Common Questions About Arthritis

Can Medication Affect My Father's Mental Health?

Question: My father has stopped taking oxycontin medication for fear of mental confusion and addiction. Will Tylenol Arthritis give him any relief? We have a hard time getting a strong enough medication that won't affect him mentally!

Answer: My first question is why is your dad on oxycontin medication? If he is on this morphine-like drug, it's very doubtful that a Tylenol arthritis medication would be of much effect.

The real question here is whether he is already experiencing mental confusion. Usually patients with pain severe enough to require this kind of medication do not have mental confusion, and addiction is not an issue. Addiction is a physical but also a psychological phenomenon. People who are in pain do not get psychologically addicted to these kinds of medications. In fact, the pain relief allows them to function normally.

If taking the oxycontin medication orally is a problem, or it's something you don't want to do, then I suggest visiting a pain clinic or a pain physician, especially an anesthesiologist, and asking about a Fentanyl patch, which can produce excellent results.

Finally, I would suggest that if your dad wants to get off oxycontin, that he try acupuncture for his pain. Acupuncture can help you withdraw safely from this type of medication and can also be useful in treating the pain condition.

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