Pain relief drugs and pain relief medications help to control and relieve pain caused by injury or illness. Pain relief medications do not actually help to heal an injury but only help to reduce the pain. When you suffer an injury, the damaged tissues release prostaglandin. The nerve endings in the injured area react to this chemical and your nervous system and brain respond to it by perceiving pain in the injured area. Pain medications help to manage pain by disrupting the communication between the nervous system and the brain. These pain relief drugs can be can either be prescription medications or over the counter drugs and are available in the form of pills, injections, or ointments.
NSAIDS or Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs are the most commonly used pain relief pills. Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Oxaprozin, and Ketoprofen are some of the pain relief medications that are available as both OTC (over the counter) as well as prescription medications depending on their strength. For example ibuprofen tablets of 200 to 400 mg are available as an OTC pain relief medicine while 800 mg ibuprofen tablets are available only as prescription drugs.
Pain relief injections can only be administered by a doctor or a health care provider. Anesthetics such as Lidocaine and steroids such as cortisone are injected into the injured area and the effects are long lasting as compared to oral medication. These injections are often used to treat chronic joint pain. Studies show that prolonged use of certain Pain relief injections like cortisone can cause softening of the cartilage and weakening of the tendons and so doctors generally do not administer more than three injections.
Pain relief ointments and gels are topical applications that help to numb the injured or affected areas. Diclofenac gel is an NSAID prescription medication that is generally recommended for joint pain. It is often used in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Other ointments for like capsaicin ointments are OTC medications that are used as topical applications for pain and inflammation. Some of these pain relief medications are also available as medicated patches.
Injury caused by physical impact is a very common cause of pain and in most cases topical applications help to reduce discomfort. Joint and muscle aches and pains are also extremely common and treatment methods generally include medication to ease the pain as well as medications to treat the root cause of the pain. An epidural steroid injection is a prescribed back pain relief medication that has gained recognition in recent years for its effectiveness in treating severe back pain. Apart from these injections there are several pills and medicines that are meant specifically for back pain. A back pain relief medicine that uses a combination of two or more pain relief agents are more potent and so back pain relief pills that contain Paracetamol and Hydrocodone are used to treat mild to moderate back pain. Joint pain is also very common in seniors and the ankles and the knees are the most commonly affected joints in the body. Knee pain relief medicine generally includes Corticosteroids and COX-2 inhibitors
In some cases, however, pain relief medications may be contraindicated by other medications the individual may be on. In such cases, pain relief without medication is necessary. Natural cures and home remedies can be used to provide pain relief without prescription medications and other drugs. It is unwise to go off prescribed pain relief meds and if you wish to discontinue them, make sure that you consult your doctor first. Pain relief without drugs involves the use of hot and cold compresses as well as homemade herbal applications made from Balm of Gilead, Arnica, Bergamot, Feverfew, Spearmint, Yucca, and other herbal plants.
answered by a