The connections between pain, substance use and overdose

Pain Waves

While the link between chronic pain and the BC overdose crisis may not be widely understood, unmanaged pain can be a significant driver of substance use. In fact, nearly half of those who have died of overdose in BC had sought help to manage pain in the year prior to their death.
In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Alexis Crabtree from the BC Centre for Disease Control – known as the BCCDC – and Kim Williams, a person with pain who is in recovery from substance use, to learn more about the connections between pain, substance use, and overdose deaths in BC.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Toward the Heart (take home naloxone kits and other overdose prevention resources): https://towardtheheart.com/
- Lifeguard application: https://lifeguarddh.com/
- BC Centre on Substance Use information on opioid addiction treatment: https://www.bccsu.ca/poatsp/resources/
- Dr. Alexis Crabtree's research on Toxicology and prescribed medication histories among people experiencing fatal illicit drug overdose in British Columbia, Canada: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/192/34/E967
- Vancouver Coastal Health's Downtown Eastside Chronic Pain Service: http://www.vch.ca/about-us/news/news-releases/downtown-eastside-clinics-provide-drug-free-options-for-chronic-pain-management