How can we, as nurses, encourage adequate pain relief, yet help our patients avoid the pitfalls of addiction? Let's face it, many people get their first encounter with narcotics after surgery. Some have a hard time weaning themselves off of them afterwards. It's a real problem that can destroy lives.
We don't want to cripple our patients' recovery and rehab by discouraging pain relief. But, there's definitely a lack of forthright communication in the medical field regarding the real dangers of narcotics.
Since I'm wrestling with this subject myself, recovering from a painful surgery and rehab, I've been giving it a lot of thought. I'm having a hard time finding a balance, and probably too paranoid. Yet, I've seen the horrors of narcotic dependence too.
