Vim & Vigor - Winter 2017 - Gwinnett Medical Center - 39

TRUE OR FALSE:

The chances of getting
addicted to an opioid pain
medication are low.
FALSE. Nearly a quarter of
Americans who are prescribed opioids
for chronic pain will become addicted,
according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
"The essence of the problem is
that people who take opioids often
develop a tolerance to the medication,
so they have to increase the dose,"
says Jianguo Cheng, MD, presidentelect of the American Academy of Pain
Medicine. "When the dose is increased,
adverse side eﬀects also increase."
Those adverse eﬀects include physical dependence, increased sensitivity
to pain, nausea, sleepiness, depression
and respiratory problems that can lead
to death.

TRUE OR FALSE:

Opioid painkillers can be
used safely.
TRUE. Despite their risks, opioid
analgesics do have a place in medicine.
"Using a relatively small dose for
a short time helps maintain function
and control acute pain so patients can
do their jobs and take care of their
families," Cheng says. "Those patients
are the ones who can beneﬁt from
this therapy."
For example, opioids are commonly
prescribed for a speciﬁed time when
healing after surgery.

TRUE OR FALSE:

Opioid use among teenagers
is rising.
FALSE. Opioid use among teens
has ebbed and ﬂowed over the past
several decades. Teen use rose in the

1980s, fell in the '90s and rose again in
the early 2000s. But since 2013, opioid
use among teens has dropped. Still,
Cheng encourages parents to be vigilant with teenagers and intervene when
necessary.
"Teens may gain access to opioids
through family members, peers and
others on the street," he says. "Parents
should be mindful."
Research has shown that teens usually use opioids they are prescribed,
for medical reasons, before they abuse
them through nonmedical use.

TRUE OR FALSE:

Most people who abuse opioids switch to heroin when
they can't get pills.
FALSE. Heroin is an opioid street
drug that is chemically very similar to
prescription opioids. It can even be
cheaper and easier to get in many communities. And it's true that heroin use
is almost always precipitated by prescription opioid abuse. In fact, about
80 percent of heroin users start with
opioid pain medications, according to
the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
But that doesn't mean all prescription
drug abusers will go on to use heroin.
Only about 4 percent of abusers make
that leap. ■

OPIOID
ALTERNATIVES
Not only can opioids be dangerous,
but research from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention also
suggests long-term use yields "insufﬁcient" beneﬁts.
Guru Setty, MD, medical director
of Gwinnett Medical Center's Pain
Management Center, recommends
that providers be cautious when
prescribing opioids.
It's important for patients to
know that opioids are not a viable
long-term solution. Patients have to
be willing to explore other ways to
alleviate their pain or the underlying
issue that's causing it.
Here are a few opioid alternatives
that Dr. Setty recommends:
* Nonopioid medication
* Physical activity
* Cognitive behavioral therapy
* Physical therapy
* Condition-speciﬁc treatments,
such as injections and surgery
* Nutrients that reduce inﬂammation, such as omega-3 fatty acids,
turmeric and ginger
* Acupuncture and acupressure
The Pain Management Center's
specially trained providers oﬀer
individualized pain treatment plans
and the latest care options.

WEBSITE

Maximizing Comfort
GMC's Pain Management Center is committed to helping patients
regain and enhance their quality of life through eﬀective care for
chronic pain. To learn more, visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/pain.

WINTE R 2017

39
http://www.gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/pain
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2017 - Gwinnett Medical Center
