Pain Medication Side Effects
Pain Medication
Side Effects
What Are Pain Medication’s Side Effects?
Pain medication is an important tool for both doctors and patients. However, they can have adverse side effects, and some of them can be dangerous. Here are some of the most commonly prescribed painkillers and what you should know when using them.
Over-the-Counter Products
Painkillers that may be purchased without a prescription, or “over the counter,” are the most frequent. Paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen are examples of these medications. They’re commonly used to treat minor aches and pains, as well as fevers.
Aspirin
Aspirin is the oldest of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) family of pharmaceuticals. While they can help with pain, if you take them for a long period, they can cause your stomach to bleed. (Other NSAIDs can do the same.) This can result in everything from indigestion to stomach ulcers.
Taking a lot of NSAIDs can harm your kidneys.
Because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a life-threatening illness that assaults the brain and liver, aspirin should not be given to children.
Because aspirin can prevent blood clots, doctors often recommend it to those who are at risk of having a heart attack or stroke. However, because aspirin can induce bleeding, taking it every day increases the risk of a type of stroke that involves brain bleeding.
Paracetamol
It is possible to take paracetamol on its own. Many cold and sinus treatments contain it as well.
Aspirin causes gastrointestinal troubles, however, paracetamol does not. However, if you take too much of it or drink alcohol while taking it, it can harm your liver.
It’s critical to keep track of how much of each prescription you’re taking and to follow the dosing recommendations on the label carefully.
Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen, like aspirin and other NSAIDs, can cause stomach or kidney issues. However, it acts quickly and leaves the body quickly, reducing the risk of negative effects.
Prescription Painkillers
Opioids are the most powerful of these medications. They work by blocking the nerve signals that send pain signals to your brain and replacing them with pleasure messages. Doctors frequently prescribe them to patients who have recently undergone surgery, suffered a painful injury, or are suffering from a serious, long-term ailment such as cancer.
Opioid pain relievers include:
- Codeine
- Dihydrocodeine
- Tramadol
- Morphine
- Oxycodone
- Buprenorphine
- Diamorphine
Less commonly used are:
- Hydromorphone
- Tapentadol
- Methadone
Fentanyl is another extremely powerful opioid painkiller. It’s up to 100 times more powerful than conventional opioids, and it’s typically given to cancer patients who are in excruciating pain. However, it is a drug that has been abused by being incorporated with illegal narcotics, leading to numerous deaths.
Side effects include. The most prevalent side effect is constipation, which affects nearly everyone who takes them. However, they can also result in:
- Nausea
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Itching or sweating
- Depression
- A weakened immune system
- Tolerance occurs when your body requires more of a substance to have the same effect over time.
- Addiction is defined as a desire to continue taking drugs even after you no longer require them.
Taking a lot of narcotic pain relievers can make you stop breathing. Because they’re addicting, they’ve been frequently abused, and overdose deaths have increased dramatically in recent years.
Only a small fraction of persons who receive opioid prescriptions develop an addiction. However, a growing number of people are using them, and the risk increases as time go on. If your doctor prescribes an opioid, carefully follow the directions and contact your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.