Hyperalgesia
Hyperalgesia is a medical condition caused from the overuse and chronic use of opiate medication/drugs. This condition creates an increased sensitivity to pain which may be caused by damage to the nerves.
Hyperalgesia can cause pain in specific or more diffuse, whole-body induced pain. Studies have established that it is possible to experience a learned hyperalgesia, almost as if the body develops a memory for certain pain pathways.
There are 2 types of Hyperalgesia:
Primary hyperalgesia is a created pain sensitivity that occurs directly in the area of the damaged tissues.
Secondary hyperalgesia is a created pain sensitivity that occurs in surrounding undamaged tissues.
Hyperalgesia is induced by an inflammatory or allergic response by signaling an immune cell interaction with the peripheral nervous system, releasing pain producing chemicals. Long term opiate users may experience pain that is out of proportion to physical findings. This can be a common cause for loss of pain control over time causing the user to become tolerant and feeling more pain, therefore they increase their doses. Chronic overstimulation of opiate receptors results in hyperalgesia by increasing pain pathway sensitivity. The stimulation of pain fibers from inflammation causes a form of pain amplification in the spinal cord and throughout the body.
Opiate induced hyperalgesia may be a result of both long-term and acute opiate use. This side effect can raise enough serious concerns to warrant the discontinuation of opiates. Often, our patients are quite surprised that once they are detoxed off of opiate drugs, they find their levels of pain are drastically reduced and their health and quality of life is greatly improved.
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