Managing Chronic Pain

When a person suffers from chronic pain, they often have a combination of treatments to help them control daily pain.  Most often, this involves multiple medications; these medications sometimes need to be taken in different amounts and at different times during the day.  In order to avoid serious harm to oneself, it best to follow the guidelines listed below when trying to manage a pain medication regimen:


1) Keep a list of all your medications, dosages, and amounts in the same place.  Also include the time of day and whether or not they can be taken with food or water.  In that way, you will always have a reference guide when you are asked by a doctor about your prescriptions.


2)  Consult with your doctor when playing around with dosages or new types of medication.  Be aware of how certain medications interact with each other, and specifically ask what the side effects of your drugs are so you know what to look out for.  

3)  Also re-confirm with your doctor that the medications you are already on are compatible with your new medication. Don't assume that your doctor has already completely thought about all your medications and how they interact with each other.  This is especially true if different specialists have prescribed different medications.


4)  Monitor your body's reactions to your drugs when beginning to take a new medication.  If you experience bad side effects or feel that the medication is not working properly (or at all) do not hesitate to talk to your doctor or go to the hospital, if necessary.


Chronic pain is a tricky diagnosis in terms of finding the right medication combination that will work, but will not lead to overmedication.  Working with your physician and seeing what is right for you is the only way to find an effective, realistic pain management treatment.

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