard to do it on your own. That’s why support groups like the relatively new Chronic Pain Anonymous are so helpful. There are thousands of people just like you with problems similar to yours and pain. We can help you locate these and other non 12 step meetings to make sure you continue on the right path.

How We Treat Opiate Dependence

2008-04-20T19:32:00.001-04:00

Many people dependent on opiates will break down after two or three days of withdrawal and return to using. Some detox centers do not medicate their patients during withdrawal. Known as "cold turkey," we don't believe in it. Opiate withdrawal symptoms can produce potentially dangerous health situations including elevation in blood pressure and dehydration. Left untreated, the pain of the withdrawal symptoms can make it difficult to stay in the detoxification facility and makes the client more likely to leave detox prematurely.

That said, other detox facilities will overmedicate patients to the point where they are incoherent throughout their stay. They will medicate with large doses of other opiates or methadone for 7 days and discharge the patient with minimal follow-up. Substituting other drugs for the opiates only delays the onset of withdrawal symptoms. The person will leave the program feeling fine, but fall back into full-blown withdrawal as the detox medications wear off. At Sunrise Detox, we use a mainly buprenorphine-based medication that effectively manages opiate withdrawal symptoms. This medication allows our clients to remain comfortable and alert during their stay with us. We supplement the buprenorphine with a number of other medications to treat any discomfort that may arise. Buprenorphine also allows the client to leave detox with virtually no withdrawal symptoms.

Opiate Withdrawal

2008-04-14T19:29:00.000-04:00

There is a broad spectrum of opiate withdrawal symptoms and dependent individuals may experience some or all of the following symptoms in varying intensities. The number, durantion and intensity of the symptom is alrgely dtermined by the length of use and the amount of the drug used. The most common opiate withdrawal symptoms are:

• Muscle aches
• Chills
• Insomnia
• Runny nose
• Stomach cramps
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Anxiety
• Headache
• Twitching, and/or muscle spasms

A less intense habit may result in a relatively short withdrawal period of 3 or 4 days and only produce a few of the aforementioned symptoms.

More intense habits may cause symptoms that last for many days or even weeks. The typical opiate withdrawal period is around 7 days, with the most intense symptoms peaking about 72 hours after last use. Because of the length of the physical and psychological withdrawal process, it is extremely difficult for people to get through it without the help of a detox center.

Opiate Dependence and Withdrawal

2008-04-03T19:17:00.001-04:00

Opiate Pain Pill Detox and Withdrawal

Opiates are produced from the poppy, commonly found in the form of narcotic pain medications, they are some of the most harful drugs. Many drugs commonly prescribed by doctors for chronic pain are opiates, including Oxycontin, Percocet, Lorcet, Vicodin, Dilaudid and MSContin. As people abuse these pain medications, they develop a habit, having to take ever increasing doses of the drug every day in order to keep difficult withdrawal symptoms at bay.

Physical dependence occurs when the body becomes accustomed to the drug because of continued use over time. As the body craves more drugs, dosage has to be increased to maintain the same high. If the dependent body suddenly doesn't receive the necessary amount of the drug, it will experience opiate withdrawal.

Recent Abuse Trends

2008-03-26T12:19:00.000-04:00

In a February 2008 testimony to a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, the Director of National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services discussed the more recent and very troubling trends in prescription drug abuse - in particular opiate abuse.

1. According to SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network, the number of drug-related emergency room visits involving prescription opioids show a 153% increase from 1995–2002, and in absolute terms increased from 42,857 to 108,320 in the same period.

2. SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set, 1995-2005 showed that admissions for opiates other than heroin increased from 16,121 in 1995 to 67,887 in 2005, an increase of 321 percent.

3. 2006 CDC data shows that prescribed pain medications are the force behind increased drug poisoning death. The number of deaths involving prescription opioid analgesics increased 160 percent from 1999 to 2004. By 2004, opioid painkiller abuse deaths outnumbered total deaths involving heroin and cocaine.

Methadone vs. Buprenorphine

2008-03-22T11:45:00.001-04:00

We believe that Buprenrphine is better than methadone in treating opiate addiction, pure and simple.

Like the drugs it treats, methadone is a opioid, a synthetic one, often used my treatment centers and clinics as a controlled method to replace other opiates such as heroin or prescription opiates. At Sunrise Detox, as a matter of principle, we don't use methadone because methadone has a risk of addiction in and of itself and with methadone treatment prices dropping and supply increasing, we only see a negative trend developing. We believe that your body should be free of all substances that could cause addiction. By replacing one addictive drug with another, we believe you are continuing the vicious cycle.

