5 Commonly Used Prescription Medicines in Pain Management, an Overview
There are plenty of options to treat chronic pain. Both topical and oral therapies fall under the medication category to reduce chronic or acute pain. Oral medications mostly include drugs you can take by mouth, such as opioids, anti-inflammatory medicines, and acetaminophen. They may also include drugs that you can directly apply to the skin, such as creams, ointments, and patches.
Some of these ointments and patches work when you place them directly on the painful area to release the active drug called lidocaine. Others that include fentanyl patches, you can place at a site far from the sore area. While purchasing some of these medications as over-the-counter is possible, you need a doctor’s prescription for others.
Many things may help with your pain that doesn’t involve medications. These things may help relieve some pain and reduce the medications required to control your pain.
As pain management can be complex phenomenon, many medical professionals prefer prescribing drugs to reduce discomfort associated with injury, surgery, or disease. Pain medications relieve pain by acting through various physiological mechanisms. It is possible that the medicine you use for reducing nerve pain has a different psychological mechanism than the one you take for arthritis.
There are countless choices for pain management medications your doctor may prescribe for diagnosis. You might have to try multiple drugs or a combination of them to reduce or to get relief.
Here is a rundown of five commonly used prescription medications you can use for pain management.
Common Prescription Medications for Pain Management
Acetaminophen and NSAIDs
Acetaminophen and NSAIDs are non-opioids pain medications patients may use for mild to severe chronic pain.
Depending on the type of pain, your doctor can prescribe you a combination of acetaminophen and NSAIDs to treat or reduce chronic ache. You can also take the doses with other pain medicines such as adjuvant analgesics and opioids.
Sometimes, using a combination of acetaminophen and NSAIDs is very effective in controlling and treating breakthrough pain- episodes of flare-ups in which usual medicine fails to manage pain.
Unlike opioids drugs, you can buy some types of acetaminophen (Tylenol) and NSAIDs over--the-counter. However, NSAIDs like meloxicam, ibuprofen, and naproxen are strong prescription versions to treat chronic pain.
Your doctor may prescribe acetaminophen and NSAIDs for;
· Muscle aches
· Bursitis
· Dental pain
· Pain osteoarthritis, rheumatoid, and tendonitis
· Gout pain
· Menstrual cramps
Although acetaminophen and NSAIDs are the readily available medications, they may have potential side effects. And if you use the pain relievers for a long time, they may increase the chance of side effects. In some cases, short-term use of NSAIDs may leave you vulnerable. This may include;
· nausea
· gastrointestinal ulcers
· stomach pain
The constant use may increase the potential for bleeding and bruising. Plus, taking extra doses may result in hypertension, fluid retention, and kidney problems.
Antidepressants
Antidepressants are other common prescription medications used in pain management. The medication is typically adjuvant analgesics. Although antidepressants don’t have the same formula as pain medicines, they can reduce certain types of pain effectively.
The medication may control or manage pain in two main ways.
First, they alter the way your brain perceives pain from the spinal cord. Second, they can regulate your sleep cycle and reduce depression and anxiety. It is worth mentioning that you can’t use all types of antidepressants as chronic pain medicine. It depends on your nature of ailment and the type of chronic pain you experience..
Medical professionals prescribe tricyclic antidepressants such as nortriptyline, amitriptyline, duloxetine (serotonin reuptake inhibitor), and others like nefazodone to treat nerve pain and chronic pain syndromes. Antidepressants such as Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, however, are not effective when it comes to managing pain.
Generally, antidepressants cause mild symptoms that may include drowsiness, nausea, and dizziness. Some antidepressants may deteriorate depression, anxiety and may lead to suicidal thoughts. If youtake an antidepressant and notice changes in your thinking or mood, make sure you talk to your health professional.
Your doctor will attempt to reduce the side effects, specifically sedation this medication may cause you. Similarly, he/she can treat other side effects such as dry mouth by prescribing fluids.
