Prescription Opioid Use Disorder (POUD)

Prescription opioid use disorder: A complex clinical challenge (2012)

http://www.currentpsychiatry.com/home/article/prescription-opioid-use-disorder-a-complex-clinical-challenge/07df2ac90009340bf541bb4fdcdc15f9.html

The incidence of POUD during opioid therapy for pain is unknown. Some researchers have suggested it may be as low as 0.2%,7 while others estimate that rates of POUD in patients with chronic pain may be similar to those in the general population: 3% to 16%. When applying the proposed DSM-5 criteria to patients receiving long-term opioid therapy for noncancer pain, the lifetime prevalence of POUD may be as high as 35%.

If you are a pain patient who follows all the rules, you’re probably thinking this “disorder” doesn’t apply to you.  But let me assure you that this is how the medical industry views every single chronic pain patient — so whether you suffer from this “disorder” or not, you will be heavily monitored and treated for it.

Face it, if you’re still lucky enough to be on opioid therapy, you are now a Drug Addict.  How do you like that label?  From what I’ve learned about labels (like “stoner” for marijuana users), I’d say it’s better to claim the negative labels rather than try to fight them… Really, it’s easy to make any label negative — just think how the term “gay” has evolved from meaning “really happy” to being a put down (in some circles).