Diagnosed With An Opiate Or Narcotic Allergy? What Are Your Long-Term Pain Management Options?
Posted on: 11 May 2016
If you've spent some time on a regimen of opiates or other narcotic medications to manage chronic joint pain, you may have expected to build up a tolerance to these drugs over time, requiring a higher dosage than before to provide the same amount of pain relief. However, you may be surprised and dismayed to discover you've instead developed an opiate or narcotic allergy, resulting in itchy hives, trouble breathing, or even more severe physical symptoms upon exposure to these drugs. What pain relief options remain after you've developed an allergy to the drugs that bring you relief? Read on to learn more about opiate allergies and what you can do to maintain a life as free from joint pain as possible.
What can cause an opiate or narcotic allergy?
The human immune system can be triggered to attack the body's own healthy cells and tissue in a wide variety of situations, and this reaction can begin at any time -- so substances that have never posed a problem before may still be potential allergens under certain circumstances.
In some cases, an opiate or narcotic allergy may be triggered by nothing more than the long-term use of the drug. The more your immune system is exposed to opiates, the more it may begin to recognize these drugs as foreign substances or even potential pathogens and incite your white blood cells to attack. In other cases, you may suddenly develop an opiate allergy or sensitivity after changing your dosage or the brand of medication you take.
What are your best long-term pain relief options if opiates or narcotics no longer work well for you?
In some cases, your allergic reaction may be mild enough that it can be managed with additional medication like antihistamines or even immunosuppressants. However, because these autoimmune reactions can be dangerous, even potentially deadly, it's often best to switch to an entirely different pain management regimen to avoid inadvertently triggering a severe allergic reaction.
One option that may provide some relief is the use of a "scrambling" device under the auspices of a pain management clinic. These scramblers utilize electrodes attached to various places on your body to disrupt the pain signals being sent from your joints to your brain. You may need several sessions or more to obtain long-term pain relief, but for many battling allergies to opiates or narcotics, this may be a viable alternative to medication.
For more information, contact Regional Pain Care or a similar location.
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