Medications
When you have a headache, you take an aspirin. When you sprain your knee, you take ibuprofen. When you have surgery, you take morphine. But how do these medications take your pain away, and why are there so many types? In general, these medications decrease your pain experience. In most cases, the pill you take will either disrupt the signal heading from the injured area to the brain, or it will change the way your brain interprets that signal. Two of the main kinds of pain medication we use are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and narcotics.
NSAIDs
NSAIDs are available both over-the-counter and as prescriptions, the more common types being ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen sodium. When you take ibuprofen, for example, it dissolves into your bloodstream and gets to work. NSAIDs contain ingredients that block the enzymes responsible for making prostaglandins, which are chemicals that cause damaged tissues to swell. When tissues swell, nerve impulses to the brain become more frequent. Your ibuprofen pill disrupts this process by limiting the number of pain signals that reach the brain, giving you relief. This relief lasts as long as the NSAID remains active in your system. Some NSAIDs have a longer active period than others, so be sure to medicate yourself accordingly.
Narcotics
Unlike NSAIDs, narcotics do not target the problem--they dull the sensation. When narcotics, also called opioids, dissolve in the bloodstream, they attach to the proteins that take pain signals to the brain. This disrupts the pain cycle. Narcotics also enter the brain, and change the way pain is felt. In other words, they do not take pain away, they simply allow the brain to interpret pain differently. Due to their side effects and tendency to become addictive, narcotics require a prescription. Some examples of narcotics are morphine and codeine.
One Medication Does not Work for Everybody
Now that you know how they work, how do you know what medication is going to help your pain? NSAIDs are typically used to treat common ailments such as sprains, aches and menstrual cramps. These conditions cause what is termed acute pain, or pain that lasts only as long as the injury or condition. Chronic pain, on the other hand, lasts beyond the healing time of an injury. Fibromyalgia is an example of chronic pain. Because chronic pain usually has no apparent cause, narcotics are often more effective. Of course, different pain medications affect people in different ways, because no two individuals share the same chemical makeup. This is why there are so many drugs on the market today, and many more being tested for future use. If you are ever uncertain if a pain medication will work for you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Tags: your pain, chronic pain, NSAIDs narcotics, pain away, pain medication, pain signals