Depression With Painkiller Use May Decrease Prescription Effectiveness Of Drugs

 

One challenge that people living with back pain face is managing the chronic pain stemming from their condition. As a result, some patients may have to deal with depression or anxiety issues. The bad news for such people is that narcotic painkillers may not be the best option for easing back pain, according to a study carried out at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Narcotic Painkiller Problems

The lead researcher in the aforementioned study, Dr. Ajay Wasan, warns that narcotic painkillers are potentially dangerous because depression hampers the efficiency these drugs. Depressed back pain patients tend to take more of these medications to numb the pain, which effectively translates to painkiller abuse. Upon running out of painkillers earlier than expected, some patients turn to marijuana or cocaine in search of chronic pain relief. Additionally, some patients change doctors often to access more narcotic painkillers.

To limit misuse of painkillers, physicians could prescribe physical rehabilitation or non-narcotic drugs to manage depression or anxiety symptoms and improve the body's responsiveness to narcotic painkillers. This is particularly important because depressed participants in the study led by Dr. Wasan reported only 21% pain improvement compared to 39% for non-depressed participants. Worryingly, Dr. Wasan and his team also found that the likelihood of depressed patients abusing painkillers stood at 39% compared to just 8% for non-depressed patients.

The American Academy of Family Physicians warns that narcotics cause side effects such as confusion, fatigue, and constipation. Given such outcomes, people suffering from depression should not use narcotics to treat chronic back pain, according to Dr. Allyson Shrikhande, psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital in NY. Furthermore, Dr. Shrikhande says depression increases a patient's risk of painkiller abuse because these drugs affect the body's neurohormonal balance. Supporting Shrikhande's view is the assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, NY Dr. Scott Krakower who believes treatment of depression/anxiety separately would eventually lead to improvements in back pain relief. At the same time, Krakower supports screening of back pain patients for coexisting conditions such as depression.

Patients suffering from chronic back pain are at risk of developing depression and anxiety, causing them to abuse painkillers or narcotics such as cocaine and marijuana. Fortunately, such patients can use physical rehabilitation and non-narcotic drugs to help manage depression.