Important to know: For dental problems, such as post-extraction pain, research shows that OTC pain relievers work just as well as-or better than-opioids for most people, with far fewer side effects. Opioids can also impair your immune system’s functioning and heighten pain sensitivity. So you might need ever-higher doses for relief. Taking these drugs for longer than about three days can hike addiction and overdose risks, and their effectiveness can diminish over time. (Even short-term use can cause such side effects as abdominal cramps, constipation, headaches, nausea, sleepiness, vomiting, and a fuzzy-headed feeling.) If your pain persists after a few days, talk with your doctor about non-opioid alternatives, including nondrug approaches. Safety smarts: Start with the lowest dose possible and use for only a few days. These prescription drugs include fentanyl (Actiq, Abstral, Duragesic, Fentora, Onsolis, and generic), hydrocodone (Vicodin and generic), and oxycodone (Ox圜ontin, Percocet, and generic).īest use: For severe acute pain after surgery or from injuries, such as those sustained after a bad fall or car accident. If you have GI bleeding or ulcers (or you’re at risk for the condition), ask your doctor about low-dose NSAIDs or acetaminophen. Important to know: Alert your doctor if you have burning stomach pain or bloody, black, or tarry stools-signs of GI bleeding. So if you have heart disease or risk factors for it, talk to your doctor about what’s appropriate for you. Note that although most NSAIDs increase heart attack and stroke risk a bit, aspirin has been shown to lower it. Don’t combine NSAIDs with each other together they can boost the risk of ulcers and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. NSAIDs can hike the risk of stomach and intestinal bleeding and ulcers, particularly when used regularly in high doses. If you find yourself using OTC NSAIDs three or more times per week, ask your doctor about other pain-relief options. Safety smarts: Whether you’re using an OTC or a prescription NSAID, take the lowest dose for the shortest period of time-and not for longer than 10 days for pain without talking to your doctor. If an OTC NSAID doesn’t bring you relief, your doctor might prescribe a higher-dose version. Prescription-only meds include celecoxib (Celebrex and generic) and diclofenac (Cambia, Voltaren, and generic).īest use: For mild to moderate pain such as headaches, migraines, and muscle aches, and to manage OA. NSAID pain relievers are available in OTC and prescription-strength versions of aspirin (Bayer, Bufferin, and generic), ibuprofen (Advil and generic), and naproxen (Aleve and generic). So how can you get the relief you need and minimize your risk of side effects? Here, from our CR Best Buy Drugs experts, is a guide to the most common types of pain pills and how to use them, plus how to alleviate pain without meds. The Food and Drug Administration recently warned that people at greatest vulnerability are those who’ve had a heart attack or have heart disease. Though generally considered safe, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, which are available in prescription and OTC formulations, can slightly increase your likelihood of heart attack or stroke. “In fact, many are worse off and report increased pain and poorer sleep.” “Our data suggest that most patients are not better after having taken long-term opioids,” Brummett says. That amounts to an estimated 2 to 3 million surgery patients each year, says the lead author, Chad Brummett, M.D., director of pain research at the University of Michigan Medical School. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that taking them for longer than several days can do more harm than good, increasing the risk of addiction and overdose.Ī study published in April in the journal JAMA Surgery found that 6 percent of people who were prescribed opioids after surgery were still taking the drugs three to six months later. These can alleviate severe pain after surgery or serious injury. Case in point: 57 percent of the back-pain sufferers in our survey who said they used prescription drugs turned to powerful opioids. Some people with pain end up using medications that can cause bothersome effects or pose risks. In a nationally representative Consumer Reports survey of 3,562 people with back pain, more than half said they saw two or more professionals and tried five or more treatments to find relief, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Whether it’s a nagging backache or a pounding migraine, the search for relief can be frustrating.
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