Particularly, narcotic analgesics have drawn increasing criticism for being overprescribed. These drugs, more commonly known as “pain-killers”, include names such as Vicodin and Morphine. While these drugs certainly help and should be used to help with short-term pain, analgesics are commonly prescribed to treat chronic long-term pain.
Two issues exist with this treatment, discounting side-effects. One, narcotic analgesics put the patient at risk of addiction, which causes them to seek out further medication beyond their immediate health needs. Two, this type of drug causes habituation: The medication becomes less effective as the patient continues the regimen, requiring higher doses to achieve the same end. The combination of these issues can lead to an increasing addiction that is expensive and hazardous to the health of the individual.
Due to these consequences, narcotic analgesics should not be used for long-term treatment. Health care providers need to develop an alternative approach to medication for helping patients cope: One possible solution is comprehensive pain clinics. Pain clinics use several different sciences and arts to help individuals negotiate pain, including physical therapy, chiropractic, massage therapy, psychiatry, psychology, and alcohol and drug counseling. While these programs do not exclude prescription drugs from their regimens, they try to decrease the dependence of the individual on medication. The encouragement of pain clinic programs can help avoid the vices of narcotic analgesics while allowing for their use in the short-term. The goal of every physician should be to help patients deal with their pain inside their health interests, and not to try to prescribe it out of existence.
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