Many people with chronic pain disorders become clinically depressed and a medication intervention may be necessary depending upon an assessment of their problem. The Addiction-Free Pain Management® system suggests that a full biopsychosocial evaluation be taken to determine the type and severity of the depression.

Some types of depression (situational) respond best to cognitive behavioral therapy. Other types (bipolar) may need a medical intervention in addition to therapy.  There are many different types or classifications of antidepressants to choose from, therefore a healthcare practitioner who specializes in treating depressive disorders related to chronic pain should be consulted to determine the most effective medication for each patient.

Pain reduction is another key factor that may benefit from using an antidepressant. The use of tricyclic antidepressants has been an effective tool in pain management for years. For example, the tricyclic Elavil (amitriptyline) is frequently used to treat and help prevent migraine headaches. These antidepressants have been able to provide relief for nerve pain and often result in lowering the dose of opiate medications.

Another class of newer antidepressants is the SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Many pain management specialists utilize this type of medication for chronic pain treatment particularly for people who live with constant debilitating chronic pain, as their serotonin system becomes depleted. This type of medication is good for both depression as well as improving pain management.

SSRIs like Prozac, Effexor, Lexapro, or Celexa, improve mood as well as help relieve pain, reduce fatigue and improve sleep problems. There have been reports about SSRIs being helpful for some types of neuropathic pain symptoms. Some studies also suggest that using an SSRI and a tricyclic antidepressant (such as amitriptyline) together may be more successful at breaking the cycle of pain, depression, and sleep problems caused by fibromyalgia than using just either one alone.

In addition, there are three antidepressant medications that can also be very helpful; Cymbalta and Effexor, which block the reuptake of serotonin and norepenepherine and Wellbutrin, which alters the levels of norepenepherine and dopamine. Cymbalta is a versatile medication approved to treat depression and certain types of pain. Norepenepherine, serotonin, and dopamine are neurotransmitters that not only affect depression but also pain management. Many pain management specialists recognize that combining different medications creates a synergistic effect for both pain management and improving depression.

To learn more about the role of depression in chronic pain management please check out my article The Role of Clinical Depression in Chronic Pain Management that you can download for free on our Ariticles page.

You can learn more about the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System at our website www.addiction-free.com. If you are in recovery and want to learn how to develop a plan for managing your pain and medication effectively go to our Publications page and check out my book the Addiction-Free Pain Management® Recovery Guide: Managing Pain and Medication in Recovery. To purchase this book please Click Here.

To listen to a recent radio interview I did conducted by Mary Woods for her program One Hour at a Time please Click Here to go to this interview.

To read the November issue of Chronic Pain Solutions Newsletter please Click here. If you want to sign up for the newsletter, please Click here and input your name and email address. You will then recieve an autoresponse email that you need to reply to in order to finalize enrollment.

As someone who lives with chronic pain and periodic pain flare ups I know how important it is for me to know as much about my pain and pain management as possible.  If you’ve read any of my articles or other publications you know that my premise has always been that knowledge is indeed power in chronic pain management. 

One of the areas I need to focus on the most today is regarding my periodic pain flare ups and my intermittent migraine headaches.  If you or someone you love lives with chronic pain or periodic acute pain episodes please know that effective pain management is possible.  One of the first areas I teach my patients with is how to identify and manage the psychological/emotional components of their pain.  Then I teach them about the connection between stress and peoples’ perception of their pain.

Emotional management and stress management are part of what I call the nonpharmacological (non-medication) component of chronic pain management.  Over-dependence of potentially addictive medication is where many people get in trouble with their chronic pain management.  Another trap is when people start fearing or becoming overly angry with their pain. 

I believe that for true healing to occur people living with chronic pain need to make peace with—or even friends with—their pain.  After all our pain really is our friend in the sense that pain is hardwired into us to warn us when something is wrong or that there is damage to the system.

To learn about effectively managing anticipatory pain please read my article Coping with Anticipatory Pain that you can download for free on our Article page.

You can learn more about the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System at our website www.addiction-free.com. If you are working with people in chronic pain and want to learn how to develop a plan for managing their pain and coexisting psychological disorders including depression or addiction effectively please go to our Publications page and check out my book the Managing Pain and Coexisting Disorders: Using the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System. To purchase this book please Click Here.

To listen to a recent radio interview I did conducted by Mary Woods for her program One Hour at a Time please Click Here to go to this interview.

To read the November issue of Chronic Pain Solutions Newsletter please Click here. If you want to sign up for the newsletter, please Click here and input your name and email address. You will then recieve an autoresponse email that you need to reply to in order to finalize enrollment.
 

Today I want to share with you the Thanksgiving Blessing of Gratitude my family asked me to come up with for the family gathering since Ellen (my wife) and I could not be there.  My father Bob died last year but as you will see he is still here for us in spirit.

I hope you like it.

 Steve G.

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As the family gathers together today let each of us think of all the things we are grateful for this past year . . . Remembering the visits and conversations we’ve all shared; the ups and downs, the difficulties and successes.  In the face of it all, an attitude of gratitude will move us continually forward, our higher power delicately guiding us toward solutions, inviting us to turn our pain and problems over and let go.  Our family has so much to be grateful for.  We’re sure that Bob’s Spirit is with us today, smiling down upon his family.  And although all of us can’t be together physically we are all together in spirit of family—and as Bob might say; Family is EVERYTHING. 

We’re grateful for all the time with Mom this past year and all the fun and humor from a year with Duke.  We’re grateful that 2811 continues to echo with the sound of the “little faces” laughter and delightful noise.  Our family is rich in so many ways – when we focus on what is wrong or what we don’t have, we forget that lots of people never have an opportunity to experience what we share.  Before we start eating we would like to have each person share the one thing they are most grateful for this past year.

I (Steve) am grateful for the opportunity to share in the gathering at 2811 and other places by email so all of the Grinstead family can be together in spirit with an “ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE.”

I (Ellen) am grateful for the love and acceptance the Grinstead’s have given me over the years; always a daughter – never a daughter-in-law.  That’s means so much to me, especially this year.

 Happy Thanksgiving to One and All!