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| Pseudo-Addiction
Pseudo-addiction is defined as an abnormal drug-related
behavior making chronic pain patients look like addicts. Interestingly,
this behavior ceases when opioid doses are increased and pain improves
(Weissman and Haddox, 1989). * It further is stated that this drug-related
behavior is actually a search for relief – “pseudo-addiction.”
It is noted that there is little specific evidence for the concept
of pseudo-addiction, which originated from one case report (Weissman
and Haddox, 1989). With the exception of one large-scale report
as an abstract (McCarberg and Laskin, 2001) – no studies on
pseudo addiction exist.
Although the pseudo-addiction concept lacks significant scientific support – it has become widely accepted within the pain-physician community. J. David Haddox was involved in rewriting the consensus statement in the treatment of pain which resulted in the promotion of products made by his company – Purdue Pharma --and coining a word “pseudo-addiction” with only one case report. Conspiracy? Conflict of Interest? Too hard to contemplate that it could happen? It did happen and the greatest marketing ploy of an addictive Schedule II narcotic was perpetrated throughout the country claiming thousands of lives through death and addiction and resulting in almost $2 billion in the sale of OxyContin in 2002 to Purdue Pharma. · Withdrawal symptoms also cease when the opioid dose is increased and with the increase in the dose – pain improves. |
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