It is well known that people using opioid and opiate painkillers - heroin, morphine, methadone, OxyContin, hydrocodone, and so on - need more and more to create the desired effect.  People can wind up with some pretty serious addictions and dependencies that require drug detox and drug rehab to get out of.

Until recently, it was assumed this was due to the fact that the body builds a tolerance to the drug.  While experts don’t disagree with the tolerance factor, they also believe that a significant amount of the pain experienced by people taking opioids is actually caused by the opioids.

This was recently discussed by Dr. Steve Gelfand, a board-certified rheumatologist with more than 30 years of experience and author of numerous articles, on Larry G’s Prescription Addiction Radio show. Dr. Gelfand said this conclusion is the result of some 21 medical studies. He’s been writing articles about it for some time, and has contacted the FDA to let them know about the studies. So, far it appears these studies have been ignored - and the opioid painkillers keep on coming.

Just goes to show you that pain relief is not actually the goal of manufacturers like Purdue Pharma - although that company’s intentions have been obvious for quite some time - nor does it appear to be the goal of the FDA.

Dr. Gelfand generally recommends smaller doses of painkillers, or non-opioid varieties. If you know someone who’s on OxyContin or other painkillers, it’s a good idea to look into this subject a little rather than exposing them to the resultant addiction and dependency and the possibility of needing a drug rehab program.

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