Practicing caution when using opioid medications can mean the difference between life and death for you. Opioid medications are highly addictive. The chance that you’ll develop long-term dependence on these drugs significantly rises after just about five days of prescription opioid use.

Here are some steps that you should take to safely use opioid medications:

Learn About Your Family History- For some people, opioid isn’t even safe to consider. It is your doctor who after assessing your medical history, family history and personal history of substance use- will prescribe you opioid medication in New York City only if it safe for you. Sleep apnea, anxiety or depression, obesity are some medical conditions that increase your risk of dangerous side effects from opioid medications. There’s an increased risk of opioid abuse and addiction for individuals who’ve a family history/personal history of substance abuse, history of severe depression or anxiety, prior drug or alcohol rehabilitation.

Consult with Your Doctor- It is only in consultation with your doctor that you should go ahead with these medications since they’ll prescribe the lowest effective dose, for the shortest period needed, when treating acute pain; avoid prescribing opioids for chronic pain, and also help you minimize withdrawal when you stop opioids. Make sure to schedule regular checkups while you’re taking opioids and do let your doctor know about any concerns that might be bothering you.

Safely Manage Your Medications- The onus lies with you in ensuring your safety while taking opioids. As a safety measure, inform all your providers about all of the drugs you’re taking, order all your medications through the same pharmacy as much as possible, read the instructions and warnings carefully, check the date of expiration on your pill bottle and report side effects to your doctor immediately.

Safely Stopping the Medication- Don’t try to go off opioids on your own since it puts you at risk of serious health complications. Ask your doctor to help you wean off.

Side Effects of Opioid Medications:

Certain expected side effects of common pain medications:

1. Drowsiness and change in cognition
2. Nausea
3. Respiratory Depression
4. Constipation
5. Physical dependence and addiction (clinical concerns)
6. Myoclonus (involuntary muscle twitching) (can occur with high-dose opioid therapy)
7. Pruritus (itching) (most common with morphine)

Opioids can have a huge impact on your thinking and judgment. Signs of opioid abuse include mood changes, borrowing medication from others, taking pain medication even when you’re not in pain, taking more than the prescribed dose of medication. Sit with your doctor and devise a plan to safely taper off your medications.

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Harlem East Life Plan
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