Pain killer tab

Pain relievers are medicines that reduce or relieve headaches, sore muscles, arthritis, or other aches and pains. There are many different pain medicines, and each one has advantages and risks. Some types of pain respond better to certain medicines than others. Each person may also have a slightly different response to a pain reliever.
Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are good for many types of pain. There are two main types of OTC pain medicines: acetaminophen (Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Aspirin, naproxen (Aleve), and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) are examples of OTC NSAIDs.
If OTC medicines don't relieve your pain, your doctor may prescribe something stronger. Many NSAIDs are also available at higher prescription doses. The most powerful pain relievers are opioids. They are very effective, but they can sometimes have serious side effects. There is also a risk of addiction. Because of the risks, you must use them only under a doctor's supervision.
There are many things you can do to help ease pain. Pain relievers are just one part of a pain treatment plan.

Start Here

• Chronic Pain Medicines (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Pain Relievers: Understanding Your OTC Options (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Latest News

• Don't Give Kids Medicines with Codeine, Tramadol: FDA (04/20/2017, HealthDay)
• This Fanged Fish Might Someday Help Ease Your Pain (03/30/2017, HealthDay)
• Opioid Painkillers and Xanax or Valium a Deadly Mix (03/15/2017, HealthDay)
• More News on Pain Relievers

Related Issues

• Aspirin Desensitization (American Rhinologic Society)
• Don't Double Up on Acetaminophen (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Health Hints: Use Caution with Pain Relievers (Food and Drug Administration)
• Narcotic Bowel Syndrome (International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders)
• Pain Control After Surgery: Pain Medicines (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Pain Medicines and Kidney Damage (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Topical Pain Relievers May Cause Burns (Food and Drug Administration)

Specifics

• Chronic Pain Medicines (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Medicines for Pain: From Osteoarthritis to Muscle Pain (Consumers Union of U.S., National Center for Farmworker Health) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Nerve Blocks (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs) (American College of Rheumatology) Also in Spanish
• Pain Control (National Cancer Institute) - PDF
• Prescription Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Medicines (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Safe Use, Storage, and Disposal of Opioid Drugs (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Treating Pain with Opioids (Consumers Union of U.S., National Center for Farmworker Health) - PDF Also in Spanish
• What You Can Expect with a Cortisone Shot (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Analgesics (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Narcotics (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Oxycodone versus fentanyl for intravenous patient-controlled analgesia after laparoscopic supracervical...
• Article: Monitoring Hospitalized Adult Patients for Opioid-Induced Sedation and Respiratory Depression.
• Article: Multimodal Analgesia for Acute Postoperative and Trauma-Related Pain.
• Pain Relievers -- see more articles
• Non-narcotic pain relievers -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Food and Drug Administration

Children

• Acetaminophen and Children: Why Dosage Matters (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Fentanyl Patch Can Be Deadly to Children (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• How Do Pain Relievers Work? (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Know Concentration Before Giving Acetaminophen to Infants (Food and Drug Administration)
• Parents: Acetaminophen in Pain Relief Medicines Can Cause Liver Damage (Food and Drug Administration)
• Post-Surgery Codeine Puts Kids at Risk (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Acetaminophen dosing for children (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ibuprofen dosing for children (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Over-the-counter pain relievers (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pain medications - narcotics (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Taking narcotics for back pain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish