As one pamphlet distributed by the company explained, pseudo-addiction “seems similar to addiction, but is due to unrelieved pain.” A misunderstanding of this subtle phenomenon might lead doctors to “inappropriately stigmatize the patient with the label ‘addict.’ ” But pseudo-addiction generally stops once the pain is relieved, the pamphlet continued, “often through an increase in opioid dose.” If you’re experiencing withdrawal between doses, the company suggested, the answer is to increase the dose.
