Using Opioids for Pain

Pain control is an issue in times of illness or injury, but the medications used to address the pain can carry a double-edged sword that we need to be aware of. Outside the drug culture that makes news these days, many of us can overdose on opioids without realizing it.

I was sixty-four when Guillain Barre Syndrome changed my life. GBS is a little known neuromuscular disease that can affect people of all ages. As with many diseases, it often hits seniors harder.  Symptoms appear suddenly or may creep up slowly. Length of onset varies from hours to weeks. A classic case of GBS begins with numbness and tingling in hands and feet, spreading to the rest of the body and causing paralysis. It can also present pain, a symptom not commonly addressed twenty years ago.

Fortunately, research has revealed that pain is indeed a factor with GBS. In a recent book published by the Academy of Neurology Dr. Joel Steinberg, a neurologist and GBS survivor, acknowledges the role of pain in the disease  and explains that “GBS pain is usually located in the regions of the spine and the upper part of the limbs, including between the shoulder blades.” That was my pain and I was desperate to run away from it.

My husband took me to three different doctors in our efforts to find the cause of the pain and hopefully a cure. In the process, I accumulated three separate prescriptions for opioids. I kept all the vials on the kitchen countertop next to the sink. None of them alleviated the stabbing pain radiating from shoulder to leg.

Opioids do not work with nerve pain, but they can create accidents that could be lethal. In desperation, a person might continue to ingest more doses than prescribed; if the first dose doesn’t seem to work, a person in agony may ingest a second or third dose, losing all reason in the process.  One night, I decided to sleep in another part of the house instead of keeping my husband awake by wandering around in an unreasonable effort to run away from the pain. I lost track of how many pills I had taken until I heard a loud crash and found myself lying at the bottom of a long flight of stairs. My husband rushed me to the local emergency room where doctors administered a shot of Narcan, a dose that brings a comatose person back to consciousness. Later, I learned that my records from that night noted me as “Narcotic Overdose.” How mortifying for a grandmother and wife.

A knowledgeable neurologist soon diagnosed me and administered a shot of gabapentin (Neurontin).  Relief was almost instant. A new drug — Lyrica, is now available also. Neuropathic pain cannot be conquered by opioids, which, if used correctly and with caution, can bring relief to many suffering from non-neuropathic pain.

Disclaimer: This is solely the experience and opinion of the author and is not intended to represent the views of INSPIRED Senior Living magazine.

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