I've noticed that when you go into the hospitals now and need pain medication, they give you an IV and you push a button everytime you feel like you need the medication. Isn't that dangerous? Can someone use too much?

Medication pumps like this are called "PCA" pumps. There are a limited number of doses programmed into the pump within a certain number of minutes. For example, if a person is allowed a dose of Morphine, they can access that medicine every 10 minutes or so, but no more frequently. The pump have safety lock outs that prevent over dose. The patients number of attempts are also recorded and it can give a picture of the type of pain a person has and other things like that.

Puppy what I have found bad about the pumps (PCA) is not being over medicated but patients not medicating theirself enough, for whatver reason such as forgetting,confused, sleeping. Then if the nurse gets busy which is so typical today of hospitals then the patient doesn't get medicated to for a period of time. So I guess they have their good points and bad.

they are indeed safe: and to avoid the problem samantha mentions, they can also be set to deliver a continuous small dose in addition to the patient-controlled doses.

PCA pumps are very safe. Sherasi already mentioned the safety mechanisms to ensure there is not an overdose. They aren't too easy to tamper with. As Sid pointed out, they can be set for a continuous dose in addition to patient controlled for extra pain control or just patient activated alone. There is a lock out, so no matter how many times you push the button, you are only going to receive a certain set dosage prescribed by the doctor which is programed into the pump. The pumps themselves have safety devices so that they will not run at all when something isn't right and are alarmed.

I think they are the best way to give good pain control. They are used mostly after surgery. Small amounts are given at shorter intervals. People stay much more comfortable than giving medication in a larger dose and waiting four hours to get the next.