When Opioids Make Pain Worse
For some people something as simple as having an IV line inserted can be excruciating. An emergency room doctor noticed a strange pattern. Many of these sensitive patients were regular opioid users.
When patients arrive in the emergency room, nearly all but those with the most minor complaints get an IV.
To draw blood, give medications, or administer fluids â the IV is the way doctors and nurses gain access to the body. Putting one in is quick and simple, and it's no more painful than a mild bee sting.
Yet for some patients this routine procedure becomes excruciating. On my shifts as an emergency physician, I began to notice a strange
