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Should I Avoid Painkillers? How to Recover From Injury Without Addiction

By U.S. News & World Report

You’re in excruciating pain. Your body seethes with sharp muscle spasms and headaches that disrupt your train of thought. You can barely function, and the only way to move forward with your day is sitting right in front of you in a small prescription bottle. You want to reach for the painkillers, but you’re afraid of the consequences: using them as a crutch, leading straight to addiction.

But the road to healing is rarely so cut and dry. Depending on your own medical history and your family’s health background, it’s entirely possible that painkillers could be just the short-term prescription you need in order to get back on your feet. Often, avoiding painkillers can even be detrimental to one’s healing; waiting to take them until the pain becomes unbearable can cause a patient to take more than they need at a given time. So how do you know if prescription painkillers are for you? The first step is consulting your doctor.

[See: 10 Seemingly Innocent Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore.]

During your assessment, be sure to share your family’s medical history; those genetically predisposed or who have a personal history of addiction to narcotics or opiates should most likely steer clear from painkillers of this nature, as they are more susceptible to addiction or relapse.

If you have a long, chronic pain issue, such as a condition like fibromyalgia, you also might want to consider taking a non-narcotic form of pain treatment. Likewise, if a patient already uses drugs recreationally, there is a higher probability that he or she will turn to prescription painkillers for uses beyond healing.

It’s always best to start off with the most unaggressive form of pain maintenance. Begin with low dosages, or medications without highly addictive properties.

[See: These Medicines May Cause Bone Loss.]

The timeline of your healing is nearly always a factor; should you find yourself ingesting prescribed painkillers, try taking them for two to three weeks, maximum, then taking stock of the amount of pain you are in. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend doctors prescribe painkillers with addictive properties primarily for short-term healing only. Track your progress over time; if you are still in a tremendous amount of pain at the end of a brief, set amount of time, a more long-term approach should probably be taken, and not one utilizing prescription pills. Help heal without developing an addiction by limiting your ingestion, and see the pills as a short-term solution, not a lifelong one. Ingesting painkillers for an extended period of time will only increase your tolerance and make withdrawal that much more difficult when the time comes to stop taking the pills.

Once you’ve been prescribed painkillers, it is crucial to adhere to your doctor’s advice; opiates especially have a short shelf life, and those who take them often build up a tolerance quickly. This means patients will often increase their own dosage in order to maintain the same painkilling effects, which alters the way the brain receives pain signals. Should you find yourself developing this habit, return to your prescribing doctor and be open and honest about the increased dosage. Be aware of how quickly you run through a prescription; if more pills need to be called in prior to your next fill, or if you attain prescriptions from multiple doctors, there is probably a problem, and an addiction is most likely forming. Discuss next steps if this is the case, as well as if you are still in a relatively similar amount of pain as when you began.

There are a number of other, non-narcotic pills that one can ingest to help heal without pain, though those can often also contain addictive qualities and tendencies.

Non-narcotic pain management doctors can help strategize a healing plan, and the truth is that much of your addiction or reliance on painkillers could be all in your head. Many who find themselves addicted to painkillers rely on the substance not only because it dulls pain, but because it can quickly fix anxiety or depression. Simultaneously addressing mental and emotional health through therapy or other, non-substance-related methods can help one achieve mental health as well as physical healing, and lower the likelihood of addiction.

[See: 7 Health Risks of Binge Drinking You Can’t Ignore.]

Always consult your doctor at length when undergoing a new treatment, especially when considering prescription painkillers. They’re not recommended for everyone, but they should by no means be avoided by all. Careful monitoring of your progress, as well as an approach that incorporates emotional and mental well-being, can help a patient overcome pain and discomfort without creating an addiction. Each patient is unique, and a prescribing doctor can help determine if painkillers are the right fit for you. The most important factors are self-awareness and honesty.

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Should I Avoid Painkillers? How to Recover From Injury Without Addiction originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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