Opioid Pain Medication Clinic in Hattiesburg, MS

Opioids are a class of medication that is used to treat moderate to severe pain in patients, from post-surgery pain management to chronic pain management. These medications include morphine, oxycodone, methadone, and benzodiazepine, all of which manage pain differently to suit the unique needs of the patient. Opioids bind to the opioid receptors in the nervous system, which is how they relieve chronic pain or pain related to injuries or surgery since this binding means that the nerves do not receive signals from the site of the pain, giving relief to those using them.
 
Opioids, like any medication, may have to be increased in dosage over time as the body adjusts to their presence, so if you begin experiencing pain while on opioids, it is worth talking to your prescribing doctors to see about upping your dosage to accommodate the body adjusting to them. Opioids and opiates do come from the same family of medications; however, opioids are synthetic or semi-synthetic deviates, while opiates are made from the poppy plant to capture the active ingredients that relieve pain.

Opioids are prescribed to those over the age of 15 who deal with chronic pain and have not found relief through other methods of pain management, such as medications and therapies. Due to the addictive nature of opioids, many medical professionals use them as their last choice in the management of pain, which is why you may receive other prescriptions before the use of opioids. Your prescribing doctor may also have you create, with their assistance, a pain management goal and the outcomes you hope to reach, like improved movement in daily life or the ability to work more frequently. Since most medical professionals understand that long-term use of opioids can lead to addiction, they will have frequent appointments to review where you are in mobility and pain management to determine if the opioids are working as needed.
 
Opioids have been approved by the FDA to treat pain caused by surgery, vascular pain, chronic pain, and cancer-related pain. Some opioids have been approved to treat intense chronic coughing and irritable bowel syndrome. If you are using opioids for reasons beyond chronic pain, cancer pain, or surgery pain, your prescribing doctor will go over why they have selected this medication for you and advise of any medications, and in the management of chronic pain or other conditions, they will go over what over-the-counter drugs should be avoided while using opioids.

Many patients who have been on or are currently using prescription opioids report that their pain levels reduce greatly within a few days of beginning their prescription. Patients also report that they feel more relaxed when taking opioids and this is because opioid receptors not only send pain signals to the nerves but are also responsible for sending pleasure signals. When the opioids bind to them, this is what causes the feeling of relief.
 
It is important when taking opioids to make sure you attend all your doctors’ appointments and do not increase your dosage without speaking to them first, as opioid dependency can lead to opioid use disorder and substance abuse disorders. Since opioids fall into a category that the government views as narcotics, it is important for the person using the prescription to use them only as directed and not share the prescription or leave it where anyone can access it.

Opioids work on opioid receptors, which are present in the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system. Once they have bound to the receptors, they work by not allowing pain messages to go through the system to the brain, and through that, they create a sense of pain relief as those signals are masked by the medication.
 
At Southern Care Anesthetics, we do not offer pain medication or the management of pain medication services. If you need pain medication, we can refer you to Mississippi Pain and Migraine for opiate medication. We will be able to expedite your appointment, in most cases the same day. For more information, contact us or book an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 4 Willow Point Ste 1B Hattiesburg, MS 39402. We serve patients from Hattiesburg MS, Petal MS, Barrontown MS, Oak Grove MS, West Hattiesburg MS, and surrounding areas.