Narcotic Pain Medications

Doctors very commonly prescribe narcotic pain medications when a patient presents with chronic pain or has suffered an injury. Another time that they commonly reach for their prescription pad is when a patient is about to have surgery.

Although for some people, prescription pain medications are necessary, sometimes they are potentially dangerous for certain "types" of people.

Patients who have been treated for a mental illness and may have had issues with substance abuse in the past are the "type" of people I am referring to.

The problem with prescription pain medications are their addictive properties. It can be very easy to become dependent on these medications. If you are taking them regularly, you will find that you need to increase your dosage in order to get the same relief from when you first started taking them.

The side effects are another concern for many who suffer from chronic pain conditions. It is hard to function with chronic pain. There are days where it can be more bearable. Trying alternative methods for pain management such as ice, heat, massage and pain relief gels can help but when you are suffering from debillitating pain that keeps you from functioning in your daily life, it is easy to allow pain medications to be your method of escape.

That is where the danger lies in narcotic pain medications. You no longer cope with the pain, you teach your body to cope with the side effects of the drugs and soon you find yourself on a cycle of taking pain medications.

Living with chronic pain can cause symptoms of depression. The side effects of narcotic pain medications can leave you detached from your life. It is hard to function when pain medications distort your functioning by keeping you in a state that borders between drowsiness and "la la land".

Many people do function at their jobs while taking medications like Vicodin, Endocet and other prescription pain meds. Personally, I don't know how. They do affect your reflexes and alter your thinking. Maybe in time you do "get used to it".

If more doctors considered pain management to be more than writing a prescription and therapies like physical therapy, massage, accupuncture and biofeedback were more actively used, patients may actually avoid becoming addicted to these medications.

Addiction is a serious side effect to being prescribed prescription pain medications. It can happen easily without the patient even realizing it. One day, usually when your prescription begins to run low, you may sense a feeling of panic. Thinking about getting through the day without taking a pain pill may cause you to psychologically feel that you may have a dependance.

It is possible. You may begin to experience withdrawal symptoms such as shakiness, headaches and stomach upset. You should never abruptly stop taking pain medications. Speak to your doctor about how to slowly wean yourself off of pain medications so that you will experience less side effects.

The best advice for managing pain is to stay aware of what you can do to manage your pain. Relying on pain medications alone is not the only way to cope. Physical therapy is a way to help your body heal and build strength. It isn't easy but like they say "use it or lose it".

You can avoid dependance on narcotic pain medications by talking to your doctor about your pain and alerting him/her to how well you are progressing or not progressing. Pain medication is meant to distract you from the pain so that you can heal.

If you are having trouble coping, speak to your doctor about alternative and more natural remedies for dealing with your pain. Overcoming addiction to prescription pain medications is painful and often a long, hard road.

Schizophrenics and the Law

I watched a very old episode of "Unsolved Mysteries" the other day. They were looking for a young New Jersey woman who had murdered her boyfriend in Arizona.

"June" was diagnosed schizophrenic in her late teens. She had been hospitalized in New Jersey and once she turned 18, she was free to do what she wanted. Her boyfriend had moved back to Arizona and he (believing all she needed was a "fresh" start) encouraged her to come live with him.

For a short time, things were good. She was seeing a doctor, therapist and taking her meds. Then, she began using illegal drugs. Her boyfriend was not there are nights to "watch" her because he was doing shift work. Her behavior became out of control and she was increasingly paranoid of everything. She accused her boyfriend of being against her and his family grew concerned when she would lash out violently towards him.

He was insistent that he could help her. He was wrong. Love isn't enough when you are dealing with a schizophrenic.

June killed him. She stole his truck and drove about 40 miles away and entered a small town where she acted suspiciously. She told people she was hiding from an abusive boyfriend but people sensed that it wasn't the truth.

Eventually, a concerned citizen called the police when she abandoned the stolen truck and disappeared.

The truck led them back to the boyfriend who they found dead on his couch from multiple stab wounds.

June was on the run but eventually she was found. This is where this story gets horribly disturbing.

She was sentenced to jail for the murder of her boyfriend (which she did not dispute). She served 15 years and was released. End of story.

