Physiology & Medicine Codexery

Analgesic

Analgesics are drugs that relieve pain, and the word comes from Greek roots meaning "without pain".[1] Before the 20th century, such drugs were usually called "anodynes".[2] Analgesics are typically classified based on their mechanism of action.[3]

Quick Facts

Use
Pain

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is a mild analgesic used for mild to moderate pain and fever.[4] Opioids may have side-effects including nausea, vomiting, pruritus, and constipation.[5] Medical cannabis can be used to treat chronic pain and muscle spasms.[6] NSAIDs are a drug class that reduces pain, fever, and, at elevated doses, inflammation.[7]

According to research, blocking COX-1 is responsible for most NSAID side effects, whereas blocking COX-2 produces the analgesic effects.[8] COX-2 inhibitors were created to selectively block only the COX-2 enzyme.[8] Following their widespread use, it was found that most COX-2 inhibitors raise the average risk of cardiovascular events by 40%.[8] Morphine and other opioids similarly affect the opioid receptor system in the brain.[9]

Opioid-induced hyperalgesia describes a condition where taking opioids leads to an increased perception of pain.[10]

What the research sources say

That review also observes that attempting to use alcohol to treat pain can lead to excessive drinking and alcohol use disorder.[11][12] A 2015 paper by Bannister explains that opioid-induced hyperalgesia can make non-painful stimuli painful.[13][10] Conaghan's 2011 review finds that COX-2 inhibitors provide analgesic efficacy comparable to NSAIDs but are associated with fewer gastrointestinal bleeds.[14][8] A 2015 review by Zale, Maisto, and Ditre finds that moderate alcohol consumption can, under certain conditions, reduce some types of pain.[11][15]

The same paper cautions that opioid tolerance is a distinct phenomenon from opioid-induced hyperalgesia and should not be mistaken for it.[13][10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Analgesic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Online Etymology Dictionary: Analgesia", 2001 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Analgesic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: EB 1878; EB 1911 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Analgesic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "British National Formulary: Analgesics", BNF online (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Analgesic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Acetaminophen", The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; "Acetaminophen", The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), "Guideline 106: Control of pain in adults with cancer", National Health Service (NHS), 2008; "Acetaminophen", The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; "Cancer and its Management", John Wiley & Sons, 2014, p. 119; "Cancer and its Management", John Wiley & Sons, 2014, p. 119; "Cancer and its Management", John Wiley & Sons, 2014, p. 119; "Evidence on en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Analgesic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine, 3rd ed. (Doyle D, Hanks G, Cherney I and Calman K, eds. Oxford University Press, 2004). (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Analgesic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Medicinal cannabis", Australian Prescriber, December 2015, p. 212–5; "What is medical marijuana?", National Institute of Drug Abuse, July 2015; "The pharmacologic and clinical effects of medical cannabis", Pharmacotherapy, February 2013, p. 195–209; "Cannabinoids for Medical Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis", JAMA, 23 June 2015, p. 2456–73; "Medical Marijuana and Chronic Pain: a Review of Basic Science and Clinical Evidence", Current Pain and Headache Reports, October 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Analgesic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A review of ketorolac as a prehospital analgesic", Journal of Paramedic Practice, 2017, p. 522–526; "A review of ketorolac as a prehospital analgesic", Journal of Paramedic Practice, 2017, p. 522–526; "Prophylactic use of NSAIDs by athletes: a risk/benefit assessment", The Physician and Sportsmedicine, April 2010, p. 132–8 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Analgesic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A turbulent decade for NSAIDs: update on current concepts of classification, epidemiology, comparative efficacy, and toxicity", Rheumatology International, June 2012, p. 1491–502 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Analgesic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Combining opioid and adrenergic mechanisms for chronic pain", Postgraduate Medicine, July 2014, p. 98–114; "Interaction of the central analgesic, tramadol, with the uptake and release of 5-hydroxytryptamine in the rat brain in vitro", British Journal of Pharmacology, January 1992, p. 147–51; "Actions of tramadol, its enantiomers and principal metabolite, O-desmethyltramadol, on serotonin (5-HT) efflux and uptake in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus", British Journal of Anaesthesia, September 1997, p. 352–6; "Induction of 5-hydroxytryptamine relea en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Analgesic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Opioid-induced hyperalgesia: where are we now?", Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care, June 2015, p. 116–21 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Emily L. Zale, "Interrelations between pain and alcohol: An integrative review", Clinical Psychology Review (2015), doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2015.02.005. OpenAlex metadata CC0; paper not read. doi.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Analgesic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Interrelations between pain and alcohol: An integrative review", Clinical Psychology Review, April 2015, p. 57–71 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Kirsty Bannister, "Opioid-induced hyperalgesia", Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care (2015), doi:10.1097/spc.0000000000000137. OpenAlex metadata CC0; paper not read. doi.org
  14. Philip G. Conaghan, "A turbulent decade for NSAIDs: update on current concepts of classification, epidemiology, comparative efficacy, and toxicity", Rheumatology International (2011), doi:10.1007/s00296-011-2263-6. OpenAlex metadata CC0; paper not read. doi.org
  15. Wikipedia, "Analgesic" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Interrelations between pain and alcohol: An integrative review", Clinical Psychology Review, April 2015, p. 57–71; "Interrelations between pain and alcohol: An integrative review", Clinical Psychology Review, April 2015, p. 57–71 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Analgesic (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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