New York Pain Management Clinic in Manhattan and in New City, NY - New York City area.

Before prescribing we take time to listen and analyze your condition in order to identify a pain management approach that will work best for you.

Opioid medications may benefit some categories of patients with chronic pain. It is recommended to combine opioid medication therapy with physical therapy in order to achieve long-lasting results.

Opioid medications are some of the oldest painkillers used for ages. For some patients with chronic pain opioid are the last resort for improving their quality of life even though the side effects of using opioid are well-known. These side effects may include cognitive problems, nausea, and constipation. In some patients opioids may even cause irritability and headaches. Opioid drugs are considered to be a good and safer option for some elder patients. Conversely to popular belief, opioid medications may actually have less side effects than some popular NSAIDS. Sometimes NSAIDS are abused by some chronic pain patients, who are scared of the addictive effects of the opioids and may cause severe stomach and liver problems.

Opioids work by changing the way how the central nerves system perceives pain. Opioid usually cause physical dependence which is not same as addiction. Many people, even some medical doctors confuse physical dependence, which is a normal bodily reaction with addiction. Addiction is defined as craving for a drug and taking it for reasons other than pain relief. That usually leads to decreased quality of life which is opposite of the reason for prescribing the opioids in the first place.

True addiction is rarely developed in patients without a previous history of addictions. Some patients may present so-called pseudo-addiction, when the prescribed opioid dose is too low and they take extra medication in an attempt to achieve a meaningful pain relieve.One should remember that physical dependence does not equal addiction. Physical dependence can be caused by many non-opioid medications such as antidepressants and blood pressure medications as well and is a normal physiological reaction.

When taking opioid medications it is important to maintain a close contact and communication with your doctor in order to make sure that the prescribed medication is suitable for your condition and is effective in improving your overall quality of life.

Usually doctor starts with a lowest effective dose of the pain medication and gradually increases the dose to the optimal level. Different drugs and different doses may work well for different patients.

Very important here is to understand that it is unrealistic to expect a compete pain relief in some cases. However a significant improvement is almost always possible.

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