Opiates, Dyspnea and Me  No longer just reserved for severe pain
control or to relieve end of life suffering, today a growing
number of people with severe lung disease are using opiate
medications to help quell their severe dyspnea . Well, you can
now add to that list, a certain quirky little asthmatic marathon
walker, by the name of Stephen.  methadone 002  The decision to
write a post about the use of opiates to treat my breathlessness
was a tough one for me. As a responsible blogger I always worry
about the possibility of sending the wrong message, especially
when it comes to the use of certain treatments and/or
medications. Let me be clear in stating, that I don’t advocate
the use of opiates for asthmatics in general… the risk of
respiratory depression is just too high. There are however, a
small percentage of people who’s obstructive lung disease is so
advanced, that nothing else works in quelling their
breathlessness. Though opiates should only be used as a last
resort in treating dyspnea, they do offer