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Fibromyalgia pain: Let's connect

Fibromyalgia | Last Active: Oct 31 9:08am | Replies (1334)
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@mwcates

@ckeys Why are you cautioning me? Isn't this a free and open forum? Dependence is a synonym for addiction. I quote from the Mayo Clinic website: "Some drugs, such as opioid painkillers, have a higher risk and cause addiction more quickly than others." (under drug addiction) The pain meds I'm on do not leave me pain-free in the least. What helps me is keeping my mind busy with positive activities and thoughts, daily exercise, having a pet and eating well.

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Replies to "@ckeys Why are you cautioning me? Isn't this a free and open forum? Dependence is a..."
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Nov 28, 2018

@mwcates, you are quite right that Mayo Clinic Connect is an open and free forum. @ckeys brings up an often overlooked distinction between addiction and dependence. Many people use the terms interchangeably. I found this relatively simple explanation on NIH's website
- Addiction vs dependence https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/teaching-packets/neurobiology-drug-addiction/section-iii-action-heroin-morphine/10-addiction-vs-dependence

I paraphrase:
"..it is possible to be dependent on an opioid, without being addicted to it. (Although, if one is addicted, they are most likely dependent as well.) This is especially true for people being treated chronically with a drug like morphine, for example, pain associated with terminal cancer. They may be dependent - if the drug is stopped, they suffer a withdrawal syndrome. But, they are not compulsive users of the morphine, and they are not addicted. ..."

You're so right that pain meds rarely eliminate pain. Keeping busy and finding things to occupy the mind are the topic of this discussion on Connect:
- What Distracts You From the Pain? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-distracts-you-from-the-pain/

I bet you have some great things to contribute to that discussion.

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ckeys | @ckeys | Nov 29, 2018

@mwcates I was trying to be diplomatic, and considerate of others on this site who uses pain medications that contain opiates. I guess you’re willing to just roll over us all and define us as addicts???

I totally disagree with that definition. And pardon my frankness, but you seem uninformed. Perhaps you should seek a site looking to define people who use pain medications as addicts. This is the site about supporting people suffering from chronic pain.

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