She murdered someone and got 15 years. That in itself is disturbing that taking his life only got 15 years of punishment. The fact that she did not receive psychiatric counseling is very wrong. She has already been diagnosed schizophrenic.

So she gets out of jail, she is barely 40 years old and she is free to go on with her life without having to address her mental disorder? She killed once. She is a danger to society.

Thanks to laws that were changed to "protect" the rights of the mentally ill, a dangerous schizophrenic walks amongst us.

That is just wrong. June's boyfriend tried to help her. His love was not enough. For his good intentions, he wound up dead.

Mental illness sucks. It isn't fair but don't we have the right as citizens to know that people who have a disease that can make them a risk to our safety  are being "taken care of"? We need to take another look at the ACLU and determine if protecting the rights of someone doesn't put the risk of the general public at risk as well.

This story about June was upsetting to me. I know someone who is schizophrenic. She denies that she is. She uses illegal drugs and seems content in her life. She has been "classified" mentally disabled by the state and does not hold a job. She spends her days partying, occasionally seeing a therapist and doctor to manage her meds. What many do not realize is that when you use drugs like marijuana, cocaine and others with your psychiatric medications, you are messing up the chemical balance in your body.

Not to mention the effects of illegal drugs on your mood and behavior.

How do we help schizophrenics? I don't know. Most schizophrenics deny they have a problem. Once they are over 18, they do not have to have help.

Not all schizophrenics are dangerous to others. The risk is there though and that needs to be better addressed.

Teens and Depression

As many writers do, I often am inspired to write about real-life experiences in the hopes of educating others. The following story is based on a real-life experience. This is a story that many people can identify with and for those who can't, let it serve as a lesson. If anything, it will make you think about the seriousness of teenage depression.

A single mom who happens to be a nurse in a hospital is approached by the youngest of her two daughters. The girl, who is 13 years old, complains that she is depressed. It takes a lot for a teen to confide in her mother. At this age, many are rebellious and if they even recognize symptoms of depression in themselves, often they do not ask for help.

Even with her experience as a nurse and the training and knowledge she received during her schooling to become an R.N., the mom brushes her daughter off and does nothing to get her help.

Life goes on. They move to a new town and the daughter begins school in an unfamiliar setting with unfamiliar students. The mother's new boyfriend is a constant fixture in their new apartment.

The daughter begins to feel even more isolated and her depression does not go away.

Being vulnerable, the new friends that she makes are other troubled teens. In response to their feelings of low self-worth and lack of self-respect, they do typical rebellious teenage things like smoke pot and drink alcohol.

Self-medicating is typical behavior for someone who is suffering from a mental illness. When they are not seeking treatment, they often turn to something to ease their pain.

A teenager who has asked for help and either not taken seriously or ignored, may just feel as if she/he doesn't matter or is not believed.

Eventually, if left untreated, depression will get worse.

The girl becomes more "hooked" on drinking and drugging and it does start to catch up to her. She begins to get into trouble in school and gets caught with alcohol on her.

Now the mom has to take notice. In addition to her depression, her daughter also has a problem with alcohol and drugs. She is now barely 15 years old.

Regular AA meetings have become a way of life for this family and the sad part is that all this might have been avoided if only she had been taken seriously. She could have been evaluated, gone for therapy and perhaps been prescribed an anti-depressant to help her with her symptoms of depression.

Dealing with a dual diagnosis (in this case Depression and substance abuse) is difficult for mature adults. For someone with their whole life ahead of them, it makes life more of a challenge.

This is an example of why parents need to be aware of the symptoms of depression. They also need to put aside any misconceptions about mental illness and seek out help for their child. No one says that it is easy to deal with. The journey to recovery can be long but it is a journey that must be taken.

This girl's story could have had a much more tragic result. Her story is not over. She is in treatment and hopefully, her family is taking this issue seriously. I hope she gets well. I hope she gets the support that she is deserving of, like anyone else who has a mental illness.

I hope my sharing this story makes someone think twice about the seriousness of teenage depression. It is real. It needs to be taken seriously.

Arizona Shooting Brings Awareness to Mental Illness

Although the facts surrounding the alleged 22 year old shooter who opened fire with an automatic weapon and wounded several people and killed six are still being sorted out, the tragedy in Arizona is bringing awareness to the importance of screening for mental illness.

