Every day, 115 people die in the United States from an opioid overdose, making it one of the leading causes of accidental death. This staggering number has launched opioid abuse into news headlines, leaving the medical world to govern its use more closely. At Restoration at Greensboro, Dr. Charles Plummer understands the problem fully and helps his patients in Greensboro, North Carolina, use opioids safely, avoiding the trap of substance abuse. To learn more about opioids, call or fill out the form online to schedule an appointment.
Opioids are a class of drugs known as narcotics. Dr. Plummer uses them to successfully manage acute and chronic life-altering pain. Opioids work by suppressing pain messages to the brain, bringing much-needed relief to those who are dealing with hard-to-treat pain.
Dr. Plummer turns to opioids in cases where other treatments have failed to bring relief for conditions such as:
As a pain management specialist, Dr. Plummer understands how the pain response develops and where it needs to be intercepted in order to bring you relief. In cases where the pain is unresponsive to local medications, opioids often provide an effective, systemic solution.
Opioids can be dangerous because when they’re abused, they can lead to:
Addiction is different from dependency because it stems from a rewiring in your brain. The receptors in your brain process opioids as pleasurable, which leads your brain to crave more as these receptors become more dominant. This leads to uncontrollable cravings, as well as a lack of control over your use of the drug, as your brain’s receptors override rational thought.
Dependency is another component of opioid abuse and it means that your body relies on the drugs in order to avoid withdrawal. Over time, your tolerance for opioids gets higher, meaning you need more to achieve the same effect. Your body’s natural systems can’t keep up with the increased usage and, if you suddenly stop taking the medication, it’s unable to compensate for the loss and your body enters withdrawal.
The short answer to this question is: yes, if you’re under the supervision of a specialist like Dr. Plummer. With his thorough understanding of how opioids affect your brain’s wiring, as well as his knowledge of your history of physical and mental health, Dr. Plummer is able to manage your opioid use, allowing it to provide you relief from acute or chronic pain without developing into an addiction problem.
To learn more about safe and effective opioid use, call Restoration of Greensboro, or schedule an appointment using the online booking tool.
