Help With Arthritis Pain: Opiates Reduce Arthritis Pain

• If you have it in your life, arthritis pain can become a very important factor in the way you live. Arthritis pain is notoriously difficult to treat, as it affects all people differently, and the treatments that might work for you can be difficult to pinpoint. While it might take a lot of work, finding a method for dealing with arthritis pain that works for you will be worth it in the end, and one thing that effectively treats your arthritis pain might be opiates, drugs which will dull your sensitivity to pain.

• Opiates (also known as narcotics) are the traditional method towards treating arthritis but finding one that works for you can be a bit difficult. Everyone responds differently to different drugs and you will definitely need to speak with a doctor who can help you determine the right opiates for you.

• When researching opiates it is important to understand a little bit of the terminology. Analgesics are the class of drugs that are used to suppress pain, and they are divided into narcotics and non-narcotics. Narcotics are refined or derived in some other way from unripe poppy seeds. An opiate works by binding to the opoid receptors in your central nervous system and in the gastrointestinal tract and from here, they can suppress feelings of pain and discomfort in your body.

• Opiates are the subject of fierce debate in the medical field. Some people feel that opiates should only be used to combat short-term pain, like after breaking a bone or post-surgery. They feel like the benefit of the pain relief is wiped out when issues like dependence and tolerance come into play. Other people point to studies that show that opiates have been used to treat chronic pain in the past with a controlled dosage and with a doctors supervision, the problems that the detractors are concerned about will fail to materialize. It is a very broad topic and both sides have a wide variety of arguments.

• One thing that you need to keep in mind is that most if not all drugs carry the danger of overdosing. The results of an overdose can be fatal, and even in the short run, taking a medication more often than is recommended can cause you to become immune to its effects. Whenever you take a dose of an opiate for your arthritis pain, keep careful track about how well it is working for you. Is it effective? Does it always take the same amount of time to take effect? These questions can help you determine how much good your medication is doing.

• Another concern about opiates is the potential for addiction, especially with regards to conditions like chronic arthritis. Prolonged use can result in less effectiveness. Some studies show that opiates can be safely taken for a number of years without risk of addiction or loss of effectiveness, but this is something that you will definitely want to discuss with your doctor.

• You must also take into account the fact that an opiate taken for arthritis pain might be rendered less effective or even severely harmful if taken in conjunction with other drugs. Combining medication without a doctor's supervision is always dangerous, but opiates pose a special threat with their ability to dampen and slow down your body's functions. Whenever you take opiates, make sure that your doctor is aware of what other drugs you are using.

• You should also be aware of the symptoms that can come with opiate use, even the strictly limited use that comes with treating chronic pain. Common reactions include nausea, vomiting constipation and dry mouth, which are relatively easy to deal with. More infrequently, opiates can cause muscle rigidity, flushing, dizziness, delirium, hallucinations, and hypothermia. All of these can be quite detrimental, especially to an already stressed immune system. Another risk that bears thinking about is that it can affect your breath, something that needs to be addressed if you often have respiratory issues.

• When used correctly, however, studies over the past twenty years have shown that opiates are safe. The administration of opiates, even for chronic arthritis does not seem to shorten life, as was previously believed and with a doctor's supervision and approval, opiates can be an option to explore if you're suffering from arthritis pain.

• If your life is being affected by chronic arthritis pain, you owe it to yourself to explore all the avenues that might be open to you.