The Thin Line to Prescribed Opioid Addiction, how to Identify and Prevent the Risk for the Deviant Behavior and Opioid Overdose

The Thin Line to Prescribed Opioid Addiction, how to Identify and Prevent the Risk for the Deviant Behavior and Opioid Overdose

There is a thin line between being on prescribed opioids for long term treatment of chronic non cancer pain and being addicted to opioids. Some patients may cross this thin line. Their primary care providers would be in a dilemma either to deny the treatment of pain or to support their addictive behavior. How to address this dilemma is the first important question to answer. To address this dilemma there is a need for collaboration between primary care providers, pain specialists and addiction specialist.First, primary care providers need to understand the difference between physiological dependence versus being addicted to opioids i.e., opioid abuse or dependence.