The Use of Opiate Drugs to Relieve Chronic Pain

Annotated Bibliography on the Use of Opiate Drugs to Relieve Chronic PainNameInstitutional AffiliationDate Anna, W. (2015). Opioids for Nonmalignant Chronic Pain. AMA Journal of Ethics. In this article, the author presents a case study of a patient who heavily relied on the long term use of opioids. The patient has undergone through a series of treatment programs intended to relieve the back pain that he sustained six years ago. His doctor who is a pain certified management specialist informs him to abandon the use of opioid and consider other alternatives, but the patient refuses the idea altogether. The author seeks to answer the question of whether the patients who rely heavily on opioids to relieve pain are addicts. The argument presented by the author is that it is an unethical practice to prescribe the use of opioids for treatment without exploring other options. The doctor should inform the patient about the different effective treatment programs available instead of relying on opioid use alone. The author also draws from previous studies where he suggests that there are no long term benefits associated with the use of opioid. If the patient cannot be sustained on a low dosage of opioid, they should not use it for treatment as it can often lead to addiction. In most cases, the use of opioid escalates in that the patient will be required to increase their dosage to relieve the pain. Side effects can also occur if they stop using opioid abruptly. Due to this, opioid use should be done only when the patient has insisted on it even after they have been informed of the other alternative treatments. In such a case, it would be done voluntarily and in line with the principle of autonomy in healthcare practice. Nicholas, L., Bryan, L., Rachel, O., James, B., & Margaret, M. (2017, October ). To Continue or to Withhold Opioid Analgesics? An Ethical Dilemma Involving a 63-year-old Cancer Patient Who ‘Broke the Pain Contract.' Rhode Island Medical Journal. In this article, the author explores a case study of a patient who misused her opiate drugs. The patient got into a contract agreement on the use of opiate drugs, but later she breached the contract. She would take the opiate drugs and sell them to help support her methamphetamine addiction. She would come back to the hospital to demand more opiate drugs saying that she was undergoing through chronical pain. The phys...