Accordingly we believe that Buprenorphine is the answer and for now the best treatment available. According to a recent study*, when Buprenorphine was approved in 2004, it was touted as an effective alternative to methadone maintenance treatment for opiate addiction and dependence. However, since methadone is abused at a high level (30-35% of treatment seekers), it was presumed that Buprenorphine would be abused in similar fashion. Similar levels of abuse occurred during the 2nd quarter of 2006, but this number dropped to less than 20% in the second quarter of 2007. It is assumed that since Buprenorphine doesn't have the euphoric properties of opiates and methadone it was not as likely to be abused. We considered this any many other studies like it when deciding the best course of action for opiate withdrawal and we strongly believe that a qualified and licensed facility, like Sunrise Detox, can effectively administer a Buprenorphine treatment regimen as a safe way to get off and stay off of opiates.

*Cicero TJ, Surratt HL, Inciardi J.: Use and misuse of buprenorphine in the management of opioid addiction. J Opioid Manag. 2007 Nov-Dec;3(6):302-8.

Addiction vs. Dependence

2008-03-20T11:21:00.001-04:00

There's a fine line between addiction and physical dependence and we should draw the distinction. The dangers of synthetic opiates manifest themselves in both forms and while physical dependence is more likely than addiction, it is still important that addiction be addressed as a real possibility.

Addiction is characterized as a behavioral and psychological disorder. When you lose control, continuing use despite the obvious self-destruction and develop an uncontrollable desire to get a hold of the drugs, you may well be addicted. The three sisters highlighted in a previous post show these signs. With the addiction may come tolerance and with an increase in dosage comes increased risk of overdose and death. We see this all too often in teenagers and young adults as well as people who have previously had a bout with addiction including alcohol and drugs.

Physical Dependence on the other hand is the body's reaction to the drug, the ensuing dependence and withdrawal symptoms if the drug is stopped. Physical dependence is a very real problem and many patients with legal prescriptions for real problems find themselves dependent on the drug. When physically dependent individuals try to quit, varying degrees of withdrawal symptoms ensue, the severity of which depends on the amount of the drug being taken.

In either case, the consequences, both long and short term can be devastating and a detox program may need to be employed in order to withdrawal comfortably and safely.

Alarming Statistics on Chronic Pain

2008-03-14T11:46:00.000-04:00

For some perspective on the problem of chronic pain and resulting dependence and addiction to pain medication we have to look at some interesting but alarming facts on chronic pain. It is estimated that over 80 million Americans suffer from chronic pain in one form or other. It's further estimated that collectively, Americans lose one billion work days per year due to pain conditions and a third of the pain is low-back related. Beyond the physical and emotional stress this puts on the affected patients, the financial burden of such conditions in the United States is enormous. It has been noted that low back pain alone costs at least 16 billion dollars per year.

Pain Pill Abuse Statistics and Trends

2008-03-14T10:53:00.001-04:00

According to a 2001 survey (National Household Survey on Drug Abuse) by SAMHSA, of all Emergency Room admissions for drug related overdoses, 43% were due to prescription drug abuse and while overall drug abuse trends have been on a downward path over the past few years, prescription drug abuse is on the rise. And it on the rise with younger and younger kids.

Prescription medication has more and more become the drug of choice for a younger group of people as the pills have become easier to find or can even be obtained legally. Kids are able to steal pills from a family member or fake illness to get a legitimate prescription and go on to sell these pills at school or to anyone who will pay.

It's a wake up call for parents who may think that their child is largely shielded from this growing problem. Keep an eye on your childrens' behaviors and moods and keep prescription medication hidden from them.

An inspirational story before we continue

2008-03-09T23:55:00.000-04:00

SICK OF BEING SICK, THREE SISTERS FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL

“Good Girls” Made Bad Choices and Hit Rock Bottom Together

How can someone who has barely lived her twenties hit rock bottom? Moreover, how can three sisters hit bottom together? Following a fatal car accident leaving their brother in a coma and his passenger dead, these sisters, ages 21, 23 and 25 were faced with the harsh reality of mortality. On the outside beautiful, blond, young, seemingly stripped from teen magazines; on the inside living a haunting secret double life. Together, as they dealt with a brother on life support, a mother working three jobs to pay medical bills and a buried past of sexual abuse, they slipped into comas of their own, trapped by the very dark and paralyzing hold of drugs. What makes these girls different is how they abused drugs together, fought back together and how they’ve made a sisterly pact to live.

