“You’re going through withdrawals,” the registered nurse explained when Chelsea returned to the hospital for the fourth time with severe flu-like symptoms and dehydration.
“I can’t be addicted. I didn’t take anything except what the doctor prescribed to me,” she argued.
“I know, but these are withdrawal symptoms.”
Chelsea spent several weeks in the hospital before she was allowed to go home after her initial cancer surgery due to complications. Heavy doses of opioids following multiple surgeries led to her addiction. Over the next nine years, she would have seven more surgeries. Each time, they would have to carefully wean her off the medication, often using other drugs to offset the side effects so she didn’t go through withdrawals again.
Chelsea also said that in the hospital, she asked for pain medication to deal with the trauma she was facing emotionally. The surgery went badly and damaged her in ways that would affect her for the rest of her life. When the stress of the choices she was forced to make, coupled with the pain she was in, became too much, all she wanted to do was sleep and make it all go away.
Like Chelsea, women are more likely than men to use opioids to deal with trauma. That trauma can come from many sources and resurface after many years if it isn’t dealt with properly. When women don’t have access to quality mental health care to deal with harmful events from their past, they can use drugs to mask the symptoms so they can get through the day. That’s why women’s drug treatment centers need to include a multi-pronged approach to mental health, addressing the past trauma so it doesn’t feed the current addiction and cause future relapses.
Chelsea says she was lucky. She had narcotics officers in her family who watched her like a hawk, knowing the temptations she would face. Not everyone is so lucky. Women go into the hospital seeking help for one problem and leave with a life-threatening dependency that could potentially destroy their lives.
Chelsea’s story of addiction is not unique.
Opioids are the standard of pain management for postsurgical pain. No one wants to hear they’re getting Tylenol after a knee replacement. Surgeons are causing major trauma to the body on top of whatever ailment or injury they went in to fix, and it takes the body time to recover.
On the other hand, doctors have received little guidance regarding the proper dose and duration of opioid treatments for postsurgical pain, according to a report titled “United States for Non-Dependence: An Analysis of the Impact of Opioid Overprescribing in America.” The unintended result is extensive overprescribing and abuse of opioids across the nation:
- Nine out of ten patients are prescribed opioids to manage postsurgical pain.
- The average prescription is for 85 pills.
- Of the prescribed opioids, 3.3 billion are unnecessary to treat the illness or injury for which they were prescribed. These pills become available for misuse.
- The Mayo Clinic reports taking opioids longer than five days puts patients at risk of developing an addiction.
- Women between the ages of 40 and 59 are prescribed more opioids than any other demographic and twice what males of the same age bracket receive.
- Women ages 40-59 have the highest opioid-related death rate.
- Women receive 30% more prescriptions for opioids than men, possibly due to a higher rate of chronic pain conditions.
- 18% of all opioid prescriptions go to women ages 20 to 39, who are more likely to abuse drugs and are the greatest number of individuals seeking treatment for drug abuse.
If Chelsea’s story sounds familiar, it’s not your fault. Women form addictions to opioid medications very quickly, much quicker than men. This is due to the differences in their metabolisms and body composition. Opioids stay in women’s systems longer, and they have a more intense physical response to them.
If you are addicted to opioids, you’ll need medical help during the detoxification stage as you get clean. Women’s drug and alcohol treatment programs have medical teams that can give you medications to lessen your withdrawal symptoms. It’s safer and much more comfortable than trying to go cold turkey. Going cold turkey is so uncomfortable; few people ever stick with it, and it can put so much stress on the body you could have a stroke or heart attack. It is better to ask for help on this one.
Last Thoughts
When asked what advice she would give, Chelsea wanted everyone who read this article to know there is hope. There were dark days when she thought about taking her life. Twelve years cancer-free and six years sober, she’s more independent and happy than she’s ever been. Don’t give up. Get help. Call a women’s rehab near you today.