Question: What are the strongest kinds of pain medication for severe pain?

Answer: The strongest pain medications are not available over the counter, and they are sometimes very addictive. They are known as opiates. They have a long history of being abused, but if they pain is severe enough, doctors will sometimes prescribe them.

Opiates work by generating a euphoric feeling, and simultaneously blocking the pain receptors in the brain. They also cause a person to care less about the pain they feel. A person under the influence of opiates will sometimes describe the pain as feeling “distant, like it’s happening to someone else instead of me”. Basic opiates are carried by soldiers on the battlefield so that they can deal with pain in the case of a severe injury, and they have a long history of effectiveness.

The most basic opiate is actually opium, and it’s the basic drug that most opiates are derived from. Nobody actually uses opium anymore, but it was probably the first truly effective pain medication, and it’s been used by people since the Middle Ages, and maybe even earlier. Modern medicine has allowed doctors to derive certain aspects of opium and concentrate them. Some drugs that were created this way include Morphine, and Codeine. Morphine is typically only used for very extreme pain, like surgery or terrible injuries. Codeine frequently prescribed for lesser pain, like tooth aches, and hairline fractures. Both drugs are very effective, and as long as they’re used responsibly, a patient can avoid addiction.

Withdraw from opiate addiction can be very dangerous, and usually if a person is forced to use them for a long period of time, they are gradually weaned off of them. Because of their addictive qualities and the dangers of long term use, doctors usually try to avoid prescribing opiates for chronic pain disorders like arthritis. They are only prescribed for long-term use in cases where the pain is extremely severe, and even then, patients are instructed to avoid over-using the drugs.

Opiates are definitely the best thing available for medicating pain, but they should be avoided if at all possible. Try everything else first, over-the-counter NSAIDS, before requesting Opiates from a doctor. They should be reserved for only the most intense cases. As long as you only use them when you absolutely have to, they’re safe and effective.

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