For those suffering from chronic neuropathic pain, there are a number of treatment options they can explore. Usually, people opt to be prescribed medication, since that is what most of us are used to whenever we are ill or are in discomfort. But, is medication the best way to deal with chronic pain.
Increased risk of wrong dosage
When it comes to medication for fighting chronic pain, the potency of the medication is a crucial factor. However, as everyone’s body is unique, not everyone needs the same dosage, even if the ailments are the same. Unlike other medication, those for chronic pain can have variable effectiveness with even the slightest change in potency. As a result, the risk of wrong dosage for chronic pain medication is quite high. Another reason why medication is not so great is that doctors can erroneously prescribe the wrong dosage.

Img: chronic pain, source https://en.wikipedia.org/
Higher chance of drug interaction
Many people are already on medication before seeking out help for dealing with chronic pain. As explained before, chronic pain medication is often quite potent. As a result, it readily reacts with any other medication that you may be taking. If you wish to continue taking medication to fight chronic pain, you may have to discontinue your existing prescriptions; not a viable prospect for people, like those with heart conditions, who are very dependent on their regular medication in order to stay healthy. Combining chronic pain medication with any other prescription medication can have drastic consequences.
Significant risk of addiction
Drug addiction often has a social stigma attached to it. However, what most people do not realize is that drug addiction is not always caused due to partaking of illegal chemical substances; sometimes people get addicted to drugs that were being administered by a medical professional. It is quite disturbing that the medication that is used to help a person manage pain in their life can become a crutch for the patient in the long-term. Addiction to prescription drugs done not happen overnight and is very difficult to identify, let alone deal with. Because of their strong side-effects, chronic pain medication is often abused by patients as a recreational drug or an anti-depressant.
Dependency and rapid expiration dates
When it comes to chronic pain, medication isn’t really a long-term solution. It can help you manage the pain effectively, but honestly, that is about as far as its effectiveness can go. As a result, it leaves people dependent on medication and without a permanent way to manage chronic pain. Things are not helped by the fact that most chronic pain medications expire rapidly. The medication is never cheap and people are left with loads of unused medication that is past its expiry dates. In many instances, hoarding of these medications is quite common. However, taking the expired medication is extremely dangerous. Despite this, many people make the mistake of trying to get by with expired medication.
Although medication is a viable treatment option, it is far from the best one. People dealing with chronic pain must look for and consider other treatment options that will help them manage the pain better.
About the author: This post is written by Johnny Moore; he is a keen blogger and enjoys sharing various health and fitness tips through his posts. He recently visited a centre offering scrambler therapy treatment and found a considerable long term relief with his chronic pain.