What you need to know about opioid pain medicines
Patient counseling guide – what you need to know about opioid pain medications.
This guide is for you! Keep this guide and the medication guide that comes with your medicine so that you can better understand what you need to know about your opioid pain medication. Go over this information with your healthcare provider. Then, ask your healthcare provider about anything else you do not understand.
What are opioids?
Opioids are strong prescription medications that are used to manage severe pain.
What are the serious risks of using opioids?
Opioids have serious risks of addiction and overdose.
Too much opiate medication in your body can cause your body to stop – which could lead to death. This risk is greater for people taking other medications to make them feel sleepy or people with sleep apnea.
Addiction is when you crave drugs (like an opioid pain medication) because they make you feel good in some way. You keep taking the drug even though you know it is not a good idea and bad things are happening to you. Addiction is a brain disease that may require ongoing treatment.
Risk factors for opioid abuse:
You can get addicted opioids even though you take them exactly as prescribed, especially if taken for a long time.
If you think you might be addicted, talk to your healthcare provider right away.
If you take an opioid medication for more than a few days, your body becomes physically "dependent." This is normal and it means your body's gotten used to the medication. You must taper off the opioid medication (slowly take less medication) when you no longer need it to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
How can I take opioid pain medication safely?
What should I avoid taking while I am on opioids?
Unless prescribed for you by your healthcare provider, you should avoid taking alcohol or any other medicines with an opioid because it may cause you to stop breathing, which can lead to death:
But other options are there to help with my pain?
Opioids are not the only thing that can help control your pain. Ask your healthcare provider if your pain might be helped with a non-opioid medication, physical therapy, exercise, rest, acupuncture, topical's, types of behavioral therapy, or patient self-help techniques.
What is naloxone?
Naloxone is never substitute for an emergency medical care evaluation. Always call 911 or go to the emergency room if you've used are given the locks on.
Where can I get naloxone?
When you no longer need your opioid medication dispose of it as quickly as possible. The food and drug illustration recommends that most opioid medications be promptly flushed down the toilet when no longer needed, unless a drug take back option is immediately available. A list of opioid medications that can be flushed down the toilet is found here: https://www.fda.gov/drugdisposal.
What thing should I know about the specific opioid medication that I'm taking?
Your healthcare provider has prescribed____________________ for you. Read the medication guide for this medicine, which is information provided by your pharmacy.
Remember this other important information about your opioid medication:
Dosing instructions:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Anyspecific interactions with your medicines:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What if I have more questions?
Read the medication guide the comes with your opioid medication prescription for more specific information about your medicine.
Talked your healthcare provider pharmacist and asked them about any questions you may have.
Visit: www.fda.gov/opioids for more information about opioid medicines.
This guide is for you! Keep this guide and the medication guide that comes with your medicine so that you can better understand what you need to know about your opioid pain medication. Go over this information with your healthcare provider. Then, ask your healthcare provider about anything else you do not understand.
What are opioids?
Opioids are strong prescription medications that are used to manage severe pain.
What are the serious risks of using opioids?
Opioids have serious risks of addiction and overdose.
Too much opiate medication in your body can cause your body to stop – which could lead to death. This risk is greater for people taking other medications to make them feel sleepy or people with sleep apnea.
Addiction is when you crave drugs (like an opioid pain medication) because they make you feel good in some way. You keep taking the drug even though you know it is not a good idea and bad things are happening to you. Addiction is a brain disease that may require ongoing treatment.
Risk factors for opioid abuse:
- you have: a history of addiction, a family history of addiction
- you take medications to treat mental health problems
- you are under the age of 65 (although anyone can abuse opioid medications).
You can get addicted opioids even though you take them exactly as prescribed, especially if taken for a long time.
If you think you might be addicted, talk to your healthcare provider right away.
If you take an opioid medication for more than a few days, your body becomes physically "dependent." This is normal and it means your body's gotten used to the medication. You must taper off the opioid medication (slowly take less medication) when you no longer need it to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
How can I take opioid pain medication safely?
- Tell your healthcare provider about all the medications you are taking including vitamins and herbal supplements and over-the-counter medications.
- Read the medication guide the comes with your prescription.
- Take your opioid medication exactly as prescribed.
- Break chew or crush or dissolve the medication. If you can't swallow your medicine hole, talked your healthcare provider
- when your healthcare provider gives you the prescription asked: how long should I take it? What should I do if I need to taper off the medication (slowly take less medicine"?
- Call your healthcare provider if the opioid medication is not controlling your pain do not increase the dose on your own.
- Do not share give your opioid medication to anyone else. Your healthcare provider selected this opioid and the dose just for you. A dose that is okay for you could cause an overdose or death in somebody else. Also, it is against the law.
- Store your opioid medicine in a safe place where cannot be reached by children are stolen by family or visitors to your home. Many teenagers like to experiment with pain medication. Use a lockbox to keep your opioid medicine safe. Keep track of the amount of medicine you have.
- Do not operate heavy machinery until you know how your opioid medicine affects you. Your opioid medicine can make you sleepy, dizzy, or lightheaded.
What should I avoid taking while I am on opioids?
Unless prescribed for you by your healthcare provider, you should avoid taking alcohol or any other medicines with an opioid because it may cause you to stop breathing, which can lead to death:
- alcohol: do not drink any kind of alcohol while you are taking opioid medication.
- Benzodiazepines (like Valium or Xanax)
- muscle relaxants (like Soma or Flexeril)
- sleep medicines (like Ambien or Lunesta)
- other prescription opioid medications
But other options are there to help with my pain?
Opioids are not the only thing that can help control your pain. Ask your healthcare provider if your pain might be helped with a non-opioid medication, physical therapy, exercise, rest, acupuncture, topical's, types of behavioral therapy, or patient self-help techniques.
What is naloxone?
- Naloxone is a medication that treats opioid overdose. It is sprayed inside your nose or injected into your body.
- Use naloxone if you have it and call 911 or go to the emergency room right away
- use naloxone if you or someone else is taken in opioid medication and is having trouble breathing, short of breath or unusually sleepy.
- Use naloxone if a child is accidentally taken the opioid medication and or you think they might have.
- Give naloxone to a person even a child who is not taken an opioid medication will not hurt them.
Naloxone is never substitute for an emergency medical care evaluation. Always call 911 or go to the emergency room if you've used are given the locks on.
Where can I get naloxone?
- There are some the locks on products that are designed for people to use in their home.
- Naloxone is available in pharmacies. Ask your healthcare provider about how you can get naloxone. In some states you may not need a prescription.
- When you get your naloxone from the pharmacy, read the patient information on how to use naloxone and ask the pharmacist if anything is unclear.
- Tell your family about your naloxone and keep it in a safe place where you or your family can get to it in an emergency.
When you no longer need your opioid medication dispose of it as quickly as possible. The food and drug illustration recommends that most opioid medications be promptly flushed down the toilet when no longer needed, unless a drug take back option is immediately available. A list of opioid medications that can be flushed down the toilet is found here: https://www.fda.gov/drugdisposal.
What thing should I know about the specific opioid medication that I'm taking?
Your healthcare provider has prescribed____________________ for you. Read the medication guide for this medicine, which is information provided by your pharmacy.
Remember this other important information about your opioid medication:
Dosing instructions:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Anyspecific interactions with your medicines:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What if I have more questions?
Read the medication guide the comes with your opioid medication prescription for more specific information about your medicine.
Talked your healthcare provider pharmacist and asked them about any questions you may have.
Visit: www.fda.gov/opioids for more information about opioid medicines.