Painkillers for Chronic Pain Management: Benefits and Risks

Chronic pain can be a bothersome condition that not only affects your daily life activities but debilitating if left untreated for a long time. For example, chronic pain can lead to sleeplessness, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, and more. The prevalence of chronic pain is high in UK citizens who comprise up to 43% of the current population. This makes chronic pain a serious concern in the country. Basic pain management techniques such as lifestyle changes, reduced activity and natural remedies often fail to offer the desired results as the pain continues to come back every time. However, specialists usually prescribe different painkillers for managing the symptoms of chronic pain.

But before you take any painkiller medication for your chronic pain management you should learn about them in detail. In this blog, we are going to explore essential details of painkillers for chronic pain management including their benefits and risks. So, without wasting any more time, let's get started!

What is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is a pain condition that can last for months or years and can affect any part of your body. Chronic pain conditions usually interfere with your daily life activities which can lead to anxiety, depression or panic disorders. Chronic pain is different from occasional pain or temporary pain that can last only for a few days or weeks.

Chronic pain usually indicates an underlying health condition such as fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel syndrome, nerve damage, bone spur, major surgery, broken bones, cancer or anything else. Therefore, the first step in treating chronic pain is identifying the root cause of the pain and treating it.

Reasons for Chronic Pain

There is no one reason for chronic pain. Certain physical conditions cause chronic pain. Here are the possible causes of chronic pain problems:

• Back pain
• Joint pain and arthritis
• Muscle sprain and strain
• Lyme disease
• Nerve damage
• Fibromyalgia
• Acid reflux
• Broken bones
• Cancer
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Surgery
• Endometriosis

Some Popular Painkillers for Chronic Pain

Painkillers are not only the popular option for chronic pain management, but they are also excellent in controlling the symptoms of chronic pain and supporting the chronic pain treatment procedure. Here are some popular painkillers treatment used for chronic pain management-

Tramadol

Tramadol is one of the most popular and widely preferred painkillers for chronic pain management. Tramadol belongs to the opioid analgesic group of drugs. It helps in treating mild to moderate and severe pain. Also, Tramadol is available in different forms and strengths to make it easier to consume. However, this prescription-only and controlled medicine has both upside and down side that you should know before taking them.

Benefits

Using Tramadol has several benefits in pain management, especially chronic pain management. Below, we will discuss some essential benefits of using Tramadol for chronic pain management-

• Helps in reducing the pain sensation by blocking the brain receptors from transmitting the pain from the affected area to the brain.
• Helps in changing the perception of pain sensation
• Helps to treat injury-related pain
• Helps to treat post-surgical pain
• Helps to reduce nerve pain.
• May also help to improve back and joint pain conditions

Side Effects

Using Tramadol also has certain side effects or risk side that one must watch out for, this may include-

• Allergic reactions
• Constipation
• Drowsiness
• Dry mouth
• Loss of strength
• Loss of appetite
• Increased pain sensitivity
• Discomfort
• Feeling agitated or stressed
• Msy develop dependency and other serious side-effects.

Co-codamol

Another popular painkiller drug that popularly prescribed for treating chronic pain and other pain conditions. Co-codamol is a unique mixture of two primary drug – paracetamol and codeine. It is also a prescription-only and controlled medicine that you can purchase when you have a proper prescription from a licensed healthcare professional. Like most painkillers in the UK, co-codamol also contains both positive and negative sides that you should learn before taking them.

Benefits

Co-codamol, a mix of paracetamol and codeine can be quite effective in chronic pain management. Here are some common benefits of choosing co-codamol for chronic and other kinds of pain management-

• Comes in different forms such as oral tablets, capsules, and soluble tablets for easier intake.
• Can work in managing pain conditions when regular painkiller medicines fail to work
• Lower doses of co-codamol are available for over-the-counter purchase. However, the stronger dosages are only available for prescription-based purchases.
• Can work in treating nerve pain
• Can also help with injury-related pain, chronic pain and post-surgery-related pain management
• It takes less than one hour to set in and show its effects and lasts up to 5 hours.

