If you suffer from chronic pain, it is likely that you currently take or have taken some form of pain medication. Whether you use over-the-counter medicine or take what your provider has prescribed you, there are important steps in proper medication management and safety.
At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, our providers ensure that patients receive only the safest treatments and are fully aware of side effects, recovery information, and how to safely take and dispose of their medication, for example. With four locations across the sate of Utah, Southwest Spine and Pain Center is the leading pain practice in the southwest United States.
With the safety of opioid prescriptions as the center of chronic pain news, The Pain Foundation has released a great resource for patients who abruptly stop taking their pain medications and who are physically dependent on these opioids. Please visit http://www.samhsa.gov/csatdisasterrecovery/featuredreports/Abrupt%20Withdrawal.pdf for safety information and contact a Southwest Spine and Pain Center representative for any help.
Many of our patients at Southwest Spine and Pain rely on pain medication for pain relief. We are hopefully that one day, patients will not have to rely on their medications to make it through their days and we want you to be prepared. Medication management is imperative to chronic pain treatment. It is important that you follow the instructions provided by your physician, and you inform him or her of any changes to your health so that your medicine can be altered for safe consumption.
Medication disposal shouldn’t be followed through like they do in the movies. It is not safe to flush your medications down the toilet. There is only a short list of medications that can be safely flushed down the toilet, which you can find here: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/EnsuringSafeUseofMedicine/SafeDisposalofMedicines/UCM337803.pdf. However, the safest way to dispose of unwanted medicine is to follow these steps:
- Use an unpalatable substance such as coffee grounds and mix in medicine (not crushed).
- Transfer the mixture to a container or plastic bag.
- Throw away in trashcan.
- When you throw away the pill bottle, ensure that all of you information is scratched off.
Ask your Southwest Spine and Pain physician about ‘Medicine Take-Back’ programs. Some doctors and pharmacies will take expired or unwanted medications and dispose of them.
If chronic pain is impacting your life, don't wait to schedule an appointment at Southwest Spine and Pain Center. With three locations and growing, the pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center are dedicated to helping those who suffer from chronic pain live the life they want to! To schedule an appointment, visit our locations tab!
The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.
©Southwest Spine and Pain Center, 2014
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