The Best Drugs for Pain
Pain affects millions of Americans on a daily basis and in some cases, can be so severe it makes everyday life unbearable. Depending on the severity of this pain, different medications are used to alleviate it. Most who suffer from mild to moderate pain opt to take over-the-counter pain medications while those who suffer from life-altering pain are forced to take much more powerful prescription medications. In either case, these medications have side effects and varying levels of efficacy. If you suffer from pain, it is important to research and learn the best pain medication for your particular situation.
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Pain Levels
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Depending on why you are taking a pain medication, there are several things you should know. For example, the medication naproxen (Aleve) is currently marketed and used to relieve an array of pain such as aches for an extended period of time. In all actuality, naproxen is not a pain reliever but an anti-inflammatory that can create mild to moderate stomach discomfort in many people. Taking a more benign analgesic is probably the best place to start if you are experiencing mild to moderate pain. For severe pain, an opioid will most likely be necessary, but extreme caution needs to be taken whenever using this family of drugs.
Mild Pain
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Clearly, taking a prescription pain killer, which create such side effects as dependency and constipation are not necessary. According to medic8.com, analgesics, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil), are most effective in treating mild pain. Acetaminophen is typically well tolerated and consequently tends to be the most commonly used analgesic. Ibuprofen can cause some stomach issues and aspirin thins blood so they are used more cautiously. For headaches, many analgesics are mixed with caffeine, which has proven efficacy in the relief of mild to moderate headaches, aches and pains. When using a pain medication including caffeine, however, it is important to be careful about its stimulant qualities.
Moderate Pain
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As someone's pain level increases to a moderate level, the analgesic class of pain relievers simply may not alleviate it to the point where they can continue on doing everyday living activities. For stronger pain, many people take prescription drugs classified as "opium alkaloids," such as codeine (which is commonly taken in combination with acetaminophen or another analgesic). Codeine is a mild opioid that is generally better tolerated than the stronger ones, although it can cause stomach issues and many are reportedly allergic to it. If codeine is not tolerated, another light opioid pain medication may be prescribed, but with caution and heavily monitored by the physician.
Severe Pain
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If you suffer from severe pain, the analgesics and light opioids will most likely not provide you with the relief necessary. Unfortunately, the next step up in pain medications are not without their side effects and severe dependency potential. These drugs, known as "opioids," according to sciencedaily.com, are potent medications which bind to opioid receptors found principally in the central nervous system to alleviate pain. These drugs are very effective in treating pain, however, they pose serious side effects that manbit.com describes as both psychological and physical dependency, constipation, dizziness, anxiety, depression, agitation, neurosis, hyperactivity, sedation, skin rashes, feeling "drugged" or "high," blurred vision, fever and many others.
Conclusion
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In closing, pain is difficult to live with and no one should be expected to live their lives while experiencing it on a daily basis. Surely, the best way to approach pain is to begin using a mild pain medication initially to determine if it provides enough relief to get you through the day. Take all pain medications carefully and never increase the dosage on your own, without physician approval. Knowledge is the key when beginning any pain regimen. As with all medications, pain medications act differently on everyone and you may need to try various ones until finding the one that works best for you.
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