Pain Killers : What ya think ?

[Wayne Goodwin]

Deaths from pain pills spike among middle-aged women

Women’s prescription painkiller overdoses up fivefold, 1999 to 2010

By Sabrina Tavernise New York Times

   Prescription painkiller addiction has long been seen as mainly a man’s problem, but a new analysis of federal data released Tuesday shows that in recent years the death rate has risen far faster among women.    Fatal overdoses from prescription pain pills increased fivefold among women from 1999 to 2010, the most recent year for which the federal government has final data. The rate among men tripled over the same period, according to the analysis, which was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.    More women die from drug overdoses than from cervical cancer or car accidents. Four times as many died over the last decade from drug overdoses than from homicides. And while the absolute number of overdose deaths is still higher for men, women are catching up.    The rising rate of overdoses among women is what Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the director of the CDC, called “a sleeper problem.” Even medical professionals who work in the field expressed surprise, he said.    “It’s a big problem among women,” Frieden said. “It’s under recognized.”    Experts offered medical theories for the rise. Women have smaller body mass than men, so the gap between a therapeutic dose and a dangerous dose is narrower. Some studies have found that women are more likely to have chronic pain. Other patterns in women are not well understood. For example, they are more likely to be given higher doses of painkillers, and more likely than men to use them for a long time.    Female addicts interviewed for this article said they believed it had to do with the changing nature of American society. The rise of the single-parent household has thrust immense responsibility onto women, who are both primary breadwinner and parent. Some said they craved the numbness that drugs bring as a response to feeling overwhelmed by life’s responsibilities. Others said highs brought feelings of prettiness, strength and productiveness.    The rate among women for all drug overdose deaths, not just those from painkillers, was highest for those ages 45 to 54, the CDC analysis found. In 2010, 15,323 women died of drug overdoses, compared with 23,006 men. Among men and women, the highest death rate was among Native Americans and whites.    The report highlights the need for “a mindset change” by doctors, who traditionally have thought of drug abuse as a men’s problem, said John Eadie, director of a Brandeis University program that tracks prescription-drug monitoring efforts across the United States. That means doctors should consider the possibility of addiction in female patients, think of alternative treatments for chronic pain, and consult state drug monitoring programs to find out whether a patient has a worrisome history with painkillers.    CDC researchers reviewed death certificates, which are sometimes incomplete.    It was not always clear which deaths were accidental overdoses and which were suicides. CDC officials think more than 70 percent were unintentional. — THE ASSOCIATED

[crestofwaves]

When people are really in pain, they should not be made to feel like addicts to relieve that pain.  But, then again, how do the doctors know.

Blithe, after my caesarean, the hospital gave me something for pain.  In those days we stayed in the hospital a few days.  At first it was Tylenol with codeine.  At the end I said, those Tylenol/codeine pills helped really to take the burning searing pain down a few notches.  The nurse said I was then on only TYlenol.  It's bad for a headache or cramps, but it works pretty well for incision type pain.

[Wayne Goodwin]

I read the other day that for cramps , take a spoon full of Mustard . ???

My update : The burning has stopped and i am able use the bathroom normal ...

[blithe spirit]

People that are in chronic pain really need to find someone who is a pain specialists...they are better equipped when it comes to mixing drugs to create a custom cocktail. I think doctors tend to pull out the big guns when maybe it isn't necessary. I know it is possible to be able to function with chronic pain as long as you can get some relief without being all drugged up and addicted.
I have a friend who has a pump inserted for pain meds....she functions quite well...has a good job...a good quality of life.

[crestofwaves]

The Butrans patch helped my daughter.  Some people use methadone also to avoid real opiates.  The Butrans has given my daughter her life back--truly.  But it is costly.  My ex and I pay.

[Wayne Goodwin]

My Aunt has some mental problem . She don't care to have anyone around her . Last week she was having a really bad week . Found out she got her Med's mixed up and that was causing it ....

[flippr 2.0]

feb. of '09,i had a problem with a very large kidney stone,they ripped me up inside trying to get it out,but they gave me something for pain,it was called something like dilaudid,it knocked me out of this world.

[ProblemAgain]

re. the article and the study...there really isn't enough information to draw any conclusions there. what you have is just preliminary numeric data and subject to interpretation either factual or erroneous. an example?

  " CDC researchers reviewed death certificates, which are sometimes incomplete.    It was not always clear which deaths were accidental overdoses and which were suicides. CDC officials think more than 70 percent were unintentional."

so there is a lack of knowledge regarding this and officials 'think'....might as well say 'feel' since what you think or feel is not definitive or necessarily factual