Pain Management

There is an epidemic of pain medication abuse in this country, and the abuse often stems from legitimate treatment for chronic pain and surgery. Too many people are being prescribed medications for pain and injuries instead of combining medication with physical therapy and other physical improvement practices. Many of those addictions have evolved to include illicit substance use, such as heroin. The difficulty with treating these clients is that legitimate physical discomfort is often the root of the addiction. Detoxing from these types of meds can exacerbate the source of the pain.

The challenge for specialists is to determine which clients are abusing meds and which have simply developed a higher tolerance to their effects without becoming addicted. The initial intake and assessments are useful tools for such distinctions, and identifying co-occuring psychiatric or medical conditions is a vital component of that process. APN Lodge works closely with a client’s personal physician to understand his/her history with pain, medication, and other diagnoses in order to present the clearest and healthiest path forward.