Medication For Back Pain Relief

Mostly people prefer taking medications instead of going for some other treatments for alleviating the back pain as the medications are easy to take. But, it is necessary to take medications under the supervision of your doctor to avoid any kind of side effects. Although some over-the-counter medications are also available which help in relieving pain effectively. Some of the most commonly used medications include the following:

Acetaminophen: Acetaminophen is an over-the-counter medication which does not have an anti-inflammatory effect and relieves pain by working centrally to switch off the perception of pain. It is very effective as is associated with fewer side-effects.

Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAID's): As most types of back pain have inflammation as a contributing factor, anti-inflammation medications like NSAID's are very effective in treating the same. The three types of most commonly used NSAID's are ibuprofen, naproxen and COX-2 inhibitors. Other NSAID's are ketoprofen, flurbiprofen, diclofenac, tolmetin, nabumetone, dexibuprofen, and indomethacin.

Narcotic pain medications: All narcotic agents have a dissociative effect that helps patients in managing pain. Commonly used narcotics are codeine, propoxyphene, hydrocodone, and oxycodone.

Other non-narcotic pain medications: This category includes a newer type of medication called tramadol or ultram, which acts centrally to modulate the sensation of pain and has no anti-inflammatory effect. It is a strong pain reliever than acetaminophen. These drugs also act centrally and are more of a total body relaxant. Several types of muscle relaxants are used like carisoprodol, cyclobenzaprine, and diazepam. Muscle relaxants are usually prescribed on a short term basis for relieving low back pain associated with muscle spasms.

Oral steroids: Oral steroids, a type of non-narcotic prescription medications are very effective for treating back pain. Oral steroids may come in various forms but are usually ordered as a medrol dose pack in which patient starts with a big dose for initial low back pain relief, taking lower dose for over 5 or 6 days. They are also used on a short term basis.

Anti-depressants and anti-seizure medications: Antidepressants like amytriptiline, nortriptiline, imipramine are useful in treating depression associated with chronic back pain. The new class of drugs like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors is also effective in treating back pain. Anti-seizure medications are also called neuroleptic drugs which are prescribed to patients who have nerve type pain or neuropathy (degeneration of pain).

So people living with back pain can resolve the pain by employing any of these effective medications and make their life painless and enjoyable.