Topical Analgesics
As mentioned earlier, topical analgesics are medicines or pain relievers you can apply to the skin. You can buy them in the form of creams, patches, and lotions. You can purchase some topical analgesics as over-the-counter medicines, whereas; others (strong versions) require a prescription.
Topical analgesics work in a different way from other pain medications as they include active ingredients. They come with a potent formula to control pain. Doctors deliver the doses of trolamine salicylate through the skin. Some analgesics such as capsaicin may contain skin irritants that may interfere with your pain perception.
Opioids (Narcotics)
Opioids are narcotics your doctor may prescribe you, like pain medication to manage severe or moderate chronic pain. Long-term use of opioids is controversial, and doctors only prescribe their monitored consumption for chronic pain management. They can be long-acting or short-acting medicines, whereas patients can use the latter for acute pain management.
Health professionals may prescribe opioids for different types of pain management. Strong pain medication can help reduce pain after broken bones and surgery.
Sometimes, they can help cancer patients manage pain. Opioids that are pain medications come in both patch and pill form. You may opt for intravenous opioids if you’re a cancer patient or experience post-surgery pain.
While narcotics are sufficient to relieve pain, they may have some potential sidee effects. Physical dependence is not the only side effect opioids may cause. The long-term use of these medication may develop drowsiness, nausea, sexual dysfunction, and drowsiness.
That is why doctors consider monitoring patients who are on opioids mandatory. This way, they can quickly identify any signs of medical complications.
Some common examples of the opioid to treat pain include;
You can use opioids alone, but if you suffer from acute pain symptoms, your doctors may prescribe a combination of acetaminophen and narcotics for faster relief.
· Corticosteroids
Prescription corticosteroids can also relieve pain in inflamed areas of your body. The pain management medication helps you ease redness, swelling, inflammation, and itching. They can be beneficial for treating various allergic reactions, and arthritis..
When medical professionals prescribe corticosteroids to control pain, they prefer giving them through injections and pills to target specific muscles and joints.
Some corticosteroids for treating pain may include;
Note that prescription corticosteroid is strong medicine and may cause serious side effects that include;
Weight gain
Salt retention
Mood changes
Weakened defense mechanism
Thinning of the skin and bone
High blood glucose levels
Your doctor may prescribe corticosteroids in the lowest dose for the shorter period to lessen the potential side effects. The doses are substantial and can relieve pain.
Strongest Prescription Medications for Pain Management
In general, opioids analgesics are the strongest pain management medications. Morphine, for example, is one of the benchmark drugs included in this class. Other opioids may fall below or above in the term of pain management potential.
Codeine is another drug in the same category medical professionals prescribe with acetaminophen to treat pain. It is very effective for pain that results from dental procedures. But the drug is only one-tenth as powerful and strong as morphine.
Some opioids that are stronger than morphine include oxymorphone (Opana) and hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Fentanyl whereas is the strongest in the opioid community, which is more potent compared to morphine.
Safety Considerations
You can take some pain management medicines for your disease or use the ones listed above to reduce pain. Regardless of your medical condition, you need to make sure that you use prescription medications after consulting with your doctor. Only a qualified medical professional can guide you on the best ways to take potent drugs.
Many pain management drugs come with interaction warnings. If you want to increase the dose or take multiple pain relievers simultaneously, inform your physician to know the potential complications.
Remember that medications are not the only way to relieve pain. Physical exercises and therapies can help alleviate pain and reduce the use of medicines for managing pain. Some alternative modalities, including Transcutaneous Electro-Nerve Stimulator, and acupuncture can also provide stimulation on the painful area to reduce different symptoms of pain.
Summing up
Overall, pain that doesn’t go away often causes frustration. It is not only harmful for your health but also dangerous to your well-being. It may affect your daily activities such as exercise and household chores. Chronic pain can become debilitating if you do not treat it timely. Thus, the given medications are the common prescription medicines you may take to reduce, treat or relieve pain. It is essential to take safety considerations into account before using these pain-relievers.