Will I get addicted to cancer pain medicine?

It is common for people with cancer to worry about becoming addicted to pain medicine, but there are important differences to understand.

Drug tolerance means the body gets used to a medicine so it no longer works as well; the dose or medicine may then be changed. Physical dependence means the body has unpleasant symptoms if the drug is suddenly stopped or greatly reduced, and it can happen even when medicine is taken exactly as instructed. Addiction is different: it involves compulsive drug seeking and being unable to stop despite harmful consequences.

Needing a higher dose of pain medicine, or having symptoms when the dose is decreased or stopped, is not the same as addiction. Your doctor will carefully prescribe your pain medicine and monitor you so that your pain is safely treated. Most people with cancer who take strong pain medicine, such as opioids, use them safely and effectively.