Sorenson 1

Josh Sorenson

Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 2010

April 19, 2018

Prescription Drug Abuse: Alternative Treatment Solutions to Chronic Pain

When faced with a life-altering injury, illness, or accident, patients are treated by

healthcare professionals who use their knowledge and resources for the patient’s welfare.

Doctors and other caregivers work together to treat and reduce pain while focusing on

rehabilitation. Once the patient’s health progresses to the point when constant medical care is no

longer needed, they are often prescribed opioid painkillers for pain management as their body

continues the healing process. While opioids succeed in the suppression of acute pain, the

addictive nature of the drugs have resulted in a public health crisis that claims thousands of lives

each year. Realizing that opiate treatment is hazardous to a patient’s long term health, more

suitable forms of treatment are recommended to treat chronic pain. While there are a variety of

effective treatment options available, many patients are unaware of the choices or simply choose

the more convenient opioid therapy. Educating patients and healthcare professionals concerning

responsible consumption of prescribed medication and alternative treatment options for chronic

and acute pain can decrease the amount of people using opioid drugs unhealthily.

The amount of prescribed opioid medication has risen in the United States in the past

twenty-five years following the introduction of the drugs to the public health in 1990. In 2015,

data collected by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that the amount of

opioids being prescribed was “three times higher in 2015 than 1999”(“Vital Signs”). The rise in
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opiates have also paralleled the number of overdose deaths due to opioid drugs in the United

States. The National Institute on Drug Abuse found that between the years of 2002 and 2015, the

number of overdose deaths in the United States due to Opioid drugs rose from twelve thousand

to thirty four thousand deaths during this thirteen year period (“Overdose Death Rates”). The

number of lives taken each year by opioid-related reasons compare to other preventable causes of

death, including drunk driving and suicide (see fig. 1).

Physicians are having a difficult time diagnosing pain in patients due to lack of evidence

and training. Vania Modesto-Lowe et al, members of medical programs in Connecticut, reason

that “the notion that pain exists whenever the patient says it does is widely endorsed by the pain

management community.” Many patients complaining of pain and seeking prescription

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medication to treat their addiction, instead of pain, has created an unclear protocol for

prescribing opioids (424). To educate physicians about the proper prescribing methods, The

Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized the need in constructing guidelines to

further educate prescribers who may be unsure of safe prescribing techniques. These guidelines

include the primary use of long-term opioid use for acute pain instead of chronic pain. Brown

University released an article outlining prescribing methods and guidelines. The CDC

recommends a lower dose of opioids when beginning medication, and explains that “Three or

fewer days usually will be sufficient for most non traumatic pain not related to major surgery.”

The CDC also points out that “nonpharmacologic therapy” is the most effective low-risk

treatment for handling chronic pain. These guidelines are primarily for physicians when

prescribing in outpatient care. They don’t necessarily apply to patients that are nearing the end of

life, where comfort is the most important goal, nor those patients suffering from cancer, where

the use of opioid drugs prove beneficial (5). Opioid drugs are not harmful in every case such as

these. They should be prescribed to patients who have cancer and other medical diagnosis that

there is no hope for a cure. Especially patients on hospice which can decrease suffering and

improve quality of life and for short term use with surgical interventions where the pain is too

intense.

In addition to physicians given the proper education, alternatives to opiates treating pain

can help reduce the number of opioids prescribed. KJ Sherman et al., Members of the Group

Health Research Institute, conducted a study of two hundred and twentyeight patients suffering

with neck pain receiving massage therapy multiple times a week. The results proved effective as

many patients reported less severity to their pain (para. In Mehl-Madrona et al. 622).
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Tim Sorenson, Director of Medical Services, nurse and social worker for Renaissance

Ranch Treatment Centers in Utah, agreed to sit down for an interview and provide a healthcare

perspective regarding the effects of the opioid epidemic on society and possible solutions to help

curb the epidemic. When asked what individuals can do differently to cope with their chronic

pain, He explains that pain is interpreted by the brain as a threat which triggers the fight or flight

response. If there is imbalance between your physical, spiritual, or emotional self, your mind

tells you that something is wrong and contributes to chronic pain. The key to managing pain

without medicine lies in finding treatment centers that offer training and resources that treats the

entire person holistically through cognitive and mental health therapy (Sorenson). Stanford

Health Care supports the use of cognitive therapy through distraction and relaxation techniques

for cancer pain management. Participating in exercises such as meditation and deep breathing

can help reduce pain. Stanford additionally recommends exercise and counseling to treat the

mental and physical side of severe pain (“Management of Pain without Medications”).

Another effective tool in conquering pain without the use of opioid therapy, can be found

by the participation in chronic pain support groups. A study conducted by Jonathan A Smith et

al, from Birbeck College in the UK, explored the effectiveness of a chronic pain support group in

southeast England. Twelve Individuals who integrated from pain management programs in

hospitals into these support groups, found themselves in the same social classification as their

fellow group members. Smith et al. emphasized a need for connection between group members

and reasoned that friendships gave members support and motivation to cope with pain and

eliminate the influence it once had in their lives. Members experienced acceptance and love
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which boosted self-esteem and contributed to overall success in the program (para. in Finlay

663-667).

Furthermore, using a mixture of non-medication therapy such as physical therapy,

acupuncture, exercise, and good nutrition can also help alleviate chronic pain. In addition,

patients can use over the counter medications such as ibuprofen that are not as addictive and

harmful. Developing friendships and maintaining good social, mental, and physical health, will

give a patient outlets for their pain and support to persevere. Working to reduce the number of

opioid prescriptions while also informing doctors of patients of the effects of opioids and safer

alternatives, will increase peace of mind within the healthcare system. Educating both the

healthcare prescribers and the patients about the risk of addiction from opioid consumption, and

alternative therapies that exclude addictive substances, can shift healthcare from an opiate

dependent system, to non-opiate system.

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Works Cited

"CDC Issues Draft Voluntary Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain." Brown

University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update, vol. 18, no. 2, Feb. 2016, p.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/cpu.30103.

Finlay, Katherine A. and James Elander. "Reflecting the Transition from Pain Management

Services to Chronic Pain Support Group Attendance: An Interpretative Phenomenological

Analysis." British Journal of Health Psychology, vol. 21, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 660-676.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/bjhp.12194.

"Management of Pain without Medications."Stanford Health Care (SHC) - Stanford Medical

Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2018.

Mehl-Madrona, Lewis, et al. "Integration of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies

into Primary-Care Pain Management for Opiate Reduction in a Rural Setting." Journal of

Alternative & Complementary Medicine, vol. 22, no. 8, Aug. 2016, pp.

621-626.EBSCOhost, doi:10.1089/acm.2015.0212.

Modesto-Lowe, Vania, et al. "Pain Management in Patients with Substance Abuse: Treatment

Challenges for Pain and Addiction Specialists." American Journal on Addictions, vol. 16,

no. 5, Sep/Oct2007, pp. 424-425. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/10550490701525566.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Overdose Death Rates."NIDA. N.p., 15 Sept. 2017. Web. 20

Apr. 2018.

Sorenson, Tim. Personal interview. 11 April. 2018.

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"Vital Signs." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 06 July 2017. Web.