Signs of Prescription Addiction Among the Elderly

This is an excellent article. I've written about recognizing alcoholism in elders, and this is one more - perhaps even harder to detect - problem, for some. Please remember compassion may get more cooperation that confrontation, with many elders. They don't ask to have this problem.

Carol

This is a great article! My Mom in particular has been in pain most of her life starting with migraines a long time ago. Now she is a diabetic, has congestive heart failure, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and severe back and knee conditions and is on very strong pain meds. Sometimes she runs out as much as 2 weeks before she can get any more for the next month. Sometimes she realizes it ( she also has Alzheimer's) and sometimes she doesn't and sometimes she just asks "well, what am I supposed to do if I am hurting?" And she has hurt very badly most of her life. In a sad sort of way I am glad to know there are other seniors that seem to be addicted to meds also.

There are many seniors that are addicted to meds, but sometimes it's the pain itself that causes them to ask.

When they want more and more, or fill them at different pharmacies, it's a cause for alarm. But the body does get used to medications, and when we stop taking them, say for pain, it is noticed. Whether that's addiction or not isn't so much a problem as how better to stop the pain, if there is a way - or if there isn't a way, is the addiction better than the pain? These are hard and very individual questions.
Carol

Our society has placed a high moral value on not being "addicted" to opiate pain relievers & alcohol. For centuries, people have used not only these substances, but other substances such as marijuana to ease their pain, be it physical or mental. The fundamental problem is that many physicians fail to be able to recognize this pain in their patients and if they do, are often either reluctant or unable to pharmacologically address this pain. So they talk about "addiction" & instill fear and secretive feelings into the very vulnerable elderly patient. Physicians fail to recognize that we all die and that dying without fear and pain is really far superior to dying "unaddicted" to pain relieving medications. We must recognize that alcohol, while being a depressant, is also a pain reliever and the care giver to a person who is in a chronic physical and/or mental pain condition may actually require higher and higher doses of medications (including alcohol) to down regulate the patient's pain. Pain relief ( psychological OR physical) must be addressed without the moral judgements that is so entrenched in all aspects of our society - including legal, medical & religious viewpoints.

To clarify my sentence regarding caregivers of patients who reqire pain relief - it is NOT the caregiver who would require higher doses of pain relief medications, but the caregiver's responsibility to recognize that the patient may require higher doses to relieve their pain. This must be addressed responsibly to the physician & be managed in the best way possible by the caregiver, patient and physician.

Addiction to moderation: I saw this addiction firstly in my father, who was extremely prudent in life. Later I saw in another people. No drinking, smoking, but 50 years ago that was normal and he abandoned immediately cigarettes when he knew these were dangerous. He had astonishing will after smoking two- three packets of cigarettes a day during 30 years. Died 91 years old. He never drank.

Steven Gerard