Medications for the treatment of chronic pain - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

The word pain comes from the Latin poena, which means "punishment" or "payment".Despite the fact that this unpleasant sensory experience is usually associated with illness or trauma, it also may have an unknown etiology. The International Association for the Study of Pain identifies three main types of pain:( 1) acute pain, for example as a result of trauma or inflammation;(2) pain associated with cancer and( 3) chronic non-malignant pain. Each person in different ways tolerates and reacts to pain.

Acute pain is treated with analgesics in combination with drugs that eliminate the cause of this pain( anti-inflammatory, antibiotics), with trauma in combination with conservative treatment of the injured area. In this article, we will take a closer look at medicines for the treatment of chronic pain of unclear etiology.

How to overcome chronic pain?

Drugs can help control chronic pain. For the treatment of chronic pain, many medications are used, among them there are those that are prescribed by a doctor, and those that are dispensed without a prescription. All these medicines can have side effects and should be taken exactly as prescribed by the doctor. In some cases, it may take several weeks before the medications help ease the pain. In order to prevent dangerous drug interactions, it is very important that you tell your doctor about what medications you are taking( including phytopreparations and complementary and alternative medicine).

Drug Choice for Pain

Drugs used to treat chronic pain include the following:

analgesics , such as acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen( eg, Advil) thatcan be prescribed for pain from mild to moderate and to reduce inflammation. Always take these drugs exactly as prescribed by the doctor or the dosage indicated on the package. Do not take nonprescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for more than 10 days, unless you have previously agreed with your doctor.

antidepressants, such as tricyclic antidepressants( eg, amitriptyline), which can be used to treat chronic pain, despite the fact that not all antidepressants are effective to relieve pain. Duloxetine( Cymbalta) is another type of antidepressant that is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of peripheral neuropathy pain.

Corticosteroids , such as prednisone, which are used to reduce inflammation and pain.

Oral preparations of , such as Mexitil, which act as local anesthetics for muffling pain.

Anticonvulsants , which can alleviate the pain that has its origin in the nerves( neuropathic pain).Examples are:

Gabapentin( Neurontin) for postherpetic neuralgia( nerve pain from herpes zoster).

Pregabalin( Lyrica) for postherpetic neuralgia and diabetic neuropathy( nerve pain from diabetes).

Carbamazepine( Tegretol) to help control episodes of facial pain in trigeminal neuralgia. If you take carbamazepine on a daily basis, you should periodically check with your doctor to prevent the development of serious side effects( such as an allergic reaction or liver problems).

Painkillers that are applied directly to the skin( local analgesics), such as EMLA cream or lidocaine patch( Lidoderm), and which lead to numbness of the skin and reduction of pain.

Capsaicin is a natural substance found in Chile's pepper and is used to produce certain local pain relief creams.

Capsaicin alters the pain signals in the skin, blocks pain without blocking other sensations. Capsaicin can cause a burning sensation when applied for the first time. Before applying capsaicin, always wear gloves and do not touch the eyes, and do not rub them before carefully washing your hands with soap.

Synthetic narcotic analgesics , which can weaken from moderate to severe pain. Examples of synthetic narcotic analgesics include morphine, oxycodone( such as OxyContin), hydrocodone with acetaminophen( such as Vicodin, Lortab or Norco), or acetaminophen with codeine( such as Tylenol with codeine).For the treatment of nervous pain, synthetic narcotic analgesics are sometimes combined with other medications, such as, for example, gabapentin.

Other treatments that can be used to treat chronic pain are:

Injections for nerve blockages. Anesthetic is used to relieve pain in the damaged nerve. Anesthetic can ease pain for a few days, but pain usually returns. Despite the fact that nerve blockages usually do not cure chronic pain, they can allow you to start physiotherapy and expand the range of movements that you can perform.

Epidural injections of steroids ( injections of steroids around the spine).Despite the fact that these injections are used for many years and can bring relief for back pain or neck pain caused by disc disease or nerve compression, this therapy does not help everyone.

Injections into homing points. They can alleviate pain by injecting an anesthetic into the homing points( or specific pain zones) associated with chronic facial pain or fibromyalgia. Blockages of nerves or other injections help relieve pain for many people. However, until the end it is not clear how this type of treatment works. These injections do not relieve chronic pain in each case.

Information for consideration

Use pain medication only after consulting a doctor. Some types of pain can indicate an acute pathology that requires immediate surgical intervention, drowning the pain in this case, you run the risk of life.

Drugs can work best if they are combined with other treatments, such as physiotherapy in order to work on various causes of chronic pain.

Drugs can reduce or temporarily relieve chronic pain. In the beginning, most likely, you will prescribe medications, which have the least side effects. Then, if necessary, you will gradually increase the dose or prescribe another drug.

We recommend that you avoid drinking alcohol while taking pain medications, and do not allow for doses that exceed the doses prescribed by your doctor.

Drugs taken on a daily basis can be an effective part of long-term management of chronic pain. However, sometimes the drug is partially or completely lost its effectiveness in the event that it is used for a long time, because your body develops resistance to it.