Painkiller Tolerance and Addiction

Learn more about the difference between having an increased tolerance for painkillers and having an addiction.

Advances in modern medicine have made it more possible than ever for people to deal with chronic pain and live normal, productive lives. But the same medications that can help people manage their pain can also create a serious drug addiction. Statistics show that more than five million Americans use painkillers for non-medicinal purposes. This is more than double the number of people estimated to use cocaine in America.

One thing that makes painkiller addiction so challenging is the fact that people often don’t realize they have a problem until they are deep into prescription drug abuse. Because they begin using painkillers for legitimate purposes, the addiction can slowly build over time. My people who have painkiller addictions and end up in a rehab program are in denial that they have a problem because of this reason.

An aspect of painkiller addiction which can cause confusion is the fact that people with chronic pain issues can build up a tolerance for the medication. Over time, the same dose of medication does not manage their pain as effectively as it once did, leading them to need to increase their dosage in order to reduce their pain. Some people worry that this increased tolerance to pain medication can be the first step towards painkiller addiction and drug rehab.

The truth is that the increased tolerance is part of the body’s natural reaction to the medicine — the liver begins to process the medicine more efficiently over time, leading to a similar dose having less effectiveness. This process is normal for people dealing with chronic pain who need to be on pain medication for a long-term basis and is not a sign that they need to check into drug and alcohol treatment. Prescription pain addiction involves using pain medication for reasons other than to manage pain — “self-medicating” to help relieve stress, for example.

If you are dealing with chronic pain and your medicine is not working as well as it used to, it’s important to discuss this with your doctor immediately and determine if an increased dose or different medicine is needed. Deciding to self-medicate and increase the amount of medicine you take is a potentially dangerous situation which could lead a person down the path of painkiller addiction and treatment in an addiction program.