The 10 Most Addictive Painkillers

One of the most common reasons Americans visit their doctors is to get help with pain relief. Pain causes distress and can even be debilitating. Doctors sometimes prescribe opioid pain relievers to their patients who are in pain. While these drugs can provide much-needed relief, they also have the potential for misuse and addiction.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) notes that prescription opioid painkillers can lead to dependence and addiction even when taken as prescribed by a doctor. Opiate medications are habit-forming and can quickly lead to tolerance, dependence, addiction, and withdrawal symptoms.

This article discusses why these substances are so addictive, the signs and symptoms of opioid misuse, and the painkillers with the higher potential for addiction.

How Addictive Are Pain Relievers?

There are different medications that can ease short-term or chronic pain. Many of these drugs fall into the opioid category. These drugs are also known as narcotic pain relievers and include morphine and codeine, as well as several synthetic modifications of these drugs.

It is important to be cautious when taking medication for pain. In some cases, the treatment can pose more risk than the underlying cause of the pain. While you can't remove all risk, you are less likely to become addicted to pain-relieving drugs when you take them exactly as prescribed.

Still, many of these medications produce a high that can become addictive for some patients. Some people become psychologically dependent on this feeling of euphoria. There is also the risk of physical dependence on highly addictive pain relievers.

Pain medication overuse (sometimes called medication or narcotic abuse) is one of the most prevalent forms of drug misuse in the United States.

One of the reasons is that addictive pain medications are sometimes over-prescribed. For example, a person might not need such strong pain relief, or a pain medication might be prescribed for longer than a person needs it.

The Opioid Crisis

Prescription opioid addiction has risen substantially over the last few decades. What begins as dependence can lead to seeking pain medications on the black market or using illicit opiates such as heroin.

The current issue of narcotic misuse in the U.S. started in the late 1990s, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): "Pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers, and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates."

Of patients who develop an opioid use disorder, 4% to 6% eventually turn to heroin. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that, in 2019, an average of 38 people died each day from prescription opioid overdoses.

The number of opioid-related deaths increased by 5% between 2018 and 2019. The epidemic has hit rural America as hard as it has the nation's cities. In response, multiple government agencies have created initiatives to curb the epidemic.

According to the CDC, the first line of defense is reducing the number of addictive pain medications that are prescribed. This initiative involves working with physicians and pharmacies to ensure that they use powerful painkillers only when absolutely necessary.

Signs and Symptoms of Opioid Misuse

Unfortunately, the nature of painkillers is that they become less effective over time. This is partly because your body adjusts to the medication and develops a tolerance, which means your body requires higher doses of the drug to get the same effect.

There are certain signs that therapeutic use of opioids has crossed into the territory of addiction.

Signs to be aware of include:

• Exhibiting compulsive behaviors to get the drug and continue to use it (even in the face of negative consequences)
• Taking the medication to get high or relieve anxiety rather than to relieve pain
• Needing to take a higher dose of medication to feel the effects previously experienced at lower dosages (especially if snorting or injecting the drug is required to get the desired effect)
• Using pain medication in amounts or at times that are not consistent with a doctor's prescription—especially if someone is misleading their doctor or pharmacist to do so

If you recognize these behaviors in a loved one or are concerned about your own use of pain medication, it's important to talk to your healthcare provider.

Opioid Addiction Discussion Guide

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Most Addictive Painkillers

These are the top 10 most addictive pain medications currently available, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Most of these drugs are prescribed for the treatment of chronic pain, though some are intended for short-term use.