What Do You Do if You Can Not Find Your Pain Medicine and Dont Know if It Was Stolen or You Lost It

You've probably been in pain at i time or another. Maybe you've had a headache or trample—pain that doesn't terminal too long. Just, many older people have ongoing pain from health problems similar arthritis, diabetes, shingles, or cancer.

Pain can exist your body'south way of warning you lot that something is incorrect. E'er tell the doctor where you injure and exactly how information technology feels.

Astute Pain and Chronic Pain

At that place are two kinds of pain. Acute pain begins of a sudden, lasts for a brusk time, and goes away as your body heals. Yous might feel acute pain after surgery or if you have a broken bone, infected tooth, or kidney rock.

Pain that lasts for 3 months or longer is called chronic hurting. This pain ofttimes affects older people. For some people, chronic pain is caused by a health condition such as arthritis. It may also follow acute hurting from an injury, surgery, or other wellness consequence that has been treated, like post-herpetic neuralgia after shingles.

Living with whatever type of hurting can be difficult. It tin cause many other problems. For instance, hurting tin:

• Get in the way of your daily activities
• Disturb your slumber and eating habits
• Brand information technology difficult to continue working
• Exist related to depression or feet
• Keep you lot from spending time with friends and family unit

Describing Pain

Many people have a difficult fourth dimension describing pain. Call up almost these questions when you explain how the pain feels:

• Where does it hurt?
• When did the hurting first? Does it come and go?
• What does it experience similar? Is the hurting sharp, dull, or called-for? Would you utilise some other word to describe it?
• Exercise you have other symptoms?
• When do you experience the pain? In the forenoon? In the evening? Subsequently eating?
• Is there anything you lot practise that makes the pain feel better or worse? For example, does using a heating pad or water ice pack help? Does irresolute your position from lying downward to sitting upwardly get in ameliorate?
• What medicines, including over-the-counter medications and non-medicine therapies have you tried, and what was their event?

Your medico or nurse may ask you to charge per unit your pain on a scale of 0 to x, with 0 being no pain and ten being the worst pain you can imagine. Or, your doctor may inquire if the hurting is mild, moderate, or severe. Some doctors or nurses have pictures of faces that prove unlike expressions of pain and ask y'all to indicate to the face that shows how you feel. Your doctor may ask yous to go along a diary of when and what kind of pain you experience every day.

Attitudes About Pain

Anybody reacts to pain differently. Some people feel they should be brave and not complain when they hurt. Other people are quick to report hurting and enquire for aid.

Worrying near hurting is mutual. This worry tin make you lot afraid to stay agile, and it tin can separate you from your friends and family. Working with your md, you can find ways to keep to take role in physical and social activities despite having hurting.

Some people put off going to the md because they think pain is part of aging and nil can help. This is not true!

It is important to encounter a dr. if you lot accept a new pain. Finding a manner to manage pain is often easier if it is addressed early.

Treating Hurting

Treating, or managing, chronic pain is important. Some treatments involve medications, and some do not. Your treatment program should exist specific to your needs.

Most treatment plans focus on both reducing pain and increasing means to support daily part while living with pain.

Talk with your md about how long it may have before y'all feel better. Often, you lot have to stick with a treatment plan before yous get relief. It's of import to stay on a schedule. Sometimes this is called "staying ahead" or "keeping on acme" of your pain. Be sure to tell your doc nearly whatever side furnishings. You might have to effort different treatments until you find a plan that works for you. As your pain lessens, you can likely get more active and volition run across your mood lift and sleep improve.

Medicines to Treat Pain

Your doctor may prescribe one or more of the following pain medications. Talk with your doc near their safety and the right dose to take.

• Acetaminophen may assistance all types of pain, especially mild to moderate pain. Acetaminophen is found in over-the-counter and prescription medicines. People who take more than three drinks per day or who take liver disease should not take acetaminophen.
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) include aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen. Long-term use of some NSAIDs tin cause side effects, like internal bleeding or kidney problems, which make them unsafe for many older adults. You may not exist able to have ibuprofen if you accept high blood pressure.
• Narcotics (also called opioids) are used for moderate to astringent pain and crave a doctor'due south prescription. They may be habit-forming. They can also be unsafe when taken with booze or certain other drugs. Examples of narcotics are codeine, morphine, and oxycodone.
• Other medications are sometimes used to treat pain. These include antidepressants, anticonvulsive medicines, local painkillers similar nerve blocks or patches, and ointments and creams.

