From what I’ve read, the majority of the abuse doesn’t come from patients. I know someone whose doctor told her that a person in pain who needs the meds is far less likely to become addicted l.
That is true. When I was prepping for my hip replacements I expressed concern to my Surgeon about getting addicted to the painkillers, and he told me people who really need them don't have an addiction problem. Just stick to my schedule and tweak the dosages down on my own. At a certain point after each surgery, I woke up one day and found Naproxin or other NSAIDs were far more effective than Hydrocodone, and simply stopped it altogether. My remaining pain was from inflammation, not bone-break.
I don't think my experience was all that unusual. I wanted the pain reduced, and I switched medications on my own. I learned to become in tune to my pains through my Physical Therapy, which pains were "good" (workout pain) and which are "bad" (harming myself). I was always mindful that the ideal pain level was not "zero" but "one." Having a little bit of pain was the best way for me to never take more than what I needed. If I shot for "zero," how can I know I'm not over-medicating? There are no negative numbers in pain level.
