Do You Know the Difference Between Addiction Tolerance and Dependence? Some Physicians Don't

It's important the public understands these two things about opioid use.

First that anyone who takes opioid medications for over a week or so will develop tolerance and physical dependence. 

The second thing is that tolerance and physical dependence alone does't mean someone is addicted. 

It's critical that physician's not confuse tolerance and physical dependence in pain patients with addiction. Many physicians either don't understand this fact, or choose not to treating many pain patients like drug addicts.

Addiction is a primary, chronic, neurobiologic disease, with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. It is characterized by behaviors that include one or more of the following: impaired control over drug use, compulsive use, continued use despite harm, and craving.

Physical Dependence is a state of adaptation that is manifested by a drug class specific withdrawal syndrome that can be produced by abrupt cessation, rapid dose reduction, decreasing blood level of the drug, and/or administration of an antagonist. 


Tolerance is a state of adaptation in which exposure to a drug induces changes that result in a diminution of one or more of the drug's effects over time.

Pain Patient vs Abuse
What's the difference between a pain patient and someone who abuses the medications their pain management physician provides?

The pain patient uses their medications to reduce their pain be more active and improve their quality of life.

Someone who abuses the medications will use a months prescription in a couple weeks, leaving to turn to the street for additional drugs, or become very sick for several days. This type of lifestyle causes harm to the person using as well as family, friends.