It’s no surprise that sports can be dangerous. Everyone from football players to basketball stars get hurt every day. Our favorite athletes are always making the headlines for their injuries, such as wrestling star Nikki Bella. Even the supposedly “safe” sports like golf can lead to injuries.
For most athletes, the injury might sideline them for a few weeks while they heal. They might need a little rehab or just stay off a sprained ankle while it gets better.
Others need more serious medical treatment after an injury. They might go through several surgeries and painful rehabilitation. Powerful painkillers may be prescribed to help them get through the healing process.
The problem is that prescription painkillers don’t discriminate — they work the same whether you are actually suffering from pain or not. People who take them can easily become addicted to that feeling, so they continue to take the drugs long after the injury has healed.
A report from Sports Illustrated says that the growing use of painkillers among athletes has led to the growing use of heroin, as well, which can produce the same results and sometimes be easier to obtain. However, SI says that there is little hard data about the number of addicts who are also athletes or who became addicted as a result of their injuries. Desert Hope says that there are 23.1 million people struggling with addiction in the country.
But athletes don’t have to eschew pain treatment to avoid the threat of addiction. Proper pain care management can help them avoid this fate. Here are a few other things that doctors and athletes alike can do to minimize the risk of addiction:
Proper Dosing
It is always better to start with a smaller dose of medication. Doctors should prescribe the smallest possible dose, and if the patient needs more to alleviate pain, the dose should be increased only incrementally.
Doctors and patients alike should insist on the smallest possible dose of pain medication to manage the pain. Some discomfort may still be felt, but it can be bared. It is better for athletes to endure some discomfort than to get caught in the grip of addiction.
Alternative Medications
Power narcotic painkillers are not needed to manage all types of pain. Patients should start by taking simple aspirin or ibuprofen to deal with their pain. If that doesn’t work, they try a higher, prescription-level dose of these drugs.
When more powerful pain medications are needed, there are still options among drugs that have more addictive properties and those that don’t. Some drugs have a shorter half life, which means that they exit the body much more quickly and are not as addictive. These are the types of drugs that should be tried before more powerful pain killers such as Oxycontin.
Regular Check-Ins
Even if a higher dose of a powerful pain medication is needed initially, it may not be needed for long. It is important that doctors and athletes work closely together to monitor the medication and dosage prescribed to ensure that both are still necessary.
As patients heal, they can go to a lower dose of medication or can go to a lower-strength drug. The medication should be dosed down as quickly as possible. The longer a patient takes a strong medication or a high dose of a medication, the more risk there is of addiction.
Monitoring
Family and friends play a role in preventing addiction, as well.
When some athletes become addicted, their doctors may become suspicious of the pain levels they are reporting or the types of drugs or dosages that they are requesting. Doctors may then refuse to prescribe that medication or to prescribe it in the dosage or the regularity that the patient wants. Some patients may then go to another doctor for the medicine in an illegal practice known as “doctor shopping.”
Family and friends can identify these and other behaviors that may indicate the presence of addiction, and they can intervene. Family and friends can also identify some of the symptoms of addiction to painkillers, which can include:
- Shallow or slow breathing
- Slurred speech
- Confusion
- Poor judgment
- Small pupils
- Itching
- Nausea and vomiting
- Flushed skin
Doctors will also be on the lookout for these symptoms, but family and friends have a better chance of recognizing them since they will see the patient more frequently.
Addiction can consume anyone, and it is important that athletes who must take prescription pain medication for their injuries are aware of the risks. Doctors can work together with patients and their family and friends to minimize these risks. If professional help is needed, substance abuse counselors and treatment centers are available to help addicts heal.
Sources:
https://blacksportsonline.com/2016/02/wwe-diva-nikki-bella-gives-neck-injury-update-on-ig/
