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Opioid Addiction

Valley Medical and Wellness

Chronic Pain Medicine & Addiction Medicine located in Burnsville, Minneapolis, Plymouth, Woodbury & Rochester, MN

Opioid addiction occurs at a staggering rate and has profound effects on your health and society. If you’re suffering addiction to opioids, Valley Medical and Wellness can help.

We offer a vareity of effective therapies to help you overcome addiction and restore your independence and quality of life. If you or a loved one is having trouble with opioid addiction, contact the Valley Medical clinic nearest you. We have offices in Burnsville, Minneapolis, Woodbury, Rochester, Plymouth, and Bemidji, Minnesota 

Opioid Addiction Q & A

What are opioids?

Opioids are class of drugs used for pain reduction, and include:

  • Hydrocodone
  • Heroin
  • Oxycodone
  • Fentanyl

Opioids attach to receptors in your brain, spinal cord, and gut that block pain messages and help you feel better. This makes opioids useful in controlling debilitating pain but also gives them an addictive quality.

The opioid class of drugs includes brand names PERCOCET®, OxyContin®, and Vicodin. These drugs are often prescribed for pain after surgery or due to chronic ailments, such as unrelenting back pain. At Valley Medical and Wellness, the doctors sometimes prescribe these medications to address pain, but do so in a very controlled and monitored setting to prevent addiction.

Why are opioids so addictive?

In most cases, patients who use opioids for short-term pain control don’t become addicted to them. But, some men and women find opioid use uncontrollable, and addiction becomes an unwanted side effect of their pain treatment.

The addictive qualities in opioids can make it hard to stop taking them even if your original pain issue has been resolved.

What symptoms suggest I have a problem with opioids?

Almost anyone can develop a dependence on opioids. Signs that you should seek help from the team at Valley Medical and Wellness for opioid addiction include:

  • Changes in behavior in order to obtain the drugs

  • An inability to stop using the drugs, even though the cause of your pain has resolved

  • A family or personal history of substance abuse

You may exhibit impairments in your behavioral restraint, experience extreme cravings, and have reduced perception of the state of your personal relationships. Even if you started using opioids for a legitimate, prescribed reason, you could still develop an unhealthy dependence on the medications over time. Vivitrol® is an opiate blocker that effectively reduces cravings by blocking positive feelings associated with opioid use that may also be recommended for opioid addiction treatment.

How does Valley Medical treat opioid addiction?

At Valley Medical, we focus on both the treatment and the causes of substance abuse. We utlize a variety of treatments to reduce your dependence on opioids. To help stabilize cravings and withdrawals, our providers prescribe proven medications such as Buprenorphine and Naltrexone (Vivitrol).

Our providers also seek out the root causes of opioid adiction. Thanks to our dual focus on both addiction and pain management, VMW is uniquely able to discuss the pain that is often a trigger for patients with substance use disorder. We also perform mental health screenings to understand the overall health of the patient and offer medication management for mild-to-moderate anxiety, depression, and ADHD.

We're also focused on each patient's continuing progress. We highly encourage all our patients to participate in some form of counseling, AA/NA meetings, IOP, or inpatient care, depending on the severity of their substance abuse. We want all our patients to receive the counseling and the continuing treatment they need.

 

If you’re suffering from opioid addiction, don’t delay in seeking help. Call the Valley Medical and Wellness location nearest you to schedule an appointment today.