This matches what I have been taught. With regard to pain management, the idea is to use the lowest dosage of medicine to keep the pain down. Notice this is NOT the lowest dosage of medicine to keep you somewhat functional.
If you can learn to recognize when the pain is starting to come back and take the drug then (before you are IN pain), you will need less of the drug. If you can get on a maintenance schedule, you will usually end up using less medication and have fewer side effects than if you allow it to spike. Also, the pain in and of itself is dibiliating. Even after the pain has gone away, the stress on your body from dealing with the pain will take time to heal.
If you take the drugs that you NEED, you will not become addicted to them. The addictions come when you take more than you need. If you need the percocet (or whatever), the pain will burn through the addictive aspects of the drug (not really but that is the lay-person explanation ... in reality the drug will be fighting the pain and not have enough left over to get you the endorphin-high which is what triggers the addiction).
In a hospice situation, a really high level of drug may be needed and the patient may sleep a LOT. However, some of that is a result of sleep deprivation due to NOT being able sleep well due to the pain. Once the patient catches up on sleep and adjusts to the drug (like any other long-term drug), they will often be more alert on the morphine (or whatever) than they were before being allowed to have the pain dealt with appropriately.e
(no subject)
If you can learn to recognize when the pain is starting to come back and take the drug then (before you are IN pain), you will need less of the drug. If you can get on a maintenance schedule, you will usually end up using less medication and have fewer side effects than if you allow it to spike. Also, the pain in and of itself is dibiliating. Even after the pain has gone away, the stress on your body from dealing with the pain will take time to heal.
If you take the drugs that you NEED, you will not become addicted to them. The addictions come when you take more than you need. If you need the percocet (or whatever), the pain will burn through the addictive aspects of the drug (not really but that is the lay-person explanation ... in reality the drug will be fighting the pain and not have enough left over to get you the endorphin-high which is what triggers the addiction).
In a hospice situation, a really high level of drug may be needed and the patient may sleep a LOT. However, some of that is a result of sleep deprivation due to NOT being able sleep well due to the pain. Once the patient catches up on sleep and adjusts to the drug (like any other long-term drug), they will often be more alert on the morphine (or whatever) than they were before being allowed to have the pain dealt with appropriately.e