Pain Management Drugs and Procedures

All medications have possible side effects, so you need to weigh up the advantages of taking them against the disadvantages. Painkillers should only be taken if they will help improve your quality of life.

With long term pain we find that medications may have started off helping but as the body gets used to these the effect wear off. They can be helpful for some people but it is worth asking if you still have significant pain with poor quality of life, having tried a number of medications, if these are working for you.

Opioids particularly can be very helpful for acute and cancer pain but they have very little evidence in long term pain and significant difficulties with tolerance. Further information can be found on the Faculty of Pain Medicine ‘opioids aware’ website.

My Health Devon

British Pain Society