Opioid Painkillers Sometimes Make Pain Worse
We’ve talked a lot here about the problem of chronic pain and the issue of treating it in light of the issue of painkiller addiction, and here’s a bit of news that may add to that conversation: it seems that there is new evidence that opiate treatment for chronic pain may actually make the pain worse for some people. This condition has a name: Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia or OIH.
What is Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia?
Simply put, it’s the effect of certain opiates like morphine that cause you to developed an increased sensitivity to pain despite their pain killing effects.
Peggy Compton, RN, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Nursing at the UCLA School of Nursing, Los Angeles, and a well-known researcher and author in the pain management field. She says: “Actually, this possible negative effect of opioids, such as morphine, to cause increased sensitivity to pain was observed in the 19th Century. Today, we call this opioid-induced hyperalgesia, or OIH.”
How Prevalent is Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia?
Not so much, apparently. The majority of people on painkillers for chronic pain will not develop the condition, but those who do will find it very hard to handle. There are a number of problems that OIH causes in addition to increased sensitivity to pain. These include:
* The original condition that caused the pain will get worse
* A much higher tolerance to painkillers and therefore an increased physical dependence which in turn means worse opiate withdrawal symptoms in the event you stop taking your prescriptions
* All the drug seeking behavior that accompanies prescription drug addiction because your pain simply is not eased by opiates anymore
This means that those who have OIH may be lumped into the category of addict right off the bat thanks to the obsession with getting more painkillers, the inability to control their usage of prescription opiates and all the bad behavior that accompanies painkiller addiction.
How Do You Treat Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia?
Well, it’s not easy. You don’t increase your opiate painkiller dosage, for one thing. And the pain is hard to describe and does not stay central to the original area where you first experienced pain. Non-opioid prescriptions may help in some cases. Others may switch from short-acting painkillers to a long-acting version. Switching up the medication to another opiate is usually the first course of action. I’m not sure why this helps if it’s still an opiate, but rotating the drug used has been shown to help as well as the inclusion of opioid antagonists like naltrexone.
Compton wrote an article called “The OIH Paradox: Can Opioids Make Pain Worse?” For more information on OIH, check out this Pain Topic or other Pain Treatment Topics press releases.
If you like this post subscribe to the feed
October 2nd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Hello, I am trying to quit taking hydrocodone (have been on this pain killer for 4 years off and on, mostly on. I am having a real hard time with the withdrawals and my emotions are really haywire. I just recently went through Hurricane Ike, I live 15 miles from Galveston Island. Thank God I didn’t suffer any long lasting damage from that, but I am really having a hard time with the withdrawal symptoms. I don’t have medical insurance. Is there anything I can do here at home to relieve the symptoms of this? thank you
October 13th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Wow, Michele. That is so much to deal with all at once and by yourself, no less. I really don’t recommend trying to break an addiction to opiate medication on your own. What if you have other medical conditions, ones you may not even know about? Who will you turn to for support? Who will you turn to when you have medical questions or concerns about your condition? Is there a free clinic near you? You can always call Meditox for a free consultation. They may be able to answer some of your questions and assist you in getting the help you need.