Not every mentally ill person is a danger to others. In fact, according to NAMI, the amount of people who are mentally ill who commit acts of violence is very low.

Knowing the signs of mental illness is something that every educator should be trained to recognize. The question is, when do we as a society step in and try and help someone who may be in need?

There are people who just have a "different" kind of personality. They may appear to fit into some kind of "personality disorder" but do they really need help?

Almost fifteen years ago when I first heard about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, I felt it was an excuse for bad parenting. I feel badly for judging anyone by criticizing their parenting skills but hearing the "symptoms" of ADHD and other similar disorders I (and others) may be inclined to think that all the kid needs is a swat on the butt and told "no" every once in a while. I am a product of the generation that I was brought up in.

You know, you absolutely NEVER back-talked your parent. Oh, maybe you did once but you never did again. The generation where you had respect for your elders. If you were out playing and an adult yelled at you, your parent knew that you probably were deserving of it or they were just the "cranky" old woman who didn't like kids.

No one sued, parents taught that there were consequences to your actions.

Somehow, things changed. The world became tougher to deal with. Did we baby our children so much that they just couldn't cope? I don't know.

Is there such a thing a mental illnesses? Yes, I believe that there is. But, and this is a huge but, they are overly diagnosed.

Too many doctors are quick with the prescription pad and not adept at listening. Often the pressure to see as many patients as they can in order to make a living due to insurance not paying enough for their services causes doctors to not listen well. Finding quality mental health care that is affordable is harder to do than ever.

With so many state agencies losing funds and making cut-backs, those without health insurance and in need of mental health evaluations are slipping through the cracks. Many people choose to self-medicate rather than go through the lengthy process of treatment.

For other people, denial that it is mental illness causes them to self-medicate.

Who knows why the young man in Arizona chose the horrible path that he did. It is tragic and sad. If he truly is ill (how can a "sane" person do what he did) and no one noticed, whose "fault" is that?

We really need to re-evaluate laws that were meant to protect the abuse of mentally ill by giving them the right to not accept treatment. It may be a fine line in protecting one from themselves but it is also protecting a potentially dangerous person from the rest of us.

Self-Help for Anxiety Disorders

There is no better cure for anxiety than therapy. No anti-anxiety pharmaceutical medication can "fix" your anxiety. It can help you gain strength in facing your anxiety head on and allow you to do something about it but without therapy, your anxiety will worsen.

I was introduced to this invaluable self-help program that many psychologists and mental health professionals recommend to their patients. "Mind Over Mood" (see link to it on the sidebar) is an easy to follow book that teaches methods that have been shown to help not just anxiety disorders but depression also.

This book can also help you to overcome relationship problems, handle the stress in your life better, improve your self-esteem and become more confident.

Written by two psychologists, this book truly is clear and easy to follow. It will help you to change your life.

Although cognitive behavioral therapy with the guidance of a trained professional is best, many people just cannot afford to go to therapy. With so many people who do not have adequate health insurance, the costs of therapy may be out of reach. This book is a great alternative for someone who knows thaat they need help but feels they have to live with their fears.

You do not need to. There are hundreds of self-help books on the market. Finding a good one that works for you can be time-consuming. The lessons in this book will better anyone who tries them. Anxiety sufferer or not, one can always grow as a person.

Changing Your Attitude

The sun rises every day whether or not we are awake to see it. With the beauty of the sunrise comes the gift of a new day.

A new day in which we hold the power within us to decide how we are going to deal with the challenges we face.

As anyone who lives with mental illness knows, there are days when it is hard to hold on to hope.

The best advice is to learn how to appreciate what is good. There is always something good to be found.

Do not let mental illness define you. You are not your illness. It may cause you to alter your lifestyle but ultimately who you are is a unique individual with more strength than you realize.

Be your own advocate. Do not just sit back and faithfully take your medication according to your doctor's instructions and do nothing else to help yourself. Research your disorder. Fight to hold on to who you are and do whatever possible to live your best life.

There is always hope. Life is not black and white. Believe in yourself. Believe and it can help you get through those dark days.

If it is too difficult to envision the future, take it a day at a time until you are strong enough to set goals for the future. You will get there. It takes baby steps before you can run.