Pain is like a message your body sends you to let you know something is wrong. There are two types of pain. Acute pain does not last very long. If you touch a pot of boiling water, the pain you feel lets you know to remove your hand as soon as possible. It might feel intense, but it doesn’t last long and goes away as soon as your hand heals.
There is also chronic pain. Chronic pain can be mild or severe, but unlike acute pain, it lasts for months or years. It’s important to talk to your doctor so you can get a diagnosis and figure out a treatment plan to help you manage and ease pain.
What Causes Chronic Pain?
Several things can cause chronic pain:
- An injury or infection
- Arthritis
- Cancer or cancer treatment
- Nerve damage
You can expect your doctor to ask you a series of questions to see how you can best manage your pain. Your doctor may ask you to rate the pain between 0 and 10 to measure how severe it is. Your doctor may also ask if the pain is sharp or severe and whether you feel pain in one place or in other parts of the body.
How Is Chronic Pain Controlled?
Depending on how severe the pain is, a treatment plan might include prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, steroid injections, physical therapy, acupuncture, and sometimes, surgery.
OTC Pain Relievers
Sometimes, you can ease the pain with OTC pain relievers, such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin. You can get these medicines without a prescription at your local pharmacy or supermarket.
Prescription Painkillers
If the pain is severe or doesn’t go away after a few days of taking OTC pain relievers, your doctor might prescribe stronger prescription medicines. These medicines may include the following:
- Muscle relaxers
- Corticosteroids, which are anti-inflammatory drugs
- Opioids, such as morphine and codeine
Opioids are narcotic and include fentanyl, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and tramadol. Opioids can be addictive even if you don’t take them for very long. That’s why many doctors consider opioids more suitable for specific cases, such as after surgery. Opioids are not typically recommended for chronic pain.
Which Works Best?
When you have chronic pain, it’s natural to feel sad, anxious, or depressed. The desire for relief might make you assume that prescription drugs – opioids in particular – are better than OTC medicines. Yet this is not always the case.
In certain cases, it’s possible to avoid having to take opioids, which eliminates the risk of getting dependent on them. For example:
- Ibuprofen and naproxen are just as effective as opioids at easing pain caused by kidney stones.
- Ibuprofen and naproxen can ease pain from a minor fracture and allow bones to heal.
- Naproxen is just as effective at easing lower back pain and helping you move better as combining naproxen with an opioid or a muscle relaxer.
Side Effects
All medicines, whether prescription or OTC, have side effects. If you don’t know what the side effects are for any medicines your doctor has recommended to you, ask your pharmacist.
Each pain reliever has its own particular list of side effects, but some pain relievers have a few side effects in common:
- Stomach pain or indigestion
- Gastritis
- Ulcers
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
The risk of side effects goes up when you don’t take the medicine as directed. It also increases more for people older than 65 and people who have, or have ever had, ulcers or gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease, or ulcerative colitis.
Warnings and Tips
When taking any prescription or OTC medicine, remember the following:
- Always take medicine with water. Swallowing pills or tablets without having water can irritate your throat or esophagus.
- Try drinking a few sips of water before you take your pills or tablets, and have a full glass afterward.
- Try to take your medicine when you’re sitting or standing rather than lying down.
To avoid stomach upset, such as acid reflux, don’t go to bed after eating, and avoid eating certain foods that can make your heartburn worse, such as coffee and fried foods.
To avoid ulcers, take your medicine after you eat something or with a glass of milk to reduce irritation.
Pregnant people should not take NSAIDs during the third trimester of pregnancy and should avoid aspirin during the entire pregnancy.
If you have advanced kidney disease, stomach ulcers, or severe heart failure, you should not take any NSAIDs.
You should not take acetaminophen if you have liver disease or if you drink three or more alcoholic beverages a day.
When Should You Call Your Doctor?
Call your doctor if stomach discomfort or acid reflux doesn’t get better after a few days and you feel pain. If you have diarrhea or are vomiting, you should get medical help immediately.
Show Sources
Photo Credit: DigitalVision/Getty Images
SOURCES:
American Cancer Society: “Acute, Chronic, and Breakthrough Pain.”
American Academy of Family Physicians: FamilyDoctor.org: “Chronic Pain.”
CDC: “Opioids for Acute Pain: What You Need to Know.”
Cleveland Clinic: “Pain Management,” “Pain Relievers.”
John Hopkins Medicine: “Medicines and the Digestive System.”
MedlinePlus: “Pain Relievers,” “Opioids and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).”
National Library of Medicine: “Using medication: The safe use of over-the-counter painkillers.”
