Minimizing Narcotic Abuse

In the past, we've talked about ibuprofen abuse, but narcotic abuse is a far more severe problem because of the addictive tendencies.  Ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and other products like that certainly can be overused, but when you talk about a narcotic, there is an additional fact that you're not just doing it for pain, you're doing it for the feeling from the narcotic.  It's important that abuse of narcotics is minimized.  The way you do this, of course, is only taking what your doctor prescribes and seriously questioning how much you use. 

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Over-Consumption of Junk Food Can Trigger Addiction-Like Responses in the Brain

Doctors and researchers have suspected this for quite some time, but a study in rats reported in the journal Neuroscience has found that over-consumption of high-calorie food can trigger addiction-like responses in the brain, and that junk food can turn rats into compulsive eaters in a laboratory setting.  When the researchers regularly offered rats a choice of high-calorie foods such as bacon, sausage, cake, and chocolate in addition to their regular food choices, the animals over-consumed calories and gained weight rapidly.  The study gets even more interesting, the team trained their rats to expect painful foot shocks when seeing a light signal.  Although normal rats stop eating even the most delicious junk food when the light comes on, the obese rats used to the high-calorie diet just keep feeding.  The desire for junk food overcame the fear of pain.

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Research on Serotonin and Depression

We have known for quite some time that depression and serotonin pathways in the brain are connected in some way. Many of our treatments for depression are based on serotonin and its metabolism in the body. How depression and serotonin may be linked? Well, according to information in the journal Science, interactions between a brain protein and a serotonin receptor seem to have a relationship with depression as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder, drug addiction, anxiety, aggression and sleep disorders. Now, without getting too technical, there are aspects of the finding that are very important. The true value might come from the fact that as we learn more about serotonin, we will be able to attack it more specifically. Remember, we use a lot of serotonin-based drugs. We understand how they work and we can definitely put them in position where they can make a difference for people.

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Pain Medication Overuse

How many medications are too many?  Well, when it comes to pain, it could be just one.  If you're taking medication all the time to relieve pain and you haven't tried other treatments, you may be getting yourself in a situation where you may actually find yourself addicted.  It's very important with pain medication that you use common sense and you try to reduce it in whatever way possible.  Again, it's real important that you don't allow yourself to just take pain medicine for the sake of taking it.  You've got to be very careful and very aware of it.  

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Sleeping Pills May Become Addicting

The problem with sleeping pills is you can actually become addicted to them.  People who take multiple sleeping pills find that over time, they get used to them and they need them to sleep they need them to get that state of drowsiness, and if they don't take them, they're in a situation where they put themselves behind the eight ball.  It's important that sleeping pills be used for those who need them, but that they be used responsibly and that a physician be monitoring it.

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Using Pain Killers Appropriately

Painkillers are very effective to deal with pain…that’s why they’re called painkillers. But one of the problems with pain killers is people can have a dependence on them, and with that dependence, they can run into issues. One thing that’s essential is that if a doctor gives a patient a pain killer, the patient should know it is a short-term solution, not the end-all. If it’s an end-all solution, people ultimately become so addicted to them they have no other answer but to use them. That is not where doctors want to be in the management of pain. What doctors want to do is use them as an ally, not a crutch.

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Addiction to Video Games

The American Medical Association wants to call it a psychiatric disorder…addiction to video games. The organization hopes to point out that this is a very real problem and it makes suggestions for treatment. In addition, the goal is to get insurance companies to pay for therapy. The signs are what you expect. The teens holding up in their rooms, ignoring friends, family, even food and shower, while work suffers. Of course, there will be a debate. Video game makers don’t seem to like this at all. If your child plays video games, don’t worry. It’s normal. It’s just when it becomes excessive that it’s a problem.

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Pros and Cons of Pain Clinics

Pain clinics can be good and bad. Clearly, if you are suffering from chronic pain and you go to the right place to have the pain handled, they can make a big difference. They can make life a lot better for you. However, sometimes people go to pain clinics for the medication and before they know it, they get, more or less, hooked on the medications that were given with the best intentions. I see a lot of patients like that. They come into the family practice office and what they need is pain medicine. You have to get off those medicines. They are a crutch but they’re not something that should be used long-term.

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