>And then addiction and physical dependence become an issue.
There are issues that come into play way before physical dependence. For instance, some people are quite intolerant to opioids and exhibit severe nausea, chills and vomiting.
I broke my leg in a fight a few years back and found it much more tolerable to sit (and sleep) very still than to take codeine. I would have loved to have some sort of cannabinoid derivative available, and failing that, I might have considered smoking some cannabis.
I have migraines now and again where codeine is the only over the counter painkiller with much effect, but even at the small doses that are available, the after-effects are so awful to me that I hate taking it even without any actual tolerance problems. Codeine is a nasty drug.
It's unconscionable that a doctor wouldn't prescribe you more powerful painkillers or a strong sleep-inducing medication to deal with migraines. The thought that we have easily available medicine yet it's being intentionally withheld and causing suffering is disgusting.
I also suffer from occasional migraines, and neither NSAIDs or codeine do anything for them. If you can, try something more specifically for migraines, such as sumatriptan (I get it on prescription) - it works for me every time.
There are issues that come into play way before physical dependence. For instance, some people are quite intolerant to opioids and exhibit severe nausea, chills and vomiting.
I broke my leg in a fight a few years back and found it much more tolerable to sit (and sleep) very still than to take codeine. I would have loved to have some sort of cannabinoid derivative available, and failing that, I might have considered smoking some cannabis.