If I get sweaty or jittery after I stop a narcotic, it means that I'm addicted. After you have been taking narcotics for more than a couple of weeks, your body naturally gets used to the drug. This is called physical dependence , NOT addiction. Withdrawal symptoms, such as sweating or abdominal cramps, can be prevented gradually lowering the dose of the pain medicine over several days. If my pain medicine does not work as well as it used to, it means I'm immune to it or becoming addicted.
Tolerance occurs gradually.
Your body gets used to a medicine so that you need to take more medicine to equal the same effect. Tolerance does not mean you are addicted. If I take my pain medicine before I hurt, I will end up taking too much medicine. It's better to hang in there or tough it out. If you wait to take pain medicine until your pain gets worse, you might need a larger dose to control your pain.