[iseethroughbs]

The article speaks about using this as a way to escape addiction to painkillers. Not so fast.

Addiction is a phenomenon that predominantly happens in the brain, due to it constantly adapting to find homeostasis. And being unable to perceive pain when you should be is not homeostasis.

[bawolff]

It definitely didn't work well in that star trek episode where garak gets addicted to his pain implant.

https://youtu.be/ESo8MM01Qv8

[ad404b8a372f2b9]

Opioid addiction is not like other addiction mechanisms. After prolonged use the gastrointestinal system is ravaged and when people want to stop they find themselves plagued not only with withdrawals symptoms but also by incredible abdominal pain, so they take more opioids, which worsens the pain, which requires more opioids to alleviate , which worsens the gastrointestinal damage and subsequent pain, and so on... It's a vicious circle called narcotic bowel syndrome, taking away the pain would go a long way to solving this issue.

source: Am heavy opioid user

[throwaway762762]

Just wanted to say THANK YOU for pointing this syndrome out to me. I'm almost sure I have this after years of being prescribed Tramadol for chronic abdominal pain that only ever gets worse. At first it was a life changer. Am now on the max prescribed dose, and the progression of pain seems to only accelerate each time I've upped the dose.

[iseethroughbs]

Did they at least try to figure out why you have this abdominal pain?

[ad404b8a372f2b9]

Tramadol is absolute garbage, I feel for you. I was recommended Zofran to help with the nausea and upset by people who went through the same thing but haven't tried it myself. If you manage to stop, be strong and persevere, it took me months after fully stopping for the pain to go away and to be able to eat normal foods again. My doctor had me do a few purges and I only ate small portions of rice for those months, anything else would make me sick. I was also recommended replacement shakes but haven't tried them. Best of luck.

[spfzero]

But before enough prolonged use to cause that, aren't you already addicted, for practical purposes?

[ad404b8a372f2b9]

I imagine it varies depending on the drug, the patient and the dosage. I was recently on heavy doses of morphine for 10 days and was left unable to eat normally for 4 months afterward, so it can happen quite quick.

But the point is, whether you're addicted or not, you cannot stop taking the drug. If you stop alcohol or smoking you might experience light to severe withdrawal symptoms depending on your level of use, even hospitalization. With opioids you will experiences months of crippling pain and inability to eat normally with the only remedy being more opioids. And you might not even know it's the opioids doing it because the doctors give that garbage out like candy and don't warn you about these side effects.

[spfzero]

Sorry you had to go through that. I was not aware that could happen so quickly, thanks.

[maybeOneDay]

I think it means avoiding prescription of addictive substances rather than helping addicts. Unless I'm reading your comment wrong?

[Jarwain]

Couldn't this cause addiction to the implant instead? Or really nasty "withdrawals" if the implant is removed?

Wouldn't be very different to opioids or painkillers; just different mechanisms if action for similar phenomenon

[alisonkisk]

FTA:

> What’s especially neat is that the stimulated brain region normally doesn’t generate any sense of euphoria, the downfall of opioids. This means it’s likely to decrease the chance of addiction. And because the system only stimulates the brain when it detects pain signals, it lowers the chance the brain adapts to the stimulation.

[hn8788]

Yeah, seems like you could get "spoiled" by it and lack the mental resiliance to tolerate any pain if it's removed.

[spfzero]

I'm with you, and we don't have to look very far to find other cases where the "not addictive" promise turned out to be a false one.