There is something that everyone of us has experienced: PAIN. For some people, pain has only been felt occasionally such as after an accidental fall/injury, tooth infection, headache etc. For others, pain is unfortunately more of a chronic issue such as those people with chronic back issues, inflammatory joint diseases, neuropathy etc.
When pain is severe/intense, the affected person’s life is altered in a very negative way. It is very difficult to find enjoyment in any activities when pain is being experienced constantly. Not only does pain impact us on the physical side, but psychologically, chronic pain will lead to depression.
When pain is relatively mild, over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be purchased. However, for more intense pain, these medications are not very effective. On the prescription side, there are many types of pain medications that your doctor can prescribe. Obviously, the opioids (codeine, hydrocodeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, fentanyl) are effective for pain control but addiction/abuse potentials are very high with this class of medications.
There are other pain-modulating medications such as gabapentin that are used to help reduce pains from causes such as neuropathy. Unfortunately, these medications can produce a number of side effects. Non-medication therapy for pain such as physical therapy, nerve stimulators and other devices are often employed in the attempt to control chronic pain.
More recently, a new pain medication was approved by the FDA called “Journavx” (suzetrigine) that is not an opioid and is currently indicated for acute pain of moderate-severe intensity. This medication works differently than the opioids and is not addictive in nature. The cost of this is around $15 dollars for a 50 mg tablet and the dosage recommendation is 1 tablet twice a day.
Chronic pain can ruin lives. If you are experiencing pain that is more than just a fleeting inconvenience go in to see your doctor. Life becomes much better without pain.
And here is Stevie Wonder singing “Ordinary Pain”.
