My 14 Year Old Cancer Patient May Be Addicted to Opioids. What Do I Do?

By JULIE KIM, MD I’m a pediatric oncologist, but cancer is not always the most serious problem my young patients face. Currently one of them, a 14-year-old boy, his mother, or both may be opioid addicts. I may be enabling their addiction. Tragically, their situation is not unique. Adolescent patients are at risk for addiction from opioid pain medications just as adult patients are. But pediatric patients are overlooked in this war against opioid addiction. No policies protect them or those caring for them. Usually pain is short-term, and only limited opioids are needed. Most providers, including those caring for children, are trained in acute pain management. Patients and providers are also protected by policies limiting the prescribed amount of opioids for acute pain. Occasionally, complications such as bone, muscle, nerve damage, or scar tissue development result in longer-term, chronic pain. These complications happened to my 14-year-old patient, and happens with enough frequently that cancer patients are often exempt from prescription limits. A person’s ability to cope with pain varies greatly. Some patients with identical complications manage with minimal narcotics and instead use lidocaine patches, ibuprofen, physical therapy, and mind-body awareness to continue their lives with resilience. Others, like my patient’s mother, insist nothing but opioids work. Most doctors avoid chronic pain management and worry about the liability of authorizing repeated narcotic re...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Cancer Julie Kim Opioids Source Type: blogs