Palm Trees

Pain Medication: Are You Taking More Than You Need?

There are a variety of  ailments that may lead someone to take pain medication, such as recovery after surgery or physical injuries.  In some instances, people develop the habit of regularly taking pain medication to relieve symptoms that result from a chronic condition. Regardless of whether you are taking over the counter or prescription medications, the potential danger exists for you to develop an addiction.

Fortunately, there are some basic signs and symptoms that you can look for that will alert you to the fact that an addiction may be forming.

Continued Use - If you continue to need refills on a medication even after you have fully recovered, it is likely an indicator that you have developed an addiction. In addition, if your doctors begin to question you about your continued use of a medication or refuse to renew your prescription, you may very well need to face the fact that you might have developed a dependency on a particular drug.

Increasing Dosage - If you take a medication for a long enough period of time, it is likely that your body will develop a tolerance to it. If this happens, and you still feel like you need the medication, you will probably ask your doctor to increase the dosage.

Changes in Habits or Appearance - One of the most obvious outward signs of any type of drug addiction is a change in usual habits or overall appearance. Examine your appearance in a full-length mirror, and be objective about what you see. Have your grooming habits changed? Have you become sloppy with your manner of dress?

Personality Changes - Any changes in your normal behavior might also indicate an addiction. Your mood, energy or enthusiasm levels, and ability to concentrate on daily tasks may very well be affected by the long-term abuse of pain medication.

Withdrawal - A common sign of any type of chemical dependency is the withdrawal from “normal” social activities. If you find yourself avoiding contact with people that you normally socialize with, or you start avoiding social events that you would typically attend, you might want to examine your use of pain medication.


It is quite common for people to exhibit denial when faced with such introspective analysis. No one wants to admit to having a chemical addiction. For some people, it is simply embarrassing. For others, admitting to being addicted to pain medication is the same as openly admitting to having a weakness that is viewed as unacceptable by society.
It is important to remember that taking care of yourself should be the single most important task in your life every day.

Taking pain medication is perfectly acceptable when you really need it. The key is to carefully monitor your usage, and be honest with yourself if you begin to notice that you are using a medication for too long, or if you suddenly need increased dosages in order to “feel” some relief.

Everyone has the potential to become addicted to pain medication. If you know what warning signs to look for, however, you can avoid developing a dependency on any type of drug.