Pain Killers Scrutinized after Shocking Death of Michael Jackson

cmaynard — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:55:00 -0700

July 1, 2009
by: Sylvia Marten

It’s been nearly a week since pop singer Michael Jackson’s sudden death from cardiac arrest, and questions still remain as to what led to his death.

According to various news reports, Jackson was addicted to the narcotic pain killer Demerol for more than 20 years and also received daily doses of another pain killer, Oxycontin. According to an unnamed senior law enforcement official in an ABC News report, Los Angeles police were told that Jackson did in fact receive a Demerol injection an hour before his death.

A lawyer for Jackson’s physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, has said that his client did not prescribe Jackson with any of these pain killers, but many medical experts think that Demerol and possibly other drugs played a role in the death.

Whether this is true or not, Jackson’s death provides a sad but absolutely necessary forum to talk about pain killer addiction.

While pain killers like Vicodin, OxyContin, Norco and Hydrocodone are typically prescribed to treat pain, what is often forgotten or not known with patients is that pain killers cause changes in the brain’s chemistry that are not under their control.

More specifically, the brain increases the number of receptors in response to the specific pain killer, and its nerve cells stop functioning. Since the body is receiving opiate pain killers, it stops producing endorphins (the body’s natural pain killers). Consequential degeneration of the nerve cells often auses a physical dependency for these opiates.

What is also not known by many patients is that taking pain killers over a long period of time may actually increase a person’s sensitivity to pain, possibly causing them to up their doses, become addicted and put their health in serious danger.

An overdose of pain killers can lead to respiratory arrest (when breathing slows and stops). Low blood oxygen may then cause the heart to quiver and not circulate blood, and lead to cardiac arrest (when the heart stops circulating blood).

Pain killer addiction is a very real problem in the United States. It has been estimated that more than 4.7 million Americans (roughly 2% of the U.S. population) are dependent on prescription pain killers.

Learn more about pain killer addiction and treatment in the following resources:

[url:808,type=|node|,content=|Pain Medications|]
[url:6639,type=|node|,content=|How Pain Killers Sometimes Increase Chronic Pain|]
[url:1924,type=|node|,content=|Pain Killer Addiction Treatment|].

In related news, Jackson’s death comes at a time when the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) wants a specific pain killer off the market and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering major changes to the use of one pain reliever.

The EMEA has said that the pain killer dextropropoxyphene (known as propoxyphene in the United States) should be withdrawn from the European market because a “significant” number of patients have allegedly been overdosing and dying from it (although the EMEA did not provide a specific number of casualties, according to a Wall Street Journal story).

Propoxyphene (e.g. Darvocet) has been used in the United States to treat mild to moderate pain since the late 1950s. It is marketed today by many drug manufacturers, and the FDA is reportedly considering whether to withdraw this pain killer.

For back pain patients who use or are considering taking a pain medication, especially medications with addiction potential, it is essential to understand and carefully monitor the use of that medicine. Do the upfront research to understand the medication options for your particular type of back or neck pain, and work closely with your medical professional to watch for side effects and risks of dependency. Some medicines are safe for short term use, but become potential dangers when used longer than indicated or in combination with other drugs.

Update: The FDA announced on July 8 that it would not withdraw Darvocet, Darvon and other pain killers with propoxyphene from the market despite calls from one consumer group to remove them. The FDA added that it would require a boxed warning of propoxyphene overdose risks and force manufacturers to study the fatality rates from overdoses.

Thoracic Disc Herniation Treatment

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:26:50 -0800

Chronic Pain Patients with Depression More Likely to Receive Opioids

cmaynard — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:10:29 -0800

Bottom Ad

Left Ad

Right Ad

top_ad

Back Pain Medication Overview: Understanding Medication for Back Pain Relief

Ben Parr — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:24:16 -0800

There are multiple over-the-counter (non-prescription) and prescription medications that can provide back pain relief. Patients considering taking any type of medication for back pain should first meet with their physician to determine their individual risk factors and appropriate treatment options.

Back Pain Treatment: Non-Surgical Options for Pain Relief

Ben Parr — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:24:12 -0800

Prior to starting any type of treatment, it is always advisable to first see an appropriately trained spine specialist to develop an appropriate treatment program for your specific condition and medical history.

The main goals for managing back pain in the lumbar spine (lower back) usually include:

Narcotic

spine-health — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:53:18 -0800

Definition

A narcotic is a potent analgesic drug used to treat severe episodes of pain. Narcotics also known as opioids are derived from the opium poppy plant and produce the effect of dulling the senses and sometimes inducing sleep.

Narcotic medications are highly effective in treating back pain for less than two weeks to treat post-operative pain or severe acute episodes of low back pain. After the initial two weeks, the body rapidly builds a natural tolerance to narcotic medications and they lose their effectiveness.

Narcotic Pain Medications

spine-health — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:42:12 -0800

More Pain Medication Info

Back/Neck Pain Medication

Muscle Relaxants

NSAIDs

Pain Killer Addition

For severe episodes of low back pain, narcotic pain medications may be prescribed. Clearly, narcotic agents are strong and potentially addictive forms of medication and should only be administered by a physician.