Side Effects

Co-codamol, however, is not completely free from the side effects. Some common side effects or risks associated with co-codamol include-

• Co-codamol contains codeine that can cause dependency after a certain amount of use.
• It can cause dizziness or drowsiness
• Increased heart rate
• Constipation
• Feeling sick, nausea and vomiting
• Headache
• Mood swings
• May trigger depression
• Loss of consciousness or fainting
• Diarrhea or upset stomach
• Darkening of the skin colour
• Other serious side-effects

Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is also a popular widely prescribed painkiller that can help with chronic pain management. It belongs to the non-selective COX inhibitor and NSAID group of drugs. It is primarily used for treating mild to moderate/severe pain management along with inflammation and fever management.

Benefits

Ibuprofen is an excellent painkiller that has several uses. Some common benefits of using ibuprofen include-

• Helps to treat common cold and flu
• Help with the pain and discomfort associated with arthritis
• Helps with menstrual pain and cramps
• Inflammation related problems
• Toothache
• Sprains or strains
• Nerve compression
• Fever

Side Effects

Apart from the positive sides of ibuprofen, it also contains certain risks or side effects. Here are some common downsides of ibuprofen-

• Pain
• Constipation or bloating
• Dyspepsia
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache
• Skin rashes
• Tinnitus
• Fluid retention
• Edema
• Nervousness
• Can lead to other serious side effects due to overdosing or interactions with other drugs or alcohol.

Tylenol

Tylenol is also a popular painkiller for chronic pain management. It is also a prescription-only, generic available medicine that belongs to the analgesic (pain reliever) and antipyretic (fever reducer) class drug. It helps in both pain management and fever reduction.

Benefits

Tylenol is a preferred painkiller that is widely used for chronic pain management and other pain-related problem management. Here are some common benefits of using Tylenol-

• Helps in managing chronic pain
• Comes in different forms and strengths to ensure easy and effective use
• Helps with headache
• Toothache
• Menstrual cramps
• Osteoarthritis
• Back pain and joint pain
• Fever

Side Effects

Like most painkillers, Tylenol also contains certain side effects or risks associated with misuse or overdosing. Here are some common side effects of Tylenol-

• Serious allergic reactions or skin, throat, mouth and tongue
• Dizziness
• Troubled breathing or racing heart
• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Clay-coloured stool
• Jaundice
• Dark urine
• Stomach pain
• Loss of appetite and other serious side effects.

Gabapentin

Gabapentin belongs to a category of drugs called anticonvulsants. This medicine is primarily used for the treatment of partial-onset seizures, restless leg syndrome and neuropathic pain. Gabapentin is available in various forms and one must consult with their healthcare provider before taking the medicine for chronic pain.

Benefits

Gabapentin is used to treat several health conditions. Here are some benefits of taking Gabapentin for chronic pain:

• It can treat nerve pain experienced after a serious injury.
• It can help in the management of pain caused by shingles or diabetes.
• Controls partial seizures and pain problems.

Side Effects

If not used properly, Gabapentin can also cause side effects. Here are some common side effects of Gabapentin:

• Body aches, sore throat, fever and fatigue
• Legs and feet swelling
• Headache
• Drowsiness, dizziness and vision problems
• Problems with muscle movement or balance or tremors
• Difficulty in speaking vomiting and nausea

Naproxen

Naproxen belongs to the category of drugs called NSAID or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It helps to relieve pain related to arthritis and also joint pain and stiffness and swelling in the limbs. The medicine is also available in a number of forms.

Benefits

Naproxen is a non-prescription drug that helps to treat various pain problems. Here is how it helps in chronic pain management:

• Treats moderate arthritis pain
• Treats menstrual pain
• Treats headaches, muscle aches, back aches and other pain problems
• It also reduces swelling for effective management of pain

Side Effects

Naproxen can also cause side effects if not used responsibly. Here are some common side effects of the medicine:

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Heartburn or gas
• Vomiting and nausea
• Headache
• Stomach pain
• Flu-like symptoms
• Rash

Conclusion

Chronic pain can become debilitating if not treated timely. They usually indicate underlying medical conditions such as broken bones, bone spur, acid reflux, arthritis, fibromyalgia or something else. In such conditions, prescribed painkillers like Tramadol, co-codamol or ibuprofen can work excellently in pain management. Your healthcare professional can use this painkiller alone or in combination with other pain management techniques for an effective chronic pain treatment. In this blog, we have covered details about chronic pain along with popular painkillers in the UK, their benefits and risks to help you make informed decisions for your chronic pain management.