Many doctors over-prescribe strong medications to their patients, as it’s often easier to pop a pill that treats the symptoms rather than dealing with the underlying condition. This quick fix has resulted on society becoming dependent on painkillers and other powerful medications.

Types of painkillers

The use of over the counter medications has taught people that popping pills is an acceptable solution in dealing with their pain. Over time, this dependence on drugs may cause you to seek out stronger forms from your doctor. NSAIDS and cortisone are some of the more commonly used types of painkillers. You may know these types of drugs as Ibuprofen, Naproxen, and Cortisone oral tablets. Ibuprofen often comes in the form of Advil, Motrin, and Aleve. Cortisone is also available as an injection for localized inflammation reduction. There are also weak opioids and strong opioids available by prescription. These include codeine, dihydrocodeine, tramadol, diamorphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, morphine, and oxycodone.

Overuse of painkillers

With continued use your body may require stronger types of medication to feel the same amount of pain relief. The doctor can then prescribe painkilling drugs that can be addictive. This addiction can be hard for some people to manage; specifically, opioid-based drugs are gaining a lot of notoriety in the news.

People quickly become addicted and when the doctor stops prescribing the medication, some people seek out alternative means. This has lead to a growing heroin addiction in the US. This doesn't mean that everyone will become an addict. Some people seem to have a greater predisposition to developing this condition. Drug rehab centers are having to deal with more people that are seeking help because they first were prescribed an opioid drug by their doctors.

Medical education leading to better diagnoses

When you go to the doctor, you typically see a nurse first. They ask you a series of questions. Nurses are the first line of defense for the doctor. They take all of your background information and may even instruct you on ways to manage your pain. So often, nurses tell patients to continue using over-the-counter medications instead of investigating further into the cause of the condition.

While this is not true for all nurses, the medical industry is overloaded with patients every day. They are receiving the same information from society as you: pills magically stop the pain.

Nurses have an opportunity here to continue their education and make a difference. When nurses further their education, they can learn new techniques in helping with pain management and helping patients stay better informed.

Alternatives to the use of painkillers

In many cases, there are alternatives to constantly taking medication. A large percentage of pain management can be aided through lifestyle changes. Having constant back pain can be alleviated by going on a diet. Extra weight adds strain on your body and also leads to other health conditions. Having headaches could be because you are under a lot of stress at work.

Taking time to relax each day can help to reduce how many headaches you get each month. Exercise is a good way to keep your body healthy and reduce stress. Seeing a chiropractor may help you to cope with some of your back pain. Acupuncture has even been shown to help in some instances with arthritis pain. There are lots of options available that don't involve the use of medications.

Pills are easy. Dealing with the problem is harder. Please consider alternatives to using medication.