Are you in early recovery and trying to maneuver through this new life without substances? If so, that’s great news! But you might not be feeling 100% right now, which makes it difficult to find the motivation to carry on with your recovery. Handling pain management without opioids can be tough, scary and difficult, however, there are ways to get through it.
Pain Management without Opioids
Did you know that as many as 25 percent of people who receive prescription painkillers in a physician’s office or at a hospital after a procedure are now struggling with addiction?
If you were abusing opiates and are either tapering off or are already completely detoxed from them, you may still be in a lot of physical pain. Many people who begin using opiates do so because they are prescribed them by their doctor after a surgery, procedure, or accident to help with short-term pain management; yet, as we all know, short-term can easily turn into long-term abuse with opiates.
Pain after detoxing can be legit discomfort due to whatever reason the patient started taking opiates in the first place; or the pain can be due to opiate withdrawal itself. One of the worst and most uncomfortable symptoms of withdrawal can be writhing, horrible full-body muscle pain. And this can feel almost unbearable to some.
If you are currently going through this agonizing pain…you want relief ASAP.
Unfortunately the situation is a Catch 22. Those in recovery who may need help with pain management cannot take certain pain-relieving drugs due to their addiction risk.
Medications For Pain Management without Opioids
So what can you do? What medications can you take and what holistic measures can you participate in that will help relieve your pain?
These are the medication types that the CDC recommends for people who cannot take opiates:
- Analgesics such as Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen
- Beta-blockers
- Antidepressants
- Topical agents
And these are alternative ways of relieving pain. Try some of these out!
- Chiropractic care
- Massage
- Meditation and yoga
- Mindfulness training
- Deep breathing
- Hot and cold treatments
- Acupuncture
- Whirlpool
- Cryotherapy
- Hypnosis
- Physical therapy
- Exercise
- Nutritional therapies
Even cognitive-behavioral therapy has been proven to reduce pain in patients who are experiencing opiate withdrawal symptoms.
There are definitely many ways in which patients in recovery can reduce and even completely eliminate their pain without the use of prescription medications–especially without opiates.
Pain Management Treatment Without Opioids in Arizona
At Continuum Recovery Center of Colorado, they offer various programs including a holistic outpatient program that could benefit those recovering from opiate addiction. They offer many of the holistic pain-management treatments listed above, such as yoga, meditation, acupuncture, and even have music therapy, art therapy, and fitness coaching.
Your overall health affects all aspects of your life, including your addiction. Making healthy choices with food, exercise, and stress will make your body feel better and make tackling addiction easier.
If you are sick and tired of being in pain and want a pain-management and recovery program that is proven to work, contact us at Continuum where we can help you take the next steps toward sobriety.
