Pain Relief

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Pain Relief Medications

A painkiller (also known as analgesic) is any component of the class of drugs that are used to attain analgesia (the state of relief from pain). The Greek term analgesic refers to “without pain”.

Pain killer medications work in various ways over the central and peripheral nervous systems. These drugs are different from the anesthetics that reversibly eliminate sensitivity, and include paracetamol (known as simply APAP or acetaminophen in the US), opioid drugs such as opium and morphine, and the NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like the salicylates. In choosing pain killer tablets, the severity and reaction to other medication decides the choice of agent. The WHO (World Health Organization) pain ladder intends mild pain killer medications as its first step.

Pain killer tablets choice is also determined by the type of pain: for pathologic pain, conventional pain killer medications are less effective, and there is much benefit from categories of drugs that are not generally considered pain killers, such as anticonvulsants and tricyclic antidepressants.

Types of Painkiller Medications

Below is the set of pain killer tablets that are set out in an “analgesic ladder”.

  • Mild Pain – Example for mild pain killer tablets are anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen (e.g., Neurofen, Brufen) or paracetamol, celecoxib (Celebrex) or diclofenac sodium (Voltarol)
  • Moderate Pain – Light opioid pain killer tablets, for example tramadol, codeine phosphate, or dihydrocodeine (DHC Continus, DF118 Forte)
  • Severe Pain – Effective opioid pain killer medications, for example diamorphine, oxycodone, fentanyl.

The thought behind the analgesic ladder is that if a patient’s pain cannot be controlled by the pain relief medications on one level, their doctor or pharmacist must prescribe an alternative drug from the next level instead of trying different pain relief medications from the same class. For example, if you are prescribed with a mild pain relief medication such as paracetamol but still continuing to feel the pain, or if the pain gets more worse, your physician must prescribe a light opioid (moderate) pain killer tablets such as tramadol, codeine phosphate, or dihydrocodeine. If the pain is still uncontrollable or getting worse, your pharmacist could then suggest you a strong opioid pain killer.

You need not have to start with pain relief tablets from the mild class – if you are having a severe or moderate pain when you first see your physician, then it is advisable to start by taking pain relief medications from the second or third pace of the ladder.

In many instances, pain killers of two different classes will be used at the same time, as their way of working is different. For example, mild pain relief medications such as ibuprofen or paracetamol can be used at the same time along with a strong pain relief medication such as morphine. At every pace of the analgesic ladder, other medications can also be used to treat to control pain.

Mild Pain Relief Medicines

Mild pain is controlled using the pain killers, such as anti-inflammatory drugs, and paracetamol. Paracetamol can be used to treat a wide range of mild pains. It can be bought without prescription from a pharmacist, or you can use an online pharmacy store to buy pain relief medicines online. The medication will result in side effects, if the prescribed dose was exceeded, and high doses can damage your liver. Paracetamol will not help to reduce the inflammation.

Anti-inflammatory medications help to treat swelling and inflammation, and are especially beneficial in treating the pain in bone, muscle, or skin. Ibuprofen can be bought without any prescription from a local pharmacist, and you can also buy pain killer medicines online. Check with your pharmacist or doctor before taking any anti-inflammatory medicines, as they might inter-react with other medication you are taking or may cause side effects. Do not take smaller or larger doses than prescribed.

Moderate Opioid Medicines for Pain Relief

Moderate levels of pain are treated using medicines such as tramadol, codeine phosphate, or dihydrocodeine (DHC Continus, DF118 Fortec). These drugs are mostly combined into a single tablet (e.g., co-dydramol, which is a combination of dihydrocodeine & paracetamol, or co-codamol, which is a combination of codeine & paracetamol). These types of combined drugs have names such as Remedeine, Kapake, Tylex, Tramacet, and Solpadol. Most of them are available only on the doctor’s prescription. There is a limit for the number of doses taken a day because of the paracetamol content. If the pain seen to be continued, then it is important to let your doctor know about it so that you can be prescribed with a heavier dose.

Effective Opioid Medications for Pain Relief

Severe levels of pain are usually treated with effective pain killer tablets. Some of the commonly used effective opioid drugs are:

Some of the less commonly used effective opioid medications are:

  • Alfentanil
  • Methadone
  • Hydromorphone

In this type of pain relief medicines, it is must that your doctor must find out the most effective pain killer for you. It is usual to begin with lower doses and gradually moving to higher doses.

Types of Strong Opioid Pain Killers

Commonly used strong opioid pain killers include oxycodone, morphine, diamorphine, buprenorphine, and fentanyl. Less commonly used strong opioid pain killers are alfentanil, methadone, and hydromorphone.

Buy Pain Relief Medicines Online

Lots of online pharmacy sites are there in the web, where you can buy pain relief medicines online. Most of the pain relief medications do not require any prescription form the doctor, even when you buy pain killer tablets online. It is one of the best ways to buy pain relief medicines online. This offers attractive discount rates when you buy pain relief pills online. Pain relief pills can be bought at the local pharmacy stores near you.