PAIN MEDICATION

Pain medications can often help reduce chronic pain. Ongoing optimisation and management of pain medications is important to maximise pain relief and minimise side effects.

Not all pain medications work for everyone, so getting medications and doses correct requires a pain specialist and a common sense management approach.

It is sometimes preferable to take two or more pain medications in low doses, rather than just one pain medication in a big dose. This is because different pain medications work differently in the body but can all cause side effects; so rather take a few medications at lower doses so they cause less side effects but work on different parts of your body to help you with pain control. This is called acting synergistically.

We normally start with low doses and gradually increase them. It can sometimes take up to a month before you feel the benefits of some of the pain medications used, so be patient.

Your pain specialist will assess your medications and work with you to get the doses and combinations correct.

DID YOU KNOW?

Medicine may work best when used combined with other types of treatment like nerve blocks and physical therapy to increase your levels of physical activity.

We also work with you and guide you in managing your own pain medications so you can adjust them depending on your needs e.g. if you have a pain flare-up, it may be sensible to increase your medications for a short period of time.

Medicine may work best when used combined with other types of treatment like nerve blocks and physical therapy to increase your levels of physical activity.

Sometimes a medicine loses some or all of its effects over a long period of time. This is called tolerance. If this happens, you may need to take more of the medication, change medications, or add new medications. We will work with you to get the best out of your medications for effective pain relief.

NEUROPATHIC PAIN MEDICATIONS

We manage your pain relief medications (analgesic), which include neuropathic pain medications that focus on reducing nerve pain. These might include:

• Muscle relaxants

• Simple pain relief medication like paracetamol and anti-inflammatory medication

• Antidepressants

• Anti-epileptic agents

• Other neuropathic pain medications

 There are many forms of neuropathic pain medication that may be used for the treatment of chronic pain. Your pain specialist can discuss these with you as part of an integrated pain management plan.

OPIOIDS

It is also far safer to use non-opioid pain medications in chronic pain because painkillers (opioid medications) may not help reduce the pain and carry serious risks.

Following an initial prescription, your GP will continue to manage your pain medications and ongoing prescriptions. You should review the ongoing need for your medications every 6-12 months.  

PAIN CREAMS

Sometimes pain medications can be made up into creams that can be applied to areas of the body where you experience chronic pain. They work well for some people and have very few, if any side effects.

We work with compound pharmacies that are able to make up combinations of pain medications that can be tailored to your pain condition.

1. Dworkin RH et al. Recommendations for the Pharmacological Management of Neuropathic Pain: An Overview and Literature Update. Mayo Clin Proc. 2010 Mar; 85(3 Suppl) : S3-S14.