If you have ever been treated for severe pain from surgery, an injury, or an illness, you know just how vital pain relief medications can be.
Pain relief medicines (also known as "painkillers") act on the body's peripheral and central nervous systems to block or decrease sensitivity to pain.
Local anesthetics can provide temporary pain relief to an area. When used in the setting of chronic pain, local anesthetics are often applied as a topical patch to the area of pain.
The best way to treat chronic pain is by working with your doctor and trying to attack the pain with different types of treatments.
Anti-convulsant medications are used to relieve nerve pain.
The goal of pain management is to minimize pain, rather than eliminate it.
Two other goals are to improve function and increase quality of life.
Pain medications are safe and effective when used as directed.
All patients treated with pain medicines require careful monitoring by their health care professional for signs of possible abuse and addiction, and to determine when these drugs are no longer needed.
