For
Pain
Patients
 Are prescription pain medicines
safe and effective for me?
Prescription pain medicines can help reduce much pain
you feel and are safe when used as directed.
However, they are very strong medicines and if
used incorrectly, can cause serious injury or death.
Prescription pain medicines are likely working for you
if they are both relieving pain and improving the
quality of your life. This means that you are better
able to do things that are important to you such as
work or be involved in activities with friends and
family. Prescription pain medicines may not be working
well for you if your ability to participate in
important activities is not improved, you find
yourself worrying that you might be addicted, or if
you feel groggy or find it hard to think clearly.
There are other medical and non-medical alternatives
that can work well with or instead of prescription pain
medicines.
Important things to remember:
- Never take prescription pain medicine that is
not prescribed to you.
- Follow the directions of your doctor and do
not take more than prescribed.
- Tell each
doctor about all of your medical conditions and
all prescription and non-prescription medicines
you are taking if you are seeing more than one
provider.
- Never change your dose of
prescription pain medicine
without checking with your doctor first.
- Never mix with alcohol.
- Taking
prescription pain medicine with other depressants
like sleep aids or anti-anxiety medicines can be
dangerous.
- Always keep your medicines locked in a safe
place.
- Always dispose of any unused or
expired medicines. For disposal information,
Please see the following website:
http://www.takebackyourmeds.org/what-you-can-do/locations
Possible risks from taking
prescription pain medicine:
- Impaired ability to think
- Problems
breathing
- Drug abuse/Addiction
1. Impaired ability to think
Prescriptions pain medicine can lead to excessive sleepiness or a
decreased ability to think clearly. Some sleepiness
can occur when you first start or increase your dose
of prescription pain medicine and can lead to problems driving, but
this problem tends to wear off in a few days. If you
continue experiencing these symptoms you should tell
your doctor. These symptoms are a sign that your
current prescription prescription is not working for you
and may be dangerous.
2. Problems breathing can lead to an
accidental overdose or death
Prescription pain medicines can slow your breathing.
Drinking alcohol or taking certain other medicines
may make it even worse.
Warning signs of an overdose:
- Extremely slow breathing or heavy snoring
-
Confusion or difficulty being awakened
- Blue lips or skin
- Very small
pupils
Call 911 immediately if you witness these signs
in someone
taking prescription pain medicine.
3. Warning signs of Drug
abuse/Addiction
If you find that:
- You are constantly thinking about
prescription pain medicines
-
That your use of prescription pain medicines is interfering
with your work or social life
- You are worried about being addicted
What should I do if I think I am
addicted:
Talk with your medical provider. It may be that your
use is getting out of control. You can come up with
a plan with your provider to adequately control your
pain without endangering your health.
You can also call the Washington
Recovery Help Line
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