As people age, they are at hazard for developing more side effects from medications. It's important to have exactly the amount of hurting medicine your doctor prescribes. Don't chew or trounce your pills if they are supposed to be swallowed whole. Talk with your dr. or chemist if you're having trouble swallowing your pills.

Mixing whatever hurting medication with alcohol or other drugs can be dangerous. Brand sure your doctor knows all the medicines you take, including over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements, too as the corporeality of alcohol yous drink.

Remember: If you think the medicine is not working, don't alter it on your own. Talk to your dr. or nurse.

What Other Treatments Help with Pain?

In addition to drugs, there are a variety of complementary and culling approaches that may provide relief. Talk to your doctor about these treatments. It may take both medicine and other treatments to feel improve.

• Acupuncture uses pilus-thin needles to stimulate specific points on the body to relieve pain.
• Biofeedback helps y'all larn to control your heart rate, claret pressure, muscle tension, and other trunk functions. This may assist reduce your pain and stress level.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy is a form of curt-term counseling that may help reduce your reaction to pain.
• Distraction can help you cope with astute pain, taking your listen off your discomfort.
• Electrical nerve stimulation uses electrical impulses to salve pain.
• Guided imagery uses directed thoughts to create mental pictures that may aid you relax, manage anxiety, slumber better, and have less hurting.
• Hypnosis uses focused attention to help manage pain.
• Massage therapy can release tension in tight muscles.
• Heed-trunk stress reduction combines mindfulness meditation, body sensation, and yoga to increase relaxation and reduce hurting.
• Physical therapy uses a variety of techniques to help manage everyday activities with less hurting and teaches you means to improve flexibility and force.

Helping Yourself

There are things you can practise yourself that might help you feel better. Attempt to:

• Keep a healthy weight. Putting on extra pounds can slow healing and make some hurting worse. A healthy weight might help with pain in the knees, back, hips, or anxiety.
• Exist physically agile. Pain might make y'all inactive, which can pb to more pain and loss of function. Activity can help.
• Get enough sleep. It can reduce pain sensitivity, help healing, and better your mood.
• Avoid tobacco, caffeine, and booze. They tin get in the style of treatment and increase pain.
• Bring together a pain back up group. Sometimes, it tin help to talk to other people about how they deal with pain. You can share your thoughts while learning from others.

Cancer Pain

Some people with cancer are more afraid of the pain than of the cancer. Just nigh hurting from cancer or cancer treatments tin can exist controlled. As with all pain, it'south best to start managing cancer hurting early. It might take a while to find the best approach.

One special business concern in managing cancer hurting is "quantum pain." This is hurting that comes on quickly and can have you lot by surprise. It can be very upsetting. Later on one assail, many people worry it will happen again. This is another reason to talk with your medico well-nigh having a pain management plan in place.

Alzheimer's Disease and Hurting

People who take Alzheimer'due south disease may not be able to tell you when they're in pain. When you're caring for someone with Alzheimer's, watch for clues. A person'south face may show signs of beingness in hurting or feeling ill. You may see a person often changing position or having trouble sleeping. You lot may also notice sudden changes in behavior such as increased agitation, crying, or moaning. Refusing to eat may be a sign that the person has molar pain or other oral health issues. It's important to notice out if there is something wrong. If you lot're not sure what to do, call the doctor for help.

Pain at the End of Life

Not everyone who is dying is in hurting. Simply, if a person has hurting at the end of life, there are ways to assistance. Experts believe it'due south best to focus on making the person comfy, without worrying near possible addiction or drug dependence. For more information, read Providing Comfort at the End of Life.

Some Facts About Pain

• Nigh people don't have to live with pain. In that location are pain treatments. While not all hurting can exist cured, most pain tin be managed. If your doctor has not been able to aid you, ask to see a pain specialist.
• The side effects from pain medicine are oftentimes manageable. Side effects from hurting medicine similar constipation, dry mouth, and drowsiness may be a problem when you lot first brainstorm taking the medicine. These bug can oft be treated and may go away equally your body gets used to the medicine.
• Your doctor will not think you lot're a sissy if you talk about your hurting. If you're in pain, tell your doctor and so you lot can go help.
• If you use hurting medicine now, it will still piece of work when you demand it later. Using medicine at the starting time sign of hurting may help command your pain later on.
• Pain is not "all in your head." No one but you knows how your pain feels. If you're in pain, talk with your doctor.

Read about this topic in Spanish. Lea sobre este tema en español.

For More Information About Pain and Pain Management

This content is provided by the NIH National Found on Aging (NIA). NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure information technology is accurate and upwards to date.

Content reviewed: February 28, 2018

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Source: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/pain-you-can-get-help

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