Since chronic pain lasts for months to years, a primary goal of treatment is to manage pain, rather than eliminate pain altogether. In some cases, patients developed opioid addiction after being given opioid medication for the treatment of acute or chronic pain. More than one-third of patients on methadone maintenance therapy have chronic severe pain. Individuals with opioid dependence may have increased vulnerabilities that influence their experience of pain, including lowered pain thresholds, increased social stress, psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety), financial strain, and decreased coping skills. Chronic pain, usually defined as lasting 12 weeks or longer, is associated with increased psychological distress, decreased mobility, obesity, decreased physical function, social isolation, financial loss, and development of chronic disability. Pain is a subjective multi-dimensional experience that is influenced by physiological stimuli and the emotional, cultural, environmental and social climate surrounding an individual. “Pain is Inevitable Suffering is Optional.”.
