Common side effects and adverse reactions of pain killers are: nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dry mouth, miosis (contraction of the pupil), orthostatic hypotension (blood pressure drops upon sudden standing) -- often happens when arising too fast when getting out of bed in the morning, urinary retention, constipation and fecal impaction. Patients can innocently start taking pain killers after a moderate injury or because of a severe injury in an automobile accident, fall or for post surgical pain. A person exhibits compulsive behavior to satisfy their craving for a pain killer or pain medication even when there are negative consequences associated with taking the pain killer or drug.

Chronic pain affects one out of three or four adults; millions of people suffer from severe disabling pain. Treatment options for pain killer addiction include: medications, such as methadone and LAAM (levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol), and behavioral counseling; usually, the patient is medically detoxified before any treatment approach is begun. 2.2 million people aged 12 and up first abused painkillers within the past year; this is more than the number of people who started using marijuana and has overtaken the use of cocaine.

Addiction to pain killers is an escalating problem today, especially the abuse of opioid pain killers. Many chronic pain patients may be under-treated as a result of doctors who are trying to gain control over pain killer addiction, they report. Pain killer addiction includes: opiate dependency, opiate addiction, narcotic dependency, narcotic addiction, and pain killer dependency or painkiller dependency.

When you're addicted physically to a drug, like pain killers or alcohol, etc., it's because you've suppressed or shut down your body's production of endorphins, which are natural opiate pain killers; when this happens you start craving the drug that you replaced the endorphins with whether it's alcohol, any of a number of drugs or pain killers. If you think you are addicted and want to get off pain killers or other drugs, it's best to get detoxified as fast as you can and then go through some type of rehabilitation; it's important to have others to lean on and learn from and offer support to you. Opioids should never be taken when drinking alcohol (also a drug) or when alcohol may still be in the system.

More than 415,000 people received treatment for pain killer abuse or addiction this past year. An opioid-dependent pain patient has improved function with the use of the drug while an opioid-addicted patient does not have improvement. Although detoxification is not a treatment for pain killer addiction, it can help relieve withdrawal symptoms while the patient adjusts to being free of pain killers or other prescription drugs.

Find out from your local health professionals where the closest and best pain killer addiction treatment centers are. Some insurance companies will pay for one or two weeks; some may pay for rehabilitation too. It's important to go through rehab following your detox stay: make it a part of your plan of action.

Taking the time to spend in a treatment center, detoxing, is of the utmost priority. It's important to get help and not to try getting off pain killers on your own. If you can't do an in-patient rehab, find out how you can do outpatient rehab and pay for it under your insurance plan; check your insurance policy to see if it's covered.

Researchers are steadfastly working on different ways to optimize pain relief while reducing the risk of drug abuse, including reformulating certain drugs. Do things that make you feel good as long as it's natural. If you think you have an addiction to pain killers think about getting detoxed as soon as possible; you can do it, thousands have done it before you.