Re: Chronic Pain Addiction

[Beth Benoit]

Title: Re: Chronic Pain Addiction

I think this discussion fails to take into account a very real problem that seems especially severe for older people:  They're given prescriptions for potentially addicting medications by physicians who are tired of being "bothered" by patients who complain of pain.  After many refills, with little or no follow-up from overburdened physicians, they are (not surprisingly) addicted to pain medication.  (Not addicted to "pain" as the subject of this thread seems to suggest.)  This from a first-hand scenario I've been battling (unsuccessfully - what do _I_ know about medicine and addiction??) with my mother... Beth Benoit University of Massachusetts Lowell (Prophet Without Honor)