These are drugs used to relieve or reduce pain. Pain relievers act without making the individual sleepy.
Analgesic drugs are grouped according to their mechanism of action, lie of action, duration of action, etc. The absorption and distribution of analgesic groups, their side effects, and the way of administration show differences.
It is usually taken orally, but there are many different application methods such as intravenous administration, intramuscular administration, and skin application. The location of the pain, its severity, and the method of application vary according to the characteristics of the patient.
Painkillers are used when needed, especially in acute pain. However, in order to reach a certain blood level in chronic pain, it should be used at specified doses in the specified range. Painkillers are chosen according to the location of the pain, its severity and the characteristics of the person, unconscious use of painkillers can cause very serious complications.
It is recommended to use the step method when choosing painkillers. Accordingly, non-opioid pain relievers are preferred primarily according to the severity of the pain. Opioid pain relievers can be preferred under the control of health professionals for pain that does not go away with these. In addition, when choosing painkillers, the presence of additional diseases such as gastritis and ulcer should be investigated.
Types of analgesics:
Analgesics are basically evaluated in three main groups. These:
Non-opioid analgesics:
- NSAID (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs): It can be used in the treatment of mild and moderate pain, fever, rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain. There are many NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac, etodolac, indomethacin, naproxen, mefenamic acid, metamizole, piroxicam, tenoxicam, nimesulide.
- Paracetamol: It has analgesic, antipyretic activity. It has very little anti-inflammatory properties. It is used in pains such as upper respiratory tract diseases, headache, migraine, menstrual pain, toothache, muscle and joint pain.
Opioid analgesics (Narcotic analgesics ): They show strong analgesic activity. However, there are risks of addiction. On the other hand, they do not have antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities. They usually show their effects through the central nervous system. There are natural (morphine), semisynthetic (nalorphine, etorphine, pentazocine etc.) and synthetic types (fentanyl).
Secondary analgesics: These are drugs whose main effects are not analgesic, which are primarily used for other treatment purposes, but secondarily show pain relief. Some of the analgesics used for this purpose are:
- Antidepressants,
- Neuroleptics,
- Corticosteroids,
- Benzodiazepines,
- Caffeine,
- Local anesthetics,
- Bisphosphonates,
- Calcium channel blockers,
- Somatostatin vs.