With classmates, the sisters dabbled in marijuana, alcohol and cocaine independently, but it wasn’t until they were introduced to prescription painkillers that they began to share their addiction and their demons. Becoming addicted over time they recount how they initially warned each other not to get mixed up in their destructive lifestyles, though it became obvious that the drugs had eventually taken hold of all of them. They went from forbidding each other to use, to buying and using together. In a world inundated with messages to stay away from peer pressure and experimentation, the girls remind us that parents have no idea how readily available drugs have become, how easy it is to buy them and shockingly who is selling them to your children. They are candid about growing up in a “good” home with hard-working parents and a strong sisterly bond. Despite suburban comforts and good intentions, they began to keep the wrong company. They fell into the common misconception that “prescription” medication abuse isn’t as bad as abusing street drugs. They didn’t realize they were wrong and killing themselves until it was too late.

Dependent on Roxys, or Hydrocodone 10, Xanax, Soma, oxycontin, also called synthetic heroin, the girls were taking fifteen to twenty pills a day each, at about twenty dollars a pill. They were working multiple jobs to pay for their habit and with their money so went their ambitions, passion for life. Their cover-girl looks were masked under clothes they never changed, hair they never washed and sunken eyes of hidden pain.

They were quick-tempered and began to lie to their mother. They often said they were sick with the flu when they were unable to score a fix and shivering in bed with body aches so bad they were vomiting and immobile. Ira Levy of Sunrise Detox has said in his twenty years treating dependency he has never seen a case like this. Three young sisters vowing to get sober at any cost, vowing to get well so that they can support their brother’s care and be there for their mother. The girls tried to get clean alone, weaning themselves to three pills a day, but in the end, the physical control the dependency had over them was crippling. They needed an intervention and needed to be supervised by professionals who understood their symptoms and debilitating urges. “The hold the pills have is so powerful; it takes control of your whole body. You can’t move, you are so, so sick and want to die. It is a vicious cycle. You wean yourself off to get better but you have to have the pills to not want to die,” they told Sunrise Detox professionals. After months of research the girls decided that is was Sunrise’s no-methadone treatments that made most sense to them. As drug addicts, the last thing they wanted was to become dependent on methadone as a result of treatment. The center was so moved by their story they offered to treat the girls for free.

The sisters’ willingness to talk and share their story is priceless for the parents and kids who think that this lifestyle is only lived by a certain sector of society. The girls will shock you and tell you that it is more common than we know.

HEATH LEDGER’S DEATH SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON PRESCRIPTION DRUG DANGERS

2008-03-09T14:33:00.001-04:00

As Hollywood mourns one of its most promising young stars, the harsh reality of prescription medication abuse once again tops headlines and conversation. Though Heath Ledger’s death was ruled an accidental overdose, indeed, the topic of prescription drug abuse is again on our minds. Though many wouldn’t consider themselves dependent on their prescriptions, the death of the twenty-eight year old actor prompts many to ask, “what and how much am I taking?” Further, it forces those that have not yet sought help for their dependency to reevaluate just how lethal prescription drug abuse can be.

How widespread the epidemic really is is echoed in a recent television public service announcement geared toward parents: a seedy man in a trench coat unsuccessfully looks for a buyer on a street corner. The message: your child no longer needs to find the dealer on the corner to get high – the lethal cocktails are found right in our own medicine cabinets and the repercussions of abusing and mixing them are horrifying.

Sunrise Detox has spent years treating patients who abuse prescription medication and reminds us that users come in many forms. Some seek the drugs for recreational use; others try to mask untreated emotional issues. Most often than not, abusers are those who legitimately seek relief from debilitating pain from injury, accident or disease, and can no longer control their use. Their bodies form a legitimate dependence on their painkillers and, in turn, they enter into a cycle of pain, pills and powerlessness. The ease of finding the drugs and the non-taboo manner of bypassing a “drug dealer” lead many to believe that they are doing nothing wrong.

Prescription medications are second only to marijuana as the most abused drug in the United States, and the abuse is most prevalent in teenagers and young adults. Prescription drugs are abused within all walks of life, social and economic backgrounds. They are not the spoils of privileged Hollywood, rather they have become abundant and can be passed among family and friends without understanding the consequences.

Sunrise Detox is not only dedicated to treating this growing problem in the United States but also to get the word out to those who may not even be aware of the newest drug abuse trends.

Jeff's Story of Addiction

2007-11-12T16:35:00.001-05:00

In 1989, Jeffrey G. Gorin, executive director of Sunrise Detox http://www.sunrisedetox.com/ was in a devastating automoile accident. He was critically injured in his upper spine and neck. While his surgery was successful, he was diagnosed with permanent nerve damage resulting in chronic pain. With all the prescription pills he was taking, he became addicted to the pain medications and muscle relaxants and his life rapidly became unmanageable. He eventually entered detox and treatment and is in recovery today, both from his addiction and his chronic pain. Read Jeff's story here.