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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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How To Get Rid Off Hydrocodone Addiction Taking For Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain?

my husband has mild rheumatoid arthritis but he has a lot of pain even. We have been married 30 years. He does not have an addictive personality. His doctor has him on hydrocodone 10 mg/500 and a pain patch, butrans 10 mcg/hour transdermal patch. My husband sometimes has to take 3-4 hydrocodone per day in addition to his pain patch. I am very afraid of addiction and even death, but my husband trusts his doctor...and I did too until now. The dr. prescribed him to take 2 hydrocodones daily as needed for pain, but when my husband hurts he takes more. Dr. told him the goal is to get him off the pill form. What do you think?
Mon, 12 May 2014
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Pain Medicine & Palliative Care Specialist,  's  Response
First of all, addiction refers to a situation where a person is using a substance for no medical purpose. Your husband, though apparently sometimes exceeding his prescribed dosage, is treating a legitimate pain problem and is not just using the medication to get high. He is not "addicted" to his medication. Furthermore, from what you have said, his usage of narcotic pain medication is actually relatively low compared to doses commonly used for the treatment of RA and other types of chronic pain. I would recommend that your husband speak with his rheumatologist and male certain that his primary disease is controlled as well as possible. If the pain medication that he is taking is helping him to maintain reasonable function and quality of life and he is not needing to constantly increase the dose to keep up with the pain, then I would say he is probably receiving good care. If his pain control and quality of life are not acceptable, or if he IS frequently needing to up his dose of pain medications, than consultation with a qualified pain management specialist would be a good idea (preferably a doctor with board certification in pain medicine).
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How To Get Rid Off Hydrocodone Addiction Taking For Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain?

First of all, addiction refers to a situation where a person is using a substance for no medical purpose. Your husband, though apparently sometimes exceeding his prescribed dosage, is treating a legitimate pain problem and is not just using the medication to get high. He is not addicted to his medication. Furthermore, from what you have said, his usage of narcotic pain medication is actually relatively low compared to doses commonly used for the treatment of RA and other types of chronic pain. I would recommend that your husband speak with his rheumatologist and male certain that his primary disease is controlled as well as possible. If the pain medication that he is taking is helping him to maintain reasonable function and quality of life and he is not needing to constantly increase the dose to keep up with the pain, then I would say he is probably receiving good care. If his pain control and quality of life are not acceptable, or if he IS frequently needing to up his dose of pain medications, than consultation with a qualified pain management specialist would be a good idea (preferably a doctor with board certification in pain medicine).