Addictive behaviours and chronic pain are linked?

That reminds me of the account of an older relative who attended the hospital physiotherapy department in the 1960s. Then it was common for people to attend for ‘heat treatment’.

The physiotherapist asked my relative if they could bear the amount of heat. My relative said yes, so they sat in the one position with the heat on their arm for 30 minutes. When the physiotherapist returned and removed the heat, the skin on their arm was blistered. The physiotherapist said, “Why didn’t you say this was too hot to bear”? My relative replied, “but it wasn’t too hot to bear”. 

They had to attend the hospital for weeks after that episode, this time for burns treatment dressing changes 

The most notable one was breaking my fingers. I went to the hospital, they squeezed my hand and asked if it hurt. I said yes, but my face showed no emotion, so they refused the x-ray it. I went to my GP who referred me back, as I said I could feel things moving in my fingers when I tried to squeeze a can opener or wash some stuff by hand. The bone ends were separated. So they strapped them up and then I found I was allergic to the glue on the strapping, after 24 hrs my skin blistered and came off. I have to tell them every time, they don't seem to be able to put it on my notes. That hand now has arthritis and has always been a problem since.

Stuart333 said:

atypical pain response

This gets me a grumble from the GP - usually along the lines of: " most people would have come in with this at least a week ago".

(Thinks to myself: well, I think we have established I am not "most people" - so that remark strikes me as plain rude).

I know you didn't think I was making it up, it was a light-hearted comment.

I mostly don't bother with painkillers. I was given some strong ones when I had an operation, I never opened the packet. 

In my assessment report, now with GP, it has been noted I have an atypical pain response. Supports what I've told them for years. In the garden I often scratch myself and don't notice till I wonder where the blood is coming from.

I didn't think you were making it up, I was mearly saying I'd not heard of it before and that it must be a rare side effect. Being someone who's used to being in the 1 in 1000, 10,000 will experience this... I'd never doubt someone else's experience of side effects. It sounds horrible, what do you take when you need pain killers instead? 

All very good points, Lotus.

Another thing that contributes to chronic pain is trauma, cPTSD and PTSD give rise to to much adreniline in the body with nowhere for it to go and apparently it settles in the joints, if you're really unlucky you'll get adrenal burnout, which is horrible and yet I suspect underdiagnosed because as a society and in our medicine were slow to recognise that mental trauma leaves physical reactions as well as emotional ones.

I wonder what part inheritance plays in things like arthritis and rhumatism, they do seem to run in families?

It's a recognised possible issue. It's not just me making it up.

As we like some AI, here's what Google thinks:

I'm wondering if a better link to chronic pain is poverty?

I believe that people who are poor or struggle financially are more likely to develop addictions such as smoking and drinking alcohol. But there are other factors too, such as the poor are more likely to work in physically demanding jobs, and the stress of worry about money may cause tension in the body.

Autistic people are more likely to be poor, as we often find it difficult to work, and because our needs are often not met properly we may under perform in school and then only be able to find low paid jobs, sometimes which are very demanding for us and cause anxiety and tension.

I don't get brain fog from paracetamol and apart from you I've nver heard of anyone else having that reaction to it?

I smoke, I have chronic pain, one of the reasons I smoke is because the act of smoking helps me such up the pain. I'm a bit wary that this dosen't become another stick to beat those of us who either smoke, suffer chrinic pain or both.

Interesting to see how the initial pain relieving effect of alcohol cannot be maintained long term. 

Yes, there is always something new to learn here, especially when it has to do with autism. I knew so little about autism before diagnosis only last December. 

ArchaeC said:

Drinking alcohol increases inflammation which leads to further pain.

I was a little surprised to hear this and it looks like this is true:

https://scienceblog.com/niaaa/231/the-complex-relationship-between-alcohol-and-pain/

It is a common belief that alcohol dulls pain, yet research shows that sometimes alcohol can make pain worse.

You learn something new every day...

I don’t know whether stimming in itself, rather than autism, has been linked to pain responses but perhaps stimming would create a necessary distraction from pain as it is a response to need.

Smoking causes poorer circulation and can cause spinal disc herniation and osteoporosis.

I think having addictive behaviours such as for alcohol could make you feel pain more, maybe because you would feel you need to take something for pain and the painkilling drugs would be less effective.

Drinking alcohol increases inflammation which leads to further pain. I remember having a glass of wine when my leg was in a cast due to a fracture, and the cast began to feel uncomfortably tight soon after the first few sips. 

Pain can be difficult to measure but clearly there is a psychological aspect to it. Placebos can be effective pain killers (according to Dr Michael Mosley on one TV episode), but that doesn’t make you a hypochondriac if you feel less pain. Distraction techniques and slow, steady breathing can reduce pain. 

I was wondering if other addictive behaviours would cause the same effect.

Smoking is bad for you anyway and affects the circulation, so I am not entirely convinced by their argument.

But if you had a non-harmful addictive behaviour, like stimming, whether that would also make you more prone to long term pain.

In my assessment I think they asked if in had random pains, but I don't remember chronic pain.

Smokers are also more likely than non-smokers to feel higher levels of chronic or acute pain to other parts of the body too.

People build up tolerance to the effects of nicotine and it increases inflammation. That can make painkillers such as paracetamol or opioids less effective. 

I don’t take paracetamol often but I haven’t noticed any side effects. 

Paracetamol and other painkillers are useful and at times necessary medication, but I limit